IRL

Image: TIna Tiller

Inside an exclusive, chaotic, painful NFT party

'He’s going to die young. Hopefully we can upload his AI brain to the metaverse so we can keep partying.'

By Shanti Mathias | 31st December, 2022

Contributing writer

Image: Archi Banal

I tried getting high on binaural beats so you don’t have to

Spoiler: it was mid.

By Josie Adams | 31st December, 2022

Contributing writer

Photo: Shanti Mathias, additional design: Archi Banal

Connecting the Chathams

One of the most remote places on earth finally has high-speed internet, and the effects are being felt everywhere and by everyone.

By Shanti Mathias | 28th December, 2022

Contributing writer

Image: Archi Banal

The rise and fall of ‘Karen’

A few years ago it was a sick burn. Now it's meaningless. What happened?

By Madeleine Holden | 26th December, 2022

Citizen science shows that the internet doesn’t have to be separate from engaging with nature. (Image: Archi Banal)

The natural world in your pocket: How citizen science is democratising discovery

Digital platforms like iNaturalist are transforming the way scientific data is collected.

By Shanti Mathias | 29th September, 2022

Contributing writer

Keeping kids safe is a priority with the proposed regulation (Image: Archi Banal)

When private profit meets public education

How can schools balance supporting students with the very real concerns about educational technology?

By Shanti Mathias | 14th September, 2022

Contributing writer

Image: Archi Banal

What is Kiwi Farms and why is it in the news?

Another terrible corner of the internet to learn about.

By Shanti Mathias | 6th September, 2022

Contributing writer

Group chats put family life, along with their gossip and logistics, online (Image: Getty Images)

The family that chats together stays together

Love your family but hate the phone? You need a group chat.

By Shanti Mathias | 27th August, 2022

Contributing writer

What will the love of customising leave behind? (Image: Archi Banal)

Our possessions make us as unique as everybody else

Customisation is all the rage – but the urge to personalise our possessions is an old one.

By Shanti Mathias | 24th August, 2022

Contributing writer

Romance scams are especially insidious Image: Tina Tiller

How I fell for a Tinder scam

It was professional, sophisticated – and very odd.

By Guest Writer | 4th August, 2022

Image: Tina Tiller

Inside the fight for Māori data sovereignty

There's a place for tikanga everywhere, including online.

By Shanti Mathias | 29th July, 2022

Contributing writer

period apps turn your menstrual cycle into numbers. Image: Tina Tiller

How period apps turn your body into data

You get to know your menstrual cycle better. You also get to live in a world where your information is other people's profit.

By Shanti Mathias | 21st July, 2022

Contributing writer

TikTok is significantly more popular than traditional search engines and media channels among 15-24 year-olds.

Why are Instagram and YouTube so bad at copying TikTok?

Welcome to the short-form video churn.

By Shanti Mathias | 19th July, 2022

Contributing writer

Beneath the surface of the internet are services that keep the whole thing alive (Image: Archi Banal)

The invisible infrastructure of the internet

They're crucial to websites working the way we expect, but few of us even recognise their names.

By Shanti Mathias | 14th July, 2022

Contributing writer

What’s in a face? Parents are concerned about sharing images of their child online. (Photo: Getty Images, additional design by Archi Banal)

Will hiding their face protect your child online?

Celebrities and 'civilians' alike have good reason to look out for their kids' privacy online.

By Shanti Mathias | 1st July, 2022

Contributing writer

Berst finds a place for graffiti in the metaverse (Image: supplied, Additional design: Archi Banal)

Can VR graffiti make the metaverse cool?

Graffiti is an art form traditionally anchored in physical, urban space – but does it have to be?

By Shanti Mathias | 23rd June, 2022

Contributing writer

Social media is influencing how people plan weddings. (Image: Tinted Photography, additional design: Bianca Cross)

Social media is changing how weddings look

They're no longer just for loved ones, but demonstrations of intimacy and wealth designed to be shared with the world.

By Shanti Mathias | 15th June, 2022

Contributing writer

Photo: Shanti Mathias, additional design: Archi Banal

Connecting the Chathams

One of the most remote places on earth finally has high-speed internet, and the effects are being felt everywhere and by everyone.

By Shanti Mathias | 10th June, 2022

Contributing writer

Image: Archi Banal

I paid a stranger online to find my soulmate

Freelancer website Fiverr has a thriving 'Astrology and Psychics' section. We review some of its offerings.

By Josie Adams | 2nd June, 2022

Contributing writer

Image: Archi Banal

You can donate to charities without spending money – but what’s the catch?

How do services like Ecosia and Tab For a Cause work? And what do they say about the charity landscape?

By Shanti Mathias | 24th May, 2022

Contributing writer