Latest Stories from Flo
How YouTube is shifting the media hierarchy
People are flocking to the platform as online alternatives replace mainstream media. But Gen Z already knew that. Which chat show host has the monopoly on late-night entertainment? Ask anyone under the age of 35 and they’ll tell you it's not a TV presenter, but a YouTuber. Amelia Dimoldenberg, the mastermind behind breakout show Chicken Shop Date, has said her YouTube show is finally being taken seriously in the industry, as...
What is ‘soft socialising’ and why is everyone doing it?
Gen Z are choosing gentler forms of fun thanks to stressful work schedules and marketing fatigue. Have you recently vowed to delete the dating apps (again)? Join the club. Modern life has made socialising – romantic or otherwise – a largely digital task, and in so doing has made one of our most fundamental instincts just that: a task. Don’t get me wrong, introverts will tell you that meeting new people has always...
Vinted users complain AI is causing unfair suspensions
The resale app is the latest platform facing backlash for its use of automated tools. Thousands of Vinted sellers have said they were suspended unfairly or permanently banned after automated fraud detection deemed them to be using the app inappropriately. The BBC reported that several users feel the platform’s integrated AI tools are failing to monitor the resale platform appropriately, leaving some – including those who for whom Vinted is...
Can having tattoos still hold you back professionally?
If findings from recent research are anything to go by, the answer is yes. Around 60 million Europeans have at least one tattoo. Personal ink is hardly the taboo it was a few decades ago, but that doesn’t mean it’s warmly welcomed in the workplace. Dr Alyssa Grocutt spent several months researching tattoos, and found that employers are ‘still less likely’ to hire candidates with visible tattoos. Grocutt has hundreds...
Why are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ eggs journey causing such a furore?
The US congresswoman is sharing her journey to freeze her eggs, and in doing so opening up conversation around the trade-offs professional women face. It’s also driving backlash from the right. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC as she’s often dubbed by the media) has become a major play for Democratic Socialists in the US. After campaigning alongside Bernie Sanders and amassing a huge following amongst young voters on social media, AOC has...
Microdramas are fuelling exploitation in the entertainment industry
The booming world of rapid, vertical mini dramas has generated a multi-million dollar mobile entertainment industry. It’s also fuelled worker exploitation, low wages, and suffocating schedules. Is TV getting dumber? In today’s post-literate society – an era Rose Horowitch deftly explores in a recent piece for The Atlantic – how we entertain ourselves is a hot topic. From the second-screen problem to the rise of AI-generated content, the general consensus is...
Every body of water in England is polluted with toxic chemicals
New reports show each of the country’s rivers, lakes and estuaries are filled with harmful forever chemicals – a litmus test for a mounting ecological crisis. To suggest that most of England’s inner-city rivers are heavily polluted would be akin to calling the sky blue. But stating the obvious it is not. Far beyond the murky waters of London’s Thames or Manchester’s Irwell, each and every body of water across the...
Should unfair dismissals be classed as a public health issue?
The death of 26-year-old Chloe Moffat has raised questions about duty of care in the workplace, and the right to safeguards during meetings. Losing your job or facing disciplinary action in the workplace is a traumatic experience for anyone – especially when it comes as a surprise. But the death of Chloe Moffat has prompted a wider examination of how British employers handle allegations of misconduct, and whether disciplinary procedures can...
How TikTok failed to take down Perez Hilton’s livestream
The celebrity blogger was hospitalised after allegedly harming himself on a TikTok livestream. Now the platform is reckoning with the consequences. Last Tuesday, celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton (born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.) appeared on a TikTok livestream naked, covered in a red substance that appeared to be blood, and holding what looked like a knife. As viewers watched on in horror, a concerned number called the emergency services who...
Do we ever have the right to comment on someone’s body?
Public fixation over Ariana Grande’s appearance has driven the star to retreat from the spotlight. Where do we draw the line between scrutiny and concern when it comes to women’s bodies? Ariana Grande has lived half of her life in the spotlight. She’s had a hugely successful music career during that time – achieving 10 US number one hits, 20 Grammy Award nominations, and three wins. She’s also moved into acting...
