Embrace ItA Cultural History of ‘Cringe,’ and How the Internet Made Everything Awkward Taylor Swift's call to embrace cringe leads us back to the wholesome, compassionate origins of cringe rather than the ones found in contempt. By Saumya Kalia
Challenge AcceptedWill We Ever Get Our Attention Span Back? Hint: it's possible, but we'll have to fight for it. By Saumya Kalia
Dystopia in MakingWhy the Origin and Impact of the Metaverse Is Worrying The metaverse is a symbol of big tech's increasing power and reach. The question is: is it made for people, or only companies? By Saumya Kalia
Light's OutWhy the Social Media Blackout Felt Like the Apocalypse Facebook suite’s shutdown has revived calls to regulate big tech in light of the catastrophic impact its unavailability has on daily life. By Saumya Kalia
Out of MindDo People Have a Legal ‘Right To Be Forgotten?’ The right to be forgotten, inextricably linked to privacy, is relevant in a digital age where our lives can be indefinitely preserved and surveilled. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
And So It BeginsFIR Filed Against Twitter for Not Removing Tweets About a Muslim Man’s Assault The government says Twitter failed to comply with the new IT rules -- making the platform liable for any "unlawful" content. By Saumya Kalia
We're In This TogetherCovid19 Social Media Groups Are Saving Lives. But For People Without Internet, the Situation Is Grim People who can't access virtual communities are bearing the most severe impact of the second wave. By Saumya Kalia
Down The Rabbit HoleYahoo Answers Is Shutting Down After 16 Years. It Leaves Behind a Changed Internet The platform "has become less popular over the years as the needs of our members have changed," its parent company said. By Saumya Kalia
On Thin IceGovernment Efforts To Block Twitter URLs Increased by 10 Times Since 2016, Data Shows The increased use of Section 69A of the IT Act shows the expanding appetite for controlling information in the public domain. By Saumya Kalia
Data DevelopmentWeb Browsers Aren’t Using Cookies Any More, But That Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Tracking Us Google has announced a new, privacy-friendly means of collecting user data for advertisers -- but how privacy-friendly is it really? By Liesl Goecker
Paying The PriceIndian Economy Lost Rs. 20,000 Crores Due to Government’s Internet Bans in 2020 India more than doubled its economic losses from internet restrictions compared to the previous year. By Devrupa Rakshit
Boon or Bane?Indian Government to Set Up Public Wifi Access Across the Country. Would You Use It? While the policy will bring much-needed Internet access to underserved parts of India, critics of similar efforts have raised privacy and security concerns. By Rajvi Desai
World Hide WebThe Streisand Effect Proves When You Try to Hide Something on the Web, Everyone Sees It Plot twist: Powerful people now exploit this phenomenon by deliberately putting out content that will be censored -- to maximize outreach. By Pallavi Prasad
Never AloneThe Sneaky New Way to Spy on Unsuspecting Internet Users The assault on internet users' data privacy continues. By Rajvi Desai
Planetary PursuitsMillennials and Meme Culture Have Reclaimed Astrology Social media influencers have given cosmic predictions a new edge. By Nadia Nooreyezdan
Needle PointsWhy the Internet is a Hotbed of Confusing Takes on Vaccination The problem isn't a lack of factual information, it's whether and how we consume it. By Marina Joubert & Francois van Schalkwyk, The Conversation
Cyber CrimeLet’s Start Treating Online Harassment As What It Really Is — A Crime Calling it trolling minimizes the amount of damage it really does. By Sonali Kokra
