How YouTube is shifting the media hierarchy
People are flocking to the platform as online alternatives replace mainstream media. But Gen Z already knew that. Which chat show host has the monopoly on late-night entertainment? Ask anyone under the age of 35 and they’ll tell you it's not a TV presenter, but a YouTuber. Amelia Dimoldenberg, the mastermind...
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How Russia’s invasion reshaped the story of Metro 2039
Ukrainian studio 4A Games has endured arguably the worst set of circumstances a game development cycle has ever seen. The war with Russia not only made work on Metro 2039 incredibly difficult, but also fundamentally changed the game the team wanted to make. There’s something uniquely grim about developing a...
AI songs to be banned from Australian charts
After months of escalating concerns that AI music is flooding streaming platforms like Spotify, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has said it will be banning any tracks that are not human-made from the charts. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has announced that songs made predominantly using AI tools...
Vinted users complain AI is causing unfair suspensions
The resale app is the latest platform facing backlash for its use of automated tools. Thousands of Vinted sellers have said they were suspended unfairly or permanently banned after automated fraud detection deemed them to be using the app inappropriately. The BBC reported that several users feel the platform’s integrated...
How research says Gen Z is redefining friendship online
Online friendships have long been viewed as less ‘real’ than those formed through face-to-face interaction. However, research indicates that for Gen Z, whose social lives are increasingly shaped by digital spaces, that assumption is outdated. In a world of 8.3 billion people, how realistic is it to assume that the...
What’s going on with Meta glasses?
In the UK, Meta’s AI smart glasses have been banned in courts, restaurants, and pubs, largely due to privacy concerns and reports of wearers secretly filming others without their knowledge. What might it mean for the tech’s future? As of last week, Meta’s AI smart glasses have been banned in...
Microdramas are fuelling exploitation in the entertainment industry
The booming world of rapid, vertical mini dramas has generated a multi-million dollar mobile entertainment industry. It’s also fuelled worker exploitation, low wages, and suffocating schedules. Is TV getting dumber? In today’s post-literate society – an era Rose Horowitch deftly explores in a recent piece for The Atlantic – how we entertain ourselves is a hot topic. From the second-screen problem to the rise of AI-generated content, the general consensus is...
AI can now create custom viruses to fight superbugs
With antibiotic resistant infections on the rise, this new breakthrough paves the way for scalable AI-driven phage therapy, while simultaneously creating ethical concerns over biosecurity. Antibiotics is just one of those discoveries that ended up being fundamental to human history. It turned fatal infections into treatable conditions. In doing so, its inclusion became a necessity in modern healthcare protocols. However, constant usage or the incorrect prescription of antibiotics in recent...
Why is Netflix paying for six hours of GTA 6 exclusivity?
Streaming giant Netflix has apparently paid an eye-watering amount to exclusively showcase GTA 6’s ‘extended look’ trailer for only six hours. Why has it coughed up so much cash for seemingly so little? Rockstar’s GTA 6 is the most anticipated video game of all time, with experts predicting it could make $3-5 billion USD in its first week alone. Despite immeasurable levels of hype, the marketing rollout has been minimal, at...
How TikTok failed to take down Perez Hilton’s livestream
The celebrity blogger was hospitalised after allegedly harming himself on a TikTok livestream. Now the platform is reckoning with the consequences. Last Tuesday, celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton (born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.) appeared on a TikTok livestream naked, covered in a red substance that appeared to be blood, and holding what looked like a knife. As viewers watched on in horror, a concerned number called the emergency services who...
