Facebook and Twitter are no angels of democracy — The sighs of relief from all around the world were almost palpable when Donald Trump’s Twitter account was permanently banned this month. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and Google (among others) have all ‘cancelled’ the president from their platform, giving many of us a satisfying sense of schadenfreude. Nobody thinks Trump’s…

A reflection on political will and the power of the state — One of the most remarkable and under-reported aspects of New Zealand’s response to Covid-19 is how the government eliminated homelessness during the lockdown period. Rough sleepers were offered places in motels, supported with mental health and other wrap-around services, and guaranteed access to food and welfare support. In a matter…

Welcome to your personal ‘desirability’ score — There is no doubt that on the whole, the economic impacts from the lockdown and pandemic will be devastating. But while most leisure activities were throttled by the lockdown, others thrived — just ask any of your friends that did Yoga With Adrienne (probably the same mates that brew their…

Congress has a job approval of 18%. It’s a low bar for algorithms — The idea that the work of our elected representatives could be done better by a computer program would strike most sensible people as absurd. Managing the economy and all of its moving parts, for instance, is a herculean task for any government. …

Why weaponised racism and lies still plague the platform — Even before Covid-19 prevented most of us from leaving our homes, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter had become society’s main public square. We gather online in Facebook and WhatsApp chats and average two and a half hours a day on social media, trawling through never-ending feeds of updates…

The UN says we have entered “unacceptable moral territory” — On the otherwise celebratory occasion of the United Nation’s 75th anniversary in January this year, Antonio Guterres — the UN’s Secretary-General — gave a grim address best summarised by his description of the world as “off-track”. …

A perfect demonstration of why mass adoption is a while away — On what appeared to be an otherwise regular quarantine Friday night with a few Old-Fashioneds, J.K. Rowling opened the floodgates to Crypto Twitter with a single tweet: Rowling was quickly engulfed with the full force of Crypto Twitter — literally thousands of replies, including every significant person in the…

Do not trust pundits touting a non-existent “supply reduction” — Bitcoin’s long-awaited halving took place earlier today, against a backdrop of genuine ecstasy among the cryptocurrency’s dedicated acolytes. There were countdowns, live-streamed video events and chants of “when moon?” It cracked the mainstream news and is regarded as the biggest event in crypto. …

Are algorithms stripping away our free will? — Warning — this article contains no spoilers for the plot of Westworld Season 3, but does discuss some of the season’s themes and setting. If you prefer to avoid all coverage before you watch a show, best to close this piece and get streaming. Though the sci-fi blockbuster Westworld is…