UNESCO unveils action plan to regulate social media platforms
According to a new survey, more than 85 per cent of people are worried about the impact of online disinformation and 87 per cent believe it has already harmed their country’s politics. On Monday, UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay sounded the alarm on the intensification of disinformation and hate speech online,...
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Is banning suicide forums an effective means of mental health support?
A recent BBC investigation puts pressure on UK authorities to shut down an online forum that freely discusses suicide. Is it the right call, or is it placing too much attention on a symptomatic cause rather than the root problem? TW: This article discusses mental health issues and suicide....
UNESCO is planning a virtual museum of stolen artefacts
The project aims to highlight Britain’s colonial history, and its ongoing impact on global communities. The subject of imperialism has surrounded British museums since their inception, but the topic has gained particular momentum in recent years. Discussions of cultural heritage and restitution have started to drive tangible changes in the...
The Elon inspired decline of X reportedly continues
X, formerly known as Twitter, continues to slump in engagement under the management of Elon Musk. Is there a way to stem the continuous decline, or is the platform living on borrowed time? On reflection, surely L would have been a more appropriate title for Elon Musk’s Twitter rebrand. Since the...
Space launches are ‘profoundly’ polluting Earth’s atmosphere
A team of researchers has traced atmospheric pollution to types of metal found in rockets and satellites. Is our ozone layer again under threat? In our quest for knowledge and cosmic expansion, is the Space Age leaving dirty fingerprints on our Earth’s stratosphere? A team of researchers recently discovered an abundance...
Should violent criminals be allowed on social media?
The successful TikTok career of a US school shooter has raised questions around the accessibility of online spaces. Many people dream of going viral on social media. After all, it promises overnight fame and widespread influence. The growing capability of almost anyone to gain internet notoriety has increasingly aroused controversy. Whether...
Study claims ChatGPT better than GPs at offering depression treatment
Researchers claim ChatGPT may be better than doctors at following recognised treatment standards for depression, eliminating discernible gender or social class biases which can come into play in physician-patient relationships. ChatGPT will see you now… come through. OpenAI’s flagship generative AI tool may be better than a doctor at offering advice for dealing with depression, reveals recent findings published in the Family Medicine and Community Health journal. Specifically, researchers point to...
Research says nighttime blue light exposure stifles mental wellbeing
In honour of World Mental Health Day, many of us will be checking in with ourselves and our loved ones with help from our smartphones. But new research suggests waiting until the evening to send that text could see us worse off. Making time to acknowledge how we’re doing mentally isn’t always easy in our modern world. Around 60 percent of the human population now lives in densely populated urban...
Shell partners with Fortnite to push gasoline
In arguably the most brazen example of gross product placement in recent times, Shell is pushing gasoline propaganda through the vehicle of Fortnite. What are kids most worried about, climate change... what do kids really like, Fortnite. Roll out the prop! In what feels like a work of fiction Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker may have written, oil giant Shell has recently partnered with Fortnite to push its new ‘V-Power Nitro+’...
This digital app makes banned books freely available to everyone
With bans on important literary genres on the rise across America, an app called The Banned Book Club is a digital library that makes banned books available for everyone, regardless of where they are located. Across America, libraries are being forced to pull highly acclaimed books from their shelves. State-wide bans on certain types of literature are being implemented by local governments at the request of organisations that believe children...
