Is the bad PR surrounding lab-grown meat warranted?
The possibility of lab-grown meat landing on our plates in the near future has been met with mixed reactions. Now, widespread media campaigns are attempting to sway the public from even considering it. Removing meat from our diet has been proven to significantly lower our carbon footprint, but not all...
Current in Media
Universal Music set to take songs down from TikTok
Millions of songs will be taken down from TikTok after talks over payment with Universal Music fell through. It means a wealth of material from huge artists will no longer be available. TikTok is once again facing controversy. This time, it’s over payment and music royalty rights. Universal Music, one...
Explicit Taylor Swift AI images cause legal panic
Last week, explicit images of Taylor Swift created using AI were shared across Twitter (X), with some posts gaining millions of views. The ensuing legal panic could have ramifications for the use of celebrity likeness, and AI images in general. Taylor Swift was the victim of AI image generation last...
The reality behind the ‘tradwife’ lifestyle
Across TikTok, young women are expressing the desire to reject capitalism in favour of the 1950s housewife life being marketed to them. But as always with social media, there’s often more than meets the eye. Wake up babe, girl bossing is out and trad-wifing is in. Millennials may have been sold...
Tyler, The Creator named best-selling male artist on vinyl
Rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator is officially the best-selling male artist on vinyl in the US. He was also named the year’s best-selling rapper. Tyler, The Creator has been named as the best-selling male artist on vinyl in the US for 2023. He reportedly sold a total of 552,000 records,...
Opinion – the Mia Goth debate is toxic stan culture exemplified
The actress is being sued by an extra who alleges she ‘intentionally’ kicked him in the head on set. In response, a sub-section of her fanbase has dismissed the assault accusations with trivialising language, highlighting the problematic nature of out-of-control para-social relationships. During the last few years, Mia Goth...
FKA Twigs calls out double standards in the modelling industry
The singer’s recent campaign with Calvin Klein faced backlash over her ‘partial nudity.’ ‘I do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ they have labelled me.’ These were the words pasted beneath an image of FKA Twigs, posted by the singer to her own Instagram page this week. The photo features Twigs (as she is known by fans) partially covered by a shirt. The outline of her nude body is visible beneath. Calvin...
Sponsored ads for weight loss injections cause a social media stir
Targeted advertisements for semaglutide injections like Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy are popping up on the social media feeds of Instagram and Twitter users. The Western world can’t stop talking about Ozempic. Who is using it? How much does it cost? Is it too good to be true? What are the side effects? Although there are far more important things to be talking about with our peers, it’s hard to ignore...
Billie Eilish claims Variety Magazine outed her
The singer’s latest Instagram post has garnered a mixed response, one which highlights our dangerous hyper fixation on sexuality. Billie Eilish made headlines last month when a Variety Magazine interview stated she was attracted to both men and women. The news came as no surprise to Eilish’s legion of fans. Many of them, along with the mainstream media, have speculated about the singer’s sexuality for years. But last week Eilish slammed Variety...
ChatGPT is Wikipedia’s most viewed subject of 2023
ChatGPT sits atop the most viewed subjects on Wikipedia for 2023. Given the meteoric rise of OpenAI and generative AI in general, it’s hardly surprising. The annual ranking of the most popular searches on Wikipedia is a solid indicator of what was big in the zeitgeist that year. Somewhat predictably, ChatGPT takes the cake for 2023. Curious folk have visited the public-edited encyclopaedia some 84 billion times over the last...
