Kids are still on the socials

The new report on social media restrictions shows there is a long road ahead for compliance and if we want to fully address the harms posed by these platforms, new legislation that actually targets the root problems is required.

Walking with a ghost

Virtual influencers are early indicators of a much deeper structural shift, one already reshaping how power, culture and identity work in a connected world.

The social rat race

New UNSW research shows social media platforms do not need to addict users to keep them – they just need to make leaving worse than staying.

Lazy boys and shy girls

Authors and critics looking to cut corners by passing off AI slop as their own work still face sanctions in the world of literature and serious journalism.

Mental health and misinformation

One in five Australians will experience depression or anxiety in their lifetime – and a new report finds this increases their susceptibility to mis- and disinformation.

Trump’s ministry of public enlightenment

Republicans have long railed against the “liberal” news media, but the Trump administration has ramped up its attacks to a new level of intensity, attempting to defund or intimidate any media outlet which dares criticise him or his ever more outlandish policies.

Fake whales and killer wind farms

A Senate enquiry has heard how lobby groups are using artificial intelligence to plaster social media with misinformation about renewable energy and invent ‘facts’ to support the fossil fuel industry.

Assessing the child social media ban

Australia’s ban on social media access to under 16s has its critics but the country is better positioned today, with clearer norms, stronger parental backing and growing international alignment, than before.

Why ordered minds embrace disordered thinking

New research has found that understanding how someone processes information can be a strong predictor of whether they are drawn to conspiracy beliefs.

Wikipedia turns 25

Wikipedia is perhaps the greatest single site on the internet, a crowd sourced encyclopedia of everything which has evolved from a joke to a rare source of reliable information, but is now threatened by the onslaught of AI slop and politically motivated auto-generated alternatives.

The evolution of Instagram

A study of the evolution of posts on Instagram shows more types of media being used but also increasing convergence and homogenisation between platforms, accelerated now by the influx of AI slop rather than genuine content.

The mirror crack’d

The media is supposed to hold a mirror up to society, but when large groups of people no longer share the same reality, debate becomes impossible and life begins to fall apart.