Social media
The myth of ‘progressive’ thinking
Too much weight is put on the idea of ‘progress’
How Facebook became a freedom-gobbling corporate monster
Southwark Playhouse is beating the latest lockdown with a zingy new musical about social media. The performers, Francesca Forristal and…
The big tech bullies
I was in the kitchen preparing the family’s dinner when the inauguration of Joe Biden was on TV, so I…
Bad influence: Instagramming from Dubai isn’t ‘work’
Instagramming from Dubai isn’t ‘work’
The tech supremacy: Silicon Valley can no longer conceal its power
Can anyone stand up to big tech?
@jack is the giant
Where is Jack? You know, Jack-the-Giant-Killer? The little fellow who caught the giant Cormaran in a deadfall and dispatched him…
Trump’s social media ban sets a dangerous precedent
Facebook and Twitter’s decision to suspend Donald Trump is, legally speaking, fairly clear-cut. Both are private companies which set the…
‘The internet raised me’: the strange world of online star Belle Delphine
Meet Belle Delphine, the pink-haired online sensation
Twitter is in China’s pocket
Twitter has been quick on the draw when responding to tweets by President Trump in the last month, as he…
The dangers of censoring anti-vaxxers
Earlier this week, the Labour party wrote to the government urging it to bring forward legislation so that social media…
Why New Yorkers are fleeing the city in droves
New York Back when people used to read newspapers, they called it a ‘human interest’ story. Now it appears as…
The dismal rise of the modern elopement
I didn’t realise how attached I was to the traditional British wedding — the whole messy, pricey, drunken business —…
How many people would refuse a Covid vaccine?
Worth a shot? How worried should we be about people refusing to have a Covid-19 vaccine if one is developed?…
Facebook is right. Twitter is wrong
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey opened up a Pandora’s box two days ago by dropping a fact-check on a tweet by…
Fake news is spreading faster than the virus
The uncontainable spread of fake coronavirus news
I've lost patience with podcasts and their presenters
‘To be recognised and accepted by a peregrine,’ wrote J.A. Baker in 1967, ‘you must wear the same clothes, travel…
Twitter is manipulating the election
Twitter announced last month it would start flagging content the company and moderators decided was manipulated to deceive their users.…
TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing – and goofiest – digital platform, but should we fear it?
In November last year, an internet video made by a 17-year-old American went viral. The video was less than a…
The new trend for ‘gender reveal’ parties sums up the mood of the past decade
OMG, the end of the decade is almost here, which means it’s time to start reflecting on what on earth…
Be more carthorse: why we would all benefit from a little self-loathing
Leaving the auditorium of the Royal Opera House last week after The Sleeping Beauty, I passed a woman taking selfie…
OK zoomer, is that really the best you’ve got?
Every generation and teen subculture likes to put the boot into baby boomers like me. I’ve been physically attacked by…
I’d rather live under communism than the tyranny of social media
At the time it felt like a century, but it was only 12 years. I began this column in 1977…
Abba, Twitter vs Instagram, and papal selfies: the modern face of the Catholic Church
As a lifelong Catholic, I’ve often thought that two of the Church’s chief characteristics are a) how weird it is…
Trump will be re-elected because of left-liberal stupidity
Not such a long time ago, in a galaxy that now appears far, far away, the public space was clearly…
Social media is making it harder to hear legitimate criticism
When was the last time you were in a Twitter mob? We know these maelstroms of anger so well now,…
