Social comparison is driving us to despair. It doesn’t have to
In the social media age, it seems impossible not to measure ourselves against others – but we can dodge the worst pitfalls
by Wojciech Kaftański
Technology and media
What makes a map ‘good’? On the ethics of cartography
Rendering the world in a responsible way means wrestling with what gets depicted on a map, how, and for whom
by Nat Case
The reason that even hands-free calls are risky for drivers
Cars are filled with ever more communication and entertainment tech, but our minds are stuck with the same limitations
by Robert Rosenberger
Why deepfakes pose less of a threat than many predict
Applying Descartes’ sceptical puzzle to deepfake videos reveals the challenge they present is one that we can rise to
by Keith Raymond Harris
Why teenagers are deliberately seeking brain rot on TikTok
Talking to teens reveals a hidden sophistication to their media use. Rather than policing it, maybe we could learn from it
by Emilie Owens
A psychologist’s tips for getting a grip on your social media use
Is social media causing you problems? Here are some personal and practical ways to reap its benefits with fewer drawbacks
by Daria J Kuss
What I learned from sharing my private self with an AI journal
‘Quantified self’ apps analyse our physical and behavioural data. Now, AI journals want to access our emotional lives too
by Angela Chen
Innovative three-year-olds expose the limits of AI chatbots
New experiments show that very young children are better at solving creative puzzles than ChatGPT and other AI models
by Shayla Love
The illusion of closeness: how social media redefined respect
As we share and like and post, have our notions of restraint transformed so profoundly that all dignity becomes abandoned?
by Lutif Ali Halo
When the lights went out and the city came together over two days in Toronto
Directed by Sharron Mirsky
What does switching from paper to screens mean for how we read?
It’s well established that we absorb less well when reading on screen. But why? And can we do something to improve it?
by Lili Yu, Sixin Liao, Jan-Louis Kruger & Erik D Reichle
Body heat illuminates a breathtaking dance of light, movement and humanity
Directed by Philippe Baylaucq
Chatbots remind us that natural conversation is artificial too
People fret about the authenticity of AI chatbots but precisely the same issues confront everyday exchanges between humans
by Larry S McGrath
‘Why can’t you be real?’ The emotionally fraught business of falling for an AI
Directed by Chouwa Liang
Human and machine worlds converge into dizzying, dreamlike visual art
Directed by Robert Seidel
Why AI surveillance at work leads to perverse outcomes
In the name of efficiency, workplace AI technologies shift burdens long-assumed by employers onto workers
by Karen Levy