Despite repeated rumours that social media is on its deathbed, whispered in the corners of digital detox forums and echo chambers of Gen X Facebook groups, it turns out the thing is still alive. Very alive. Like, over 5 billion accounts and counting. That’s more than the number of people who know how to swim. Or read. The Not-So-Quiet Undeath of Social Media Every year someone declares that social media is “over.” And every year, 266 million more people sign up to prove them wrong. As of 2024, we’re at 5.07 billion active accounts, which is roughly 62.3% of humanity,

The internet was once hailed as a marvel of modern civilisation, a digital Eden that promised connection, education, economic opportunity, and memes. And to be fair, it delivered. You can now order sushi at 2am, stream your favourite mid-budget crime docuseries, and have a PhD in molecular biology explained to you by a man in a tank top on YouTube. Magic. Roughly 95% of the world’s knowledge is now digitised (Conifer Internet). That’s either an incredible democratic force, or the world’s biggest trivia night waiting to be hacked. It’s also been responsible for a hefty 21% of GDP growth across

You’d be forgiven for thinking modern consumer tech is designed by shepherds. Not the woolly jumper kind, though that might explain the colour choices, but the marketing ones. The ones with clipboards and product roadmaps who know exactly how to keep the flock moving in the right direction: toward the latest $999 glass slab with one extra camera and a new button that does what your finger already did. Because let’s be honest: at this point, most of us aren’t buying gadgets because we need them. We’re buying them because the other sheep have them. And you don’t want to

There was a time, not long ago, when every brand from your breakfast cereal to your bank seemed desperate to prove they cared. Really cared. About climate, inclusion, pronouns, mental health, mental health of penguins, you name it. The era of performative “wokeness” hit its peak somewhere between 2019 and 2021, when corporations practically fell over themselves to out-virtue-signal each other. But something has changed. The flag-waving has grown quieter. The hashtags have faded. The rainbow logos are being taken down quicker than Christmas decorations in January. We’re entering the Great Unwokening. From Billboards to Backpedalling Between 2015 and 2021,

As the 21st century accelerates, the ideological scaffolding that shaped much of the modern world, capitalism and communism, is buckling under its own weight. But if we are losing the grand banners that once gave people purpose, structure, and identity, what will we choose in their place? The steady erosion of these systems suggests not just disillusionment with outdated models but a deeper reckoning with human nature itself. Simply treating visible inequalities will not resolve the underlying ideological rift. A new paradigm, one that accepts the flaws in human nature while designing around them, may not just be desirable, but

In the aftermath of COVID-19, consumer prices didn’t just rise, they detonated. From energy to groceries, cars to rent, the cost of living ballooned in ways few foresaw. Over just 18 months following early 2021, the global cost of living surged more than it did during the entire five years leading up to the pandemic. But this wasn’t just inflation, it was a structural shock to the way the global economy works. Some industries cashed in. Others cracked under the strain. And for consumers, the effects have been stark, triggering a once-in-a-generation affordability crisis. Energy: Profits, Pain, and a Push