Web culture
Perspective
Good Weekend
Who approves a Steaming Poo? The serious business of giving an emoji the thumbs-up
Who creates the symbols so many of us now use to communicate? How do they get on our phones? And why can’t we all agree on what each one actually means?
- by David Swan
Latest
Who decides what’s true? The ‘gaping hole’ in Labor’s misinformation bill
Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey says the proposed law has a big problem: “When it talks about what’s ‘reasonably verifiable’ as false, how do you decide?”
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Exclusive
Social media
‘Deeply flawed’: Truth bill on the brink in Senate showdown
Key senators are blockading a divisive government plan to crack down on lies in major public debates.
- by David Crowe
FFS! Why are we still so squeamish about the F word?
It’s a word renowned for its versatility – some even call it “magical”. So why is it still so offensive?
- by David Leser
Analysis
AI
Google Search gets AI spin in Australia as chatbot comes alive
The company says everything that made it the preferred search engine is still there and that it also has quick answers via the bot.
- by Tim Biggs
Hot pink first-person shooters and other upsides to the turmoil in the gaming industry
Turbulence has triggered a rebirth of independent games, which in turn has seen a more diverse pool of people join the industry.
- by Nell Geraets
Analysis
Tech crackdown
Are we ready for an internet with no Google search?
Twenty-five years ago, Google’s minimalist search engine was a revelation. What would happen if the US government moved to break up its dominance?
- by David Swan
Exclusive
AI
New ‘nutrition labels’ to combat AI deepfakes
Amid mounting concerns about deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation, one tech giant thinks it has an answer.
- by David Swan
Editorial
Social media
We need to learn more about managing social media and teens
A ban of any kind is a blunt instrument. Australia must invest more in learning about the problems – and advantages – of social media use for teenagers.
- The Herald's View
Political lies to be captured in Labor misinformation regime
The plan will give federal authorities the power to force tech giants to act on alerts about damaging falsehoods.
- by David Crowe and Paul Sakkal
Political Sketch
Fatima Payman
‘Catch a dub’: Fatima Payman tries to make ‘skibidi’ happen in the Senate
The senator made a play for the most new words in Hansard in a two-minute speech, in Gen Z language that came with a glossary for Boomers.
- by Nick Bonyhady
Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/web-culture-hqt