Should Kids Take Internet Ed?

Your driver license. A symbol of freedom. A quintessential moment in a teenager’s development and one of the few remaining rites of passage. The automobile is also one of the most deadly things mankind has ever invented. It’s no surprise that a test is required to operat a multi-ton projectile. The internet, it turns out, […]

Burning Digital Books and the Fight over Online Ideology

Is social media ripping apart the fabric of society? Fears of the fringe and “the other” have prompted some to demand social platforms remove uncomfortable ideas, hoping that the very algorithms that entrap us will protect us from ourselves. The idea of uniting humanity through a global network is turning out to be more dystopian […]

Post-truth Marketing in Synthetic Reality

Reality is shifting, and no one understands what’s real anymore. A new version of reality has emerged and it’s manifesting itself in strange phenomena such as Frye Fest, fake news and synthetic influencers. This version of reality – the synthetic layer – sits on top of our senses and language, and has emerged thanks to […]

The Reddit Protests and China’s Control of American Culture

The “front page of the Internet” is the latest battle ground in the fight over control of global culture. Chinese tech giant Tencent recently invested $150m in Reddit. This investment sparked virtual protests and outrage across the social platform, with images of Tiananmen Square flooding Reddit’s front page. The threat of Chinese censorship was feeling […]

Hacking Human Laziness with Internet Heuristics

Admit it. Humans are lazy. And easily tricked. Our brain, in its never-ending quest to preserve glucose, seeks shortcuts. If our brains didn’t do this, we would be paralyzed by every mundane choice. These shortcuts are known as heuristics, and heuristics are the cornerstone of marketing manipulation.

Vertical is Personal: IGTV is the Aspect Ratio We’ve Been Waiting For

Kodak, originally known for still photography, transformed culture forever and set a precedent that would go on to last for over a generation. In 1891, Kodak released a transparent roll film, which inventor Thomas Edison used to develop the first motion picture camera. Technical limitations often dictate a medium. Kodak’s film was created in the […]