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Social media ‘weight loss’ trend causes Ozempic shortage
The Ozempic injection, which keeps blood sugar levels in check for patients with Type 2 diabetes, has been in shortage for months following tenuous claims online that celebrities are using it to lose weight. In 2022, social media inspired many of the ways we sought to improve our wellbeing...
Current in Social
2022 is officially the worst year for climate scepticism on Twitter
Climate misinformation on Twitter has been more rife in 2022 than any previous year, according to recent reports. But why? People talking garbage on Twitter isn’t a new phenomenon, but we’ve lowered the bar in 2022. An exasperating rise in climate denier content ignited in 2022 on Twitter, making the year...
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has been arrested
The problematic Internet guru has been detained on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organised crime group. Rumours are swirling on social media that his recent Twitter row with Greta Thunberg is what tipped off police to his presence in Romania. Earlier this year, Andrew Tate made headlines...
TikTok is failing to protect young users
Sparking fresh concerns about the platform’s influence on children, new research has uncovered that its algorithm is pushing videos about eating disorders and self-harm to 13-year-olds. According to research from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), TikTok appears to be pushing videos about eating disorders and self-harm to...
Opinion – sexual assault victims need more digital protection
Reality star Stephen Bear was convicted for acts of revenge porn against ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison. His case sets a precedent for protecting women in the digital world. On 2nd August 2020, reality TV star Stephen Bear and then-girlfriend Georgia Harrison were captured having sex on CCTV cameras in his garden. Harrison...
How Big Tech’s targeted ads are fuelling the climate crisis
Major tech giants have transformed the internet from a place designed to enhance communication to one where we are constantly encouraged to buy something, anything. For the first time, researchers have delved into the carbon cost of this practice – and it’s not pretty. Imagine scrolling through social media and...
Loud listening habits risk hearing loss for 1 billion young people
Take a walk outside and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone not wearing headphones. But could this everyday habit be detrimental to our hearing in the long run? Several recent studies say yes, if we’re not careful. Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you over my LOUD taste in music. New studies suggest that over 1 billion young people globally are at risk of hearing loss due to poor music...
Tuvalu to preserve its culture in the metaverse
Climate change is affecting the Pacific Island of Tuvalu in a serious way. Anticipating its population will be forced into climate migration in the near future, the government is turning to the metaverse to preserve its unique culture. While COP27 isn’t over, betting on actual environmental policy implementation is risky, if previous summits are anything to go by. This is especially true for the Global South. The reality is that business...
Opinion – social media’s obsession with ‘aesthetic’ needs to stop
While there’s arguably nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from trends as a means of self-exploration, the sheer volume that’s being presented to us by social media on a daily basis is becoming increasingly problematic for both our wellbeing and the planet. Ever found yourself identity flip-flopping? Trends, aesthetics, and niche groups are a rite of passage for teenagers discovering themselves and have been for many decades. Now, thanks to social media, Gen...
Opinion – Musk should not be charging for Twitter’s blue tick status
New Twitter boss Elon Musk is planning to charge $240-per-year for blue tick status. Could shifting away from simple verification and toward an open premium service lead to fundamental flaws in the platform? We reckon so. Elon Musk’s hard-fought campaign to get his hands on Twitter was always superseded by a desire to make the platform more democratic, but his early moves point to a lack of critical thought. The world’s...
