How Pear’s social experiment is combatting dating app fatigue
A new startup called Pear wants to eliminate our reliance on tech to foster romance. Its small green ring encourages singles across the globe to make organic connections. Earlier this year, we asked whether dating apps have taken the fun out of falling in love on the back of revelations...
Current in Culture
Paris Olympics to seat thousands of spectators on recycled chairs
The Paris 2024 Olympics has set out to use its moment on the world’s stage to promote sustainability. Part of its multi-step effort to do so involves seating 11,000 spectators in chairs made from recycled plastic material. The Olympic Games are often regarded as a spectacular celebration of human ability,...
Could white paint help Barcelona cope with frequent heatwaves?
Spain is warming at a faster rate than any other European country. In an effort to protect city-dwellers from worsening heatwaves, the Spanish government is considering painting Barcelona’s iconic buildings white. Barcelona’s cityscape has long been hailed by urban planners and architectural novices for its practical design and abundant...
The nine-dash crayon line that got Barbie banned in Vietnam
The upcoming Barbie movie has generated worldwide excitement. Unfortunately, citizens in Vietnam won’t have the opportunity to enjoy it as its government has banned the film. Scheduled for release on July 21st, the highly anticipated Barbie movie, featuring a stellar cast, has faced a setback as the Vietnamese government has...
Why ‘beige flags’ have entered the Internet’s dating vocabulary
It’s not a red flag and it’s not a green flag. What does the newly popular term ‘beige flag’ mean regarding our personal relationships and why is it causing an online debate? Red flags and green flags have been discussed in dating spheres, friendship groups, and even the workplace for...
Opinion – Colleen Ballinger’s apology is a grim blur of comedy and consent
The former YouTube star Colleen Ballinger has faced allegations of grooming and abuse. Her bizarre response to these claims highlights the morbid meme-fication of almost everything. Colleen Ballinger isn’t a name many will recognise. Perhaps the character that made her famous, Miranda Sings, will stir memories for those in their...
Opinion – U-turn on festival drug testing is a step backward
Young people are facing higher risks at UK festivals, as the government makes organisers jump through hoops to provide basic on-site drug testing. The Loop, a UK drug-testing charity, has been a mainstay of British festivals in recent years. Parklife festival, in Manchester, has provided drug-testing to attendees via The Loop since 2014. But this year organisers were told they needed a special licence, just days before the festival started. Parklife ultimately...
Hollywood shuts down for the first time in six decades
A mega-strike involving writers and performers demanding better pay and increased safeguarding around AI rights is likely to grind to a halt the production of most movies and many popular television shows. Swapping the red carpet for the picket lines, Hollywood actors are going on strike after negotiations between studio representatives and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and SAG-AFTRA (the...
Why is the return of classic Smosh a big deal?
Last week, Smosh’s co-founders Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla purchased the company from owners Rhett and Link. It’s the first time the two have had complete creative control since 2011. Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla have announced their acquisition of Smosh, a comedy YouTube channel and brand they first founded in 2005. After six years working independently on scripted sketches and vlogs, the duo sold Smosh to a larger digital media...
Do ad agencies need to disclose the use of AI in online campaigns?
As AI photo creation tools like Midjourney become more advanced and widely used, the world’s largest advertising agency Ogilvy is encouraging marketing companies to explicitly state when they are used in social media campaigns. The advent and rapidly improving capabilities of AI image generators such as Midjourney have sparked both excitement and debate in the online world. On Instagram, digital novices have opened accounts to share their imaginative experiments with...
