Editorial
When free speech is nothing but baboon sounds
Prompting AI to undress someone is not free speech. Limiting such content is not censorship. Elon Musk would disagree. However, social media platforms that once promised to be a catalyst for democracy and pluralism are now invoking humanity's most primal instincts.
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Friction-maxxing: why 2026 is embracing inconvenience to feel more human
Paying with cash instead of a card. Using a flip-phone instead of a smartphone. Expressing your true opinion, even if it causes tension. Welcome to the new trend of friction-maxxing that’s catalyzing what it means to be human in 2026.
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Better not member (berries)
Writing under AI surveillance: how humans are flattening their own voices to avoid being flagged
Even when no artificial intelligence (AI) is watching, writers are rewriting themselves, flattening their voices, policing their words, and second-guessing every sentence as if an invisible algorithm is judging them.
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The algorithms in our head
So many influencers are trying to convince us that numbers don't matter – which makes me think they're all that matters.
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AI’s four possible futures: crash, stabilization, nationalization, or breakthrough?
Is the AI bubble set to pop? We analyze the four economic futures for generative AI – Crash, Stabilization, Nationalization, or Breakthrough – with insights from top AI venture capitalists and tech experts on market risks and unsustainable valuations.
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A fake Instagram account costs just 8 cents. It’s breaking democracy
New research reveals the shockingly low cost of mass online manipulation, with fake Instagram accounts available for as little as $0.08. This underground bot market, fueled by virtual SIM farms, is undermining trust, skewing elections, and gaming algorithms – all for pennies.
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Can you crack British spies' Xmas challenge?
GCHQ has released a festive set of seven puzzles for the general public to solve, designed to test a range of problem-solving skills, including intuitive reasoning and creativity.
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Us, the marionettes
Mental exhaustion makes us easy prey for those who can’t wait to make decisions for us.
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Apple hit by biggest leadership turnover in decades: what’s next?
Apple is undoubtedly going through a rough patch, with multiple execs announcing their departure. The string of high-profile resignations has industry watchers asking: what – or who – is next for Apple?
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Joe Rogan and the UFO race: what’s real and what’s hype
Joe Rogan has reignited the UFO debate with a rapid-fire take on UAP disclosure, blending whistleblower claims, Elon Musk name drops, and fears of a hidden tech race between the US and China.
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Weekly brief: dark LLMs, angry teens, and rage bait
The internet has become a strategic battlefield with no clear winner.
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Fifa set to trial new VAR powers, including corner kick decisions, at 2026 World Cup
Soccer’s ruling body FIFA is expected to receive special dispensation to give VAR officials increased authority at next year’s World Cup, including the power to intervene on corner kick decisions, something they have never been allowed to do before.
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Oxford’s word of the year is here, and it says everything about the current social media landscape
Language experts at Oxford University Press shortlisted three contenders for their prestigious word of the year title, which is awarded to conversations and preoccupations that have hit the lexicon zeitgeist in 2025.
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Only two per cent of Instagram users show signs of addiction
While many social media users might feel addicted, very few actually meet the criteria, according to new research. Behavioural psychologists have studied the impact of Instagram use on over 1000 Americans.
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If I were a man, would you trust me more?
Or, would I trust myself more if I were a man?
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Meta gives U-16s two-week data warning ahead of Australia bans
Meta has started notifying young Australians to download their digital histories and delete their accounts, ahead of the country’s sweeping social media ban for under-16s
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FOBO: the fear of being offline
Mastodon CEO steps down to create “billionaire-proof” microblogger
Eugen Rochko has formally resigned from the decentralized Twitter rival Mastodon, but can the platform retain privacy focus, drive up users and remain a tech-billionaire free zone?
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China turns on Taiwan’s former “little pink” influencers after United Front exposé
Two Taiwanese creators who once played to China’s online crowd are now wanted men, after secretly recording a United Front recruitment pitch and releasing a viral exposé that flipped Beijing’s tone overnight.
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