Is accessible news making Gen Z narrow-minded?
With young people getting most of their news from social media, their political interests are being swayed by algorithms and a limited exposure to diverse perspectives. In recent years, the number of people for whom social media is their go-to news source has soared, with 44 per cent of...
Current in Tech
Are social media algorithms breeding misogyny and violence?
Amid mounting evidence to suggest that men and boys are being pushed violent and misogynistic content online – without deliberately searching for or engaging with it – many fear that this unregulated far-right radicalisation is increasingly turning them against women and girls. On Monday, BBC Panorama released a new documentary. Titled...
Why did TikTok ‘make’ you buy it?
Social media is no longer a place we go to connect with others. It’s a place where we go to learn, laugh, and most of all – to be marketed to. Let’s face it. TikTok is fueling overconsumption. Upon opening the app, users are ushered into a digital marketplace from anywhere,...
Cognify wants AI-simulated memories to help rehabilitate prisoners
Hashem Al-Ghaili, a Berlin-based scientist and filmmaker, envisions a future where prisoners are rehabilitated using implanted synthetic memories created by AI. His MO is to instil a sense of empathy and cut lengthy sentences from years to a matter of minutes. Having cut his teeth in the realm of independent...
The Pokémon Sleep app hits one million users in Japan
The gamified sleeping tracker is helping incentivize people all over the world to get more shut-eye. One million of these users are now based in Japan. Getting enough sleep is important, but few of us actually get the number of hours we need. No worries though, there’s an app for...
What will Amazon drone delivery look like?
The online retailer has been given the green light to test-fly delivery drones across the UK. But what does this mean for the future of online shopping? Amazon’s hopes to dominate the world of e-commerce have taken a significant step forward after UK regulators granted the company approval to begin...
Melting Arctic ice spells opportunity for Far North Fiber’s internet project
While Arctic ice may fully melt by 2040, Far North Fiber views this as a door to install internet cables in the region; capitalizing on the climate disaster and the global surge in internet usage. Navigating daily life without encountering the internet is challenging. From smartphones to digital billboards, the digital realm pervades every aspect of our lives. With its usage surging during the pandemic, just over 5 billion globally...
Does the moon actually influence human health?
Researchers have long dismissed such claims but surprising new evidence suggests that the lunar cycle does in fact subtly affect sleep, menstruation, and certain mental illnesses. In astrology, the moon represents the inner world – namely our emotions. Understanding how to work with its 29.5-day cycle has always been the aim of the astrologically inclined, even more so in the 21st century, with the mystical services market estimated to be worth...
Opinion – our phone addiction is out of control
In a world where scrolling has become second nature and our devices an extension of ourselves, we’ve become completely detached from both how dependent we are on being perpetually ‘connected’ and how negatively this is impacting us all. Last week, I finally did what I’ve been urging myself to do for years and deleted Instagram. Reading that back, it doesn’t sound like much, but doing so required a great deal...
Complex life on Earth may be 1.5 billion years older than thought
Previous studies suggest animal life did not emerge on Earth until around 635 million years ago. New research claims to have found new evidence deep within rocks showing environmental conditions for animal life 2.1 billion years ago. As it currently stands, animals first showed up on Earth around 635 million years ago. Or did they? According to an international team of researchers, this previous estimate may need to be revised –...
