Why has the proposed smoking area ban sparked outrage in the UK?
To reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco use, Labour wants to take the indoor smoking ban outdoors. Opponents of the plan – including those who don’t light up – are lamenting the loss of valuable spaces where ‘all the best socialising happens.’ It’s no secret that...
Current in Offbeat
A serial killer exhibition is coming to London this month
While documentaries and podcasts have been fulfilling society’s interest in true crime for a decade, a new exhibition in London will invite fans of the genre to explore genuine artefacts and recreated crime scenes from some of the world’s most notorious serial killer cases. As if people weren’t obsessed enough...
Decluttering trends are making a mess of our mental health
With ‘cleantok’ videos racking up billions of views, experts are concerned that people are losing their ability to distinguish between fads and methods that will actually help them. Last year, world-renowned decluttering expert Marie Kondo admitted that she’d ‘given up on tidying.’ The ‘queen of clean’ (as she’s so aptly referred...
The rise of rage rooms in Africa
As economic opportunities dwindle, a new trend is sweeping across Africa, offering young people a unique way to cope with stress; rage rooms. These controlled environments have become increasingly popular, especially among Gen Z, who are grappling with the challenges of unemployment, poverty and limited access to mental health...
Opinion – society’s perception of wealth is shifting
The cost of living isn’t letting up, despite inflation tapering off. With everything more expensive than it’s ever been, young people are learning to value – and strive for – different things in life. To say that the global economy has shifted drastically over the last few years would be...
Are people actually falling in love with Artificial Intelligence?
No longer just the stuff of Spike Jonze’s storytelling, users of GTP-40 – OpenAI’s latest generation chatbot that speaks aloud in its own voice – have been forming emotional relationships with it. Written and directed by Spike Jonze, Her is an ahead-of-its-time contemporary romance film that explores the state...
Is Quora on death’s doorstep?
The platform once deemed a barometer for quality responses to user queries has lost its way. AI is largely responsible – in more ways than one. Have you ever heard of ‘Dead Internet Theory?’ It subscribes to the idea that both bots and content created by algorithms will soon overtake the digital presence and volume of human works online. We’ve written about it in detail previously. Apprehension about that prospect has...
What is Jai Ho summer?
The latest Gen-Z internet trend is all about celebrating South Asian culture, without South Asians. You’d be forgiven for thinking 2024 was the summer of all this Brat. But the internet’s latest obsession isn’t just about wearing lurid green and smoking a packet of Marlboro Reds. This year, a new vibe has taken hold of the Gen-Z zeitgeist: Jai Ho Summer. And yes, that does refer to the 2008 Pussycat Dolls...
Where in the UK is best for Northern creatives?
Though creative brain drain has seen Northern graduates move South for years, Manchester now boasts more jobs per person than the UK’s capital – but is it affordable to live there? Already regarded as the powerhouse of the North thanks to its rich (literally) industrial history and iconic music scene, Manchester’s booming economy, exciting nightlife, and media links have recently put it on the map as a more manageable London. With...
Is mukbang content dangerous for creators and audiences?
As mukbang creators raise the stakes of their eating to compete for audience attention online, experts are worried about the consequences this could have on the mental and physical wellbeing of both viewers and stars. Mukbang videos – livestreamed or prerecorded video content of creators eating food and chatting to an audience – first originated in South Korea. These videos typically feature a host sitting at a table lined with food,...
