Red Flags: Am I Shallow for Caring About My Appearance?
Sophie K Rosa
A reader asks Sophie K Rosa whether her deep concern with her physical appearance is compatible with her politics.
Tag: social media
Opinion: These Six Media Lies Are Stoking the Anti-Migrant Protests
Simon Childs
The Sun published a report claiming asylum seekers are enjoying discounted boat rides, while the Mail on Sunday says the UK is in the midst of a ‘migrant crime wave’. Neither is true. Simon Childs reports.
Opinion: The Online Safety Act Has Nothing to Do With Child Safety and Everything to Do With Censorship
Kate Sim
Within hours of Ofcom enforcing the new law last week, Gaza and Ukraine content was being blocked, while pickup artist content and child modelling sites weren’t. That’s entirely by design, writes Kate Sim.
Opinion: If You Like Zohran Mamdani, You’re Going to Love His Dad
Kojo Koram
Scholar Mahmood Mamdani argued that racial representation without economic justice means nothing. His son turned that insight into a successful campaign, writes Kojo Koram.
Analysis: ‘We Can Spot Fakery a Mile Off’: Labour’s Memes Are an Insult to Young Voters
Chloe Laws
Inspired by the far right, Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems are all adopting 'meme strategies'. But they’re years late to the game and seem to think young people are stupid, writes social media consultant Chloe Laws.
Analysis: Fossil Fuel Companies Are Paying Influencers to Do Their PR
Sam Bright
In a leaked document, BP lamented being seen as ‘one of the bad guys’ and said it would pay influencers to help rebrand the oil company as more ‘relatable, passionate and authentic’.
Opinion: Mental Health Diagnoses Are Capitalist Constructs
Micha Frazer-Carroll
Mental and physical diagnoses aren’t objective facts that exist in nature, writes Micha Frazer-Carroll: they're constructed by capitalism.
Opinion: The Most Pointless Twitter Discourses Of 2022
Moya Lothian-McLean
For all the complaints of Twitter’s early death, a hell of a lot of us have remained sadly logged on.
Opinion: Maybe Twitter Should Die?
Moya Lothian-McLean
For those interested in creating a more progressive, equal society, Twitter’s 'demise' would actually be a blessing in disguise.
Report: The Dairy Industry is Blaming Vegans for Its Decline
Sophie K Rosa
The UK’s biggest dairy company is begging consumers not to “cancel the cow”. Yet with only around 2-3% of the population cutting out dairy, vegans aren't what’s hurting the industry. Sophie K Rosa reports.
Opinion: Musk Buying Twitter Would Be the Defining Deal of Our Era
Aaron Bastani
Elon Musk buying Twitter, even more than Jeff Bezos flying into space, would perhaps be the greatest statement of plutocratic intent in history, argues Aaron Bastani.
Opinion: Self-Help Culture Is a Lie – But Its Opposite Is Just As Bogus
Daisy Schofield
Kim Kardashian says get off your ass and work. Fail, says Elizabeth Day – but only if failure fuels further success. Daisy Schofield looks at our maddening inability to think beyond self-improvement.
Downstream: Influencers, Exploitation and Capitalism. Ash Sarkar Meets Symeon Brown
How far would you go to get famous and escape poverty? Ash Sarkar is joined by Symeon Brown to discuss how the democratic promise of the internet has reinvented the pyramid scheme. From cryptocurrencies to botched Brazilian butt lifts, they look at how the new clout economy has created a digital lumpenproletariat.
Opinion: Blaming David Amess’ Murder on Social Media Is a Way of Avoiding the Knottier Problems
Ash Sarkar
We don’t yet know what role, if any, social media played in the murder of MP Sir David Amess. But blaming it on that is at best premature, and, at worst, a complete derailment from addressing the trickier root causes.
Opinion: On Losing Perspective, Or, Why I Don’t Give a Fuck About Geronimo the Alpaca and nor Should You
Rachel Connolly
From blaming everything on capitalism to calling everyone "toxic", it's time we collectively got a grip, argues Rachel Connolly.
Opinion: How Christopher Hitchens Helped the Right Justify Its Colonial Wars
Kojo Koram
Perhaps the 21st century’s most famous atheist, Christopher Hitchens has become an almost-saintly figure in today’s culture wars. But his legacy can help us make sense of how the right frames western intervention as a spiritual and god-given mission.
Report: OnlyFans’ Ban – and Its Suspension – Shows That Banks Have a Chokehold on Sex Work
Marin Scarlett
A muddled legal landscape provides the perfect cover for financial institutions to discriminate with impunity, writes Marin Scarlett.
Novara FM: Notice Me!
Is modern politics governed by the demand for recognition? And what happens when that collides with the internet? Will Davies explains.