When did Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) get so bad that we all started adding “Reddit” to the end of our searches? — Today I’m going to briefly explore a topic that lingers at the back of my mind whenever I find myself trawling through pages and pages of SEO-optimized search results online: has the web become too inauthentic to trust? In other words: when did Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) get so…

“His room is between the closet and the ceiling. A wonderful little spot that we entrepreneured.” Last month, I wrote a post about how Gen Z is realising that our definition of ‘hard work’ isn’t working for our society. You can read it here. I got an overwhelming amount of…

Children are telling teachers that they want to be influencers and video gamers. Exhausted teachers scoff at the idea that there’s an alternative to slogging away to a timetable set by someone else. — A few weeks ago I saw a TikTok video of a young woman sitting in her car crying because she’s just finished her first shift at her new 9–5 job and she’s devastated because she realises that’s what she’s supposed to do for the rest of her life.

Activists have started to use the game to protest more than Tom Nook’s predatory loans — For years, we have been debating whether or not video games lead to increased violence, and after decades of research, we’re still not entirely sure. But as the 2020 U.S. election looms, a much more urgent question has arisen: Can video games encourage people to get involved in politics? The…

It probably won’t kill us, but there are a few issues you should know about — There has always been a level of public opposition to cellular technology, but the voices of dissent have been rising significantly since the introduction into the public lexicon of 5G, one of the biggest buzzwords of 2019. “How would you feel if you knew that an untested technology is being…

New devices tap into the age-old promises of mood alteration — You’ve got a deadline tomorrow, and you’re sitting in a coffee shop staring at a blank screen on your laptop. Your mind is racing, and every slight noise seems to irritate you more. The crying baby in the queue. The woman talking loudly on her phone across the room. You…

A ‘Digital Iron Curtain’ is descending over part of the world — Russia’s State Duma just announced that starting next July, all electronics in Russia (including smartphones, computers, and smart TVs) will be required to come preinstalled with apps made by Russian tech firms. According to Alexander Yushchenko, a Communist Party representative, one contender for preinstallation is Gosuslugi — the Russian government…

Cheap Android phones filled with potentially dangerous ‘bloatware’ are just the beginning — When it comes to privacy, there has always been a clear divide between the richest and poorest people in society. While the rich can afford to pay for the luxury of living in secluded homes with multiple bedrooms to themselves and high-tech security systems to ward off trespassers, the poorest…

Most essential oils are made for their scent, so why would anyone want to ingest them? — This summer, a popular YouTuber who calls herself Fully Raw Kristina released a fruit-infused water recipe that included some odd ingredients: What she described as “pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils.” Into the pitcher went two drops each of eucalyptus, rosemary, lime, and cardamom essential oils, which, Kristina explained, she was doing…