Our digital age is full of distractions. Media reports the facts with bias. We collect the news you need about Big Tech, cybersecurity, transhumanism, social media and media ecology.
A new study from Bath University warns that social media use may be preventing people from finding “new passions”. The study authors say that staving off “superficial boredom” by scrolling on devices can prevent “profound boredom” from setting in. Profound boredom, they say, “stems from an abundance of uninterrupted time spent in relative solitude, which can lead… Read More Digital decluttering
The “Twitter files” continued to drop as we here at Mad Mondays were resting up over Christmas. For those who missed it, these documents are mostly internal correspondence between Twitter execs and employees before the company was bought by Elon Musk. Musk has been releasing the documents to independent journalists who have been publishing summaries of the content. … Read More Anti-people
It seems hard to believe these days, but once upon a time, there was no such thing as a “like” button on social media. An article at Fast Company outlines how Facebook’s “like” button came to be and follows the nuclear cascade it unleashed. Will Ormeus argues that the seemingly harmless ability to express your approval of posts online has… Read More Please like me
Mad Christian Alisha sent us a fascinating story about “Luddite teens”. The piece follows some teenagers from Brooklyn who are aiming to live life without phones. Or at least set on reducing their phone time. The Luddite Club meets together every week – rain, hail, or shine – to draw, paint, read, or enjoy nature. Logan Lane,… Read More An upside-down
Ah, Twitter. What’s all the fuss?, ask the majority of Americans who, thankfully, live Twitter-less lives. Yes, a billionaire took it over and is making people cranky by firing staff, bringing back banned accounts, and disbanding the laughably-named “trust and safety” committee. But what is that to our mostly-offline readers? In the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”, the… Read More Undue influence
The San Francisco Police Department provoked public backlash recently after authorities gave it the green light to use lethal remote-controlled robots. Exploding robots were to be used in rare cases such as in Dallas in 2016 where a gunman was killed using a bomb delivered by robot. We say “were” because the city has reversed its decision, calling… Read More Robocop or Minority Report?
A new study recently published shows that children between 11 and 18 years of age are spending an astonishing 70 hours a week on devices. Joy Pullman wrote about the findings warning that this is a national crisis. “If your child did anything [else] for 10 hours a day, you’d be worried about him and work strenuously to bring some… Read More Home screen
(Part 5 in the multipart series “Where We Stand.”) Information is formation that goes into you. This is why bad information is worse for you than no information. Foolish judgment means not only “not knowing the right things.” It also means “knowing the wrong things.” This is why when the BBC Trusted News Initiative silenced the Great Barrington… Read More Following orders
It’s official. After camping at the black gates of Twitter for months, Elon Musk stormed into Isengard, becoming the “Chief Twit” of Twitter last week. He brought a large sink with him, but we’re not sure why. Triggered employees and other progressives were all a-flutter, with one WashPo journalist saying it was like the “gates of hell” had opened. … Read More Day zero
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Joe Allen writing at The Federalist has drawn attention to new US government funding approved by the Biden administration for all sorts of creepy research. Discoveries in the field of medicine happen all the time and can deliver life-saving benefits to many. However Allen says this alliance between… Read More Your brain on transhumanism
