AI free media is fast becoming a modern USP
As people become increasingly fatigued with second guessing whether media bares any hallmarks of AI, βhuman madeβ is fast becoming its own USP. How grimly predictable. Earning a crust in the world of publishing means my colleagues and I are more accustomed to dodging AI slop than most. Much like the...
Current in Culture
Explaining the Gen Alpha β6-7β TikTok trend
Are you an elderly Gen Zer? Confused about why the kids are nonsensically saying β6-7?β Us too.Β Every so often, a moment in pop culture will arrive as a reminder that youth isnβt eternal. Hearing an in-joke you donβt understand or missing an obvious conversational reference can make even the...
The media has missed the point of the Epstein story
Coverage has fixated on big names and sordid details, but the focus should remain on Epsteinβs victims.Β If youβre an internet user youβve probably scanned at least one headline pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein in the past week. The child sex offender is back in the news due to newly revealed...
Cambridge Dictionary names βparasocialβ its Word of the Year
Highlighting the prevalence of βunhealthyβ and βone-sidedβ relationships people are forming with celebrities, influencers, and AI chatbots today, Cambridge Dictionary has named βparasocialβ as its Word of the Year. Can you name a celebrity you feel like you βknowβ because youβve paid so much attention to their career and personal...
Billie Eilish criticised by Elon Musk after wealth comments
βSheβs not the sharpest tool in the shed,β wrote Musk on X earlier this week. His comments were in response to Billie calling him a βpathetic cowardβ for hoarding wealth instead of donating it to good causes. Billie Eilish has been hit with new criticism from the worldβs richest...
Is Trumpβs threat to sue the BBC warranted?
The BBC is facing a barrage of criticism from right-wing opposition after broadcasting an edited clip of Trumpβs 2021 January Capitol Riots speech. The US president is threatening to sue for $1 billion USD.Β The BBC is currently engrossed in controversy after broadcasting an edited speech by current US president...
The 1975 remove song from last album on streaming services
British alt-pop band The 1975 have removed the song βHuman Tooβ from their previous album on all streaming platforms. Frontman Matty Healy says itβs simply because he doesnβt like the track anymore. Should artists be allowed to do this? The 1975 have removed one of their songs, βHuman Too,β from their last album, βBeing Funny in a Foreign Languageβ on all streaming platforms. This includes Apple Music, Spotify, and...
Should celebrities speak out on politics?
Jennifer Lawrence says speaking out against Trump would βadd fuel to a fireβ ripping America apart. As political binaries continue to sharpen, should those in the public eye take sides?Β The question of whether famous people should be politically outspoken is a complex one. Iβve argued with friends and family about it to no end. But my own stance has also shifted plenty of times over the years. If youβd asked...
Why is there a Gen Z activism stan war going on?
Stan culture isnβt limited purely to the world of music, but this might just be the most peculiar beef fictionalised by the internet to date. Pick a side and get to tweeting your non-sensical argument immediately. The latest internet beef based on precisely nothing, and with absolutely no influence from either party, is the Greta Thunberg vs Malala Yousafzai squabble for title of βbest Gen Z activist.β Late last month, Malala appeared...
Coca-Cola misses the mark with AI-generated Christmas ad again
After last yearβs debacle, Coca-Cola has doubled down on its use of generative AI for its annually anticipated Christmas ad. The public reaction is even worse this time around. βTis the season, itβs always the real thingββ¦ except for when itβs not. Halloween is officially over, and Guy Fawkes Night will have been and gone before you can sing a Katy Perry chorus. Next up for a lot of us comes...
