Technology

Facebook’s Looted-Artifact Problem

The Islamic State turned the social platform into a global marketplace for stolen relics—until a group of vigilante archaeologists took matters into their own hands.

• Jenna Scatena
• July 31, 2020

Even Facebook Is Pining for the Internet It Destroyed

The tech giant’s new oddball social-media app is a testament to its power.

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• July 30, 2020

The Tech Companies Already Won

Antitrust could break up the big players. It wouldn’t change everyday life.

• Ian Bogost
• July 30, 2020

The End of Open-Plan Everything

Personal space is finally back in style, but re-creating it after two decades of its destruction is hardly a straightforward task.

• Amanda Mull
• July 27, 2020

So Much for the Decentralized Internet

A recent Twitter hack probably didn’t scare you. Here’s why it should.

• Ian Bogost
• July 26, 2020

The App of the Summer Is Just a Random-Number Generator

TikTok is on the chopping block. Instagram is pointless in lockdown. The best we can do is a hokey piece of software that takes us somewhere unexpected.

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• July 21, 2020

The Struggle for the Urban Soundscape

The quiet of lockdown and the noise of protest restage the political conflicts of sonic life in the city.

• Kate Wagner
• July 15, 2020

Facebook’s Pandemic Feuds Are Getting Ugly

Two North Carolina groups are locked in a battle full of name-calling, conspiracy theories, and morbid memes.

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• July 14, 2020

How a Fake Baby Is Born

For years, women on the internet have been writing conspiracy theories about celebrity pregnancies. What sparks them?

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• July 13, 2020

The Ripple Effects of a Space Skirmish

If a conflict breaks out between countries with weapons in orbit, it could threaten space access for everyone.

• Ramin Skibba and Undark
• July 12, 2020

Defund Facial Recognition

I’m a second-generation Black activist, and I’m tired of being spied on by the police.

• Malkia Devich-Cyril
• July 5, 2020

The Boogaloo Tipping Point

What happens when a meme becomes a terrorist movement?

• Dale Beran
• July 4, 2020

Reddit Is Done Pretending The Donald Is Fine

The social platform just banned the president’s most notorious internet fan club, as part of a sitewide purge of forums that “promote hate.”

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• June 29, 2020

Twitter’s Least-Bad Option for Dealing With Donald Trump

Every plausible configuration of social media in 2020 is unpalatable.

• Jonathan Zittrain
• June 26, 2020

The Boom in Fireworks Conspiracy Theories

Paranoia about secret government plots thrives in times of uncertainty, when strange things happen, and when people are bored. This summer is a trifecta.

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• June 24, 2020

Do Protests Even Work?

It sometimes takes decades to find out.

• Zeynep Tufekci
• June 24, 2020

My Little Pony Fans Are Ready to Admit They Have a Nazi Problem

Even a niche subculture built around magical cartoon horses is reckoning with racism.

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• June 23, 2020

Revenge of the Suburbs

Suburbia was never as bad as anyone said it was. Now it’s looking even better.

• Ian Bogost
• June 19, 2020

Reddit Is Finally Facing Its Legacy of Racism

Social-media platforms can’t evade the scrutiny that so many other institutions in America are currently under.

• Kaitlyn Tiffany
• June 12, 2020