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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

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

23rd June, 2022

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

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

15th June, 2022

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

Photo: Shanti Mathias, additional design: Archi Banal

10th June, 2022

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

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.

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

Image: Tina Tiller

Robots are becoming fashion designers now

A clothing company is claiming it's AI-driven. But how much can artificial intelligence really do?

Image: Tina Tiller

For God’s sake, change your password

No, 'password', 'iloveyou' and '123456' won't cut it.

Image: Bianca Cross

Why do NFTs look like… that?

They're pitched as digital art, but they usually look like ugly gamer avatars. How come?

Image: Tina Tiller

Why online anonymity is important to me, a trans teen

When you're not out IRL, internet anonymity can be a safe haven.

By Guest Writer

Image: Archi Banal

28th April, 2022

Why millions of people watch Mama Doctor Jones demystify sexual health online

IRL speaks to YouTube star and science communicator Danielle Jones about why her work matters.

By Shanti Mathias

Image: Tina Tiller

27th April, 2022

Elon Musk is buying Twitter. Here’s what that means

Everything you need to know about the world's richest person buying the bird app.

Image: Bianca Cross

26th April, 2022

I’m a gardening YouTuber with 235,000 subscribers. Here’s how I got here

Kalem Berntsen, aka The Kiwi Grower, tells us why plant content like his is so hot right now.

By Guest Writer

Image: Bianca Cross

21st April, 2022

Will BeReal solve all our social media woes?

The much-hyped new social platform promises to herald the future of social media – just like every other app before it.

By Shanti Mathias

Image: Archi Banal

20th April, 2022

The rise and fall of 'Karen'

RIP to a legendary insult.

By Madeleine Holden

Senior writer/editor - IRL

Image: Archi Banal

19th April, 2022

Doomed by design: why you can’t stop scrolling

Phone addiction is often cast as a personal failing, but how much control do we really have?

Image: Archi Banal

14th April, 2022

Is it a game? Is it a book? With online interactive fiction, the answer is: yes

The internet is providing novel ways to tell stories where readers shape the outcome.

By Shanti Mathias

Image: Archi Banal

12th April, 2022

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

Videos on YouTube claim to mimic the effects of psychedelic drugs. Do any of them really work?

Image: Archi Banal

11th April, 2022

No one in tech gets the semi-ironic tilde

Who asked for strikethrough auto-formatting? Nobody.

By Madeleine Holden

Senior writer/editor - IRL

Image: Archi Banal

6th April, 2022

Remembering iPredict, the website where you could cash in on MPs resigning

If you put a couple of bucks on 'NZ Minister to go in 2013', you could still be owed money.