Latest Stories from Jamie
Instagram floods non-paid users with ads
Meta is officially trialling premier subscriptions for Instagram. Those staying on the free version are already being bombarded with ads, and many say the standard experience is being deliberately degraded. Thousands of us looking to procrastinate on Instagram this morning were halted by a new paid sign-up page. The vast majority of us who steered clear of the ‘ad-free’ tier, given Instagram has been sponsor and ad heavy in recent...
UK government weighing up social media ban for under 16s
UK ministers are currently voting on an amendment to ban under 16s from social media and the Prime Minister is reportedly open to following in Australia’s footsteps. Under mounting pressure, the UK government is now weighing up whether to ban children under 16 from using social media. A consultation is currently taking place, in which dozens of MPs will vote on whether an Australia-style policy should be implemented by next...
Is a ‘recycling lottery’ the way to get people fully on board?
Would people be more inclined to recycle their waste if they had a slim chance of winning $1,000 each time? Unsurprisingly, the data says yes. A sense of moral responsibility or pang of guilt not cutting it? How about four figures of cold hard cash for that garbage? Around 10 US states are already reimbursing people with a few cents for their empty bottles or cans, but what if the odd...
uk lawmakers finally reckon with grok + gen z pines for 2016
check bro’s hard drive So you’re back again, huh? Fair dos. New year, same old YOU! But seriously, we’re happy to have your engagement, I mean clicks, I mean attention again. What’s it been six days… maybe seven? (I missed the memo on whether we’re doing that in 2026). Speaking of throwing crap on the rubbish heap, that tenuous theme sort of encapsulates this week’s newsletter (cough, Grok), and we’re hoping it...
Content concern sees X lose 60% of its revenue in the UK
X revenue plummeted by 60% in 2025 in the UK as spooked advertisers disassociated from the platform – specifically, over Grok’s willingness to create sexually explicit imagery on a mass scale. For anyone who spends a significant amount of time on X, these developments will come as no surprise whatsoever. Over the last couple of months, X has been completely saturated with sexually explicit content traceable to one common origin: @Grok Despite...
UK announces ‘most ambitious’ livestock welfare laws in a generation
England is set to phase out caged hens and pig farrowing crates under a new package of animal welfare laws announced by the government. The changes mark a major shift in how farm animals are treated, with ministers confirming plans to end the use of cages for laying hens and ban farrowing crates for pigs. Both systems have long criticised by animal welfare groups for causing unnecessary suffering. While traditional battery...
UK secondary schools to proactively tackle misogyny in 2026
The impending measures include teacher training to spot misogyny in classrooms and the enrolment of ‘high-risk’ pupils into corrective behavioural courses. The British government has thrice delayed its elusive strategy to prevent the radicalisation of young men into the ‘Manosphere’, but is now starting to show its hand. Teachers will now receive specialist training on issues such as consent and the dangers of sharing intimate images, with a view to...
The Warner Bros ownership race could drastically change streaming
Netflix had agreed a deal with Warner Bros to land its studio and streaming assets for $83 billion. That could soon be off the table, however, with the news that Paramount has just proposed an offer of $108.4 billion for the entire company. Can you hear that? That’s the sound of heads planting the meeting table at Netflix HQ. The biggest news of the weekend suddenly may not be so newsworthy....
Beeple’s ‘Regular Animals’ turns billionaires into terrifying robot dogs
A late entry for the most disturbing art installation of 2025, Beeple’s ‘Regular Animals’ features a pen of robotic dogs bearing the likeness of tech billionaires and revered artists. They canter around, snap photos, and take NFT dumps. ‘You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension,’ declared Nikola Tesla in 1898. I’d say we’re probably at that point. Onlookers at Art Basel Miami Beach are transfixed in a state...
Report reveals scope of extreme online abuse in English football
The BBC found that more than 2,000 extremely abusive social media posts were sent in a single weekend of Premier League and Women’s Super League action. As someone with roughly two hours per day scrolling X – no, I’m not proud of it – I’m fully aware of just how rife with abuse ‘Football Twitter’ is. While much of the self-proclaimed community is based on good hearted fun, primarily laughing in...
