Web culture
RTX returns to Australia in 2017 with more internet celebrities in tow
Tim Biggs The internet's Greg Miller discusses the weirdness of internet celebrity, the importance of community and bringing his 'garbage truck on fire' down under.
Web
'Munchausen by internet': the people fooling thousands online for attention
Meeri Kim After the tragedy of the Dirr family went viral, concerned people offered support and even money. But the Dirrs did not exist.
Social
Instagram hits 500 million monthly users
Jessica Guynn Image sharing service's announcement strengthens its lead over Twitter and underscores Facebook's beachhead of popular mobile apps.
US court upholds net neutrality laws
David R. Baker In a move hailed by much of Silicon Valley, a US appeals court upheld federal "net neutrality" rules that prevent ISPs from slowing down service for some users.
Pablo may not be a Facebook Nostradamus...his edit history proves it
Simon White A US man's Facebook post seemingly predicts Hillary Clinton becoming president, the Orlando tragedy and the deaths of Muhammad Ali and Prince. But has he fooled the 160,000 people who have shared it?
Apps
The Colombian cartel hit man turned YouTube star
Christopher Mele and Sandra E. Garcia Real-life 'Narcos' criminal calls himself the living memory of the cocaine cartel, and 'loved' Pablo Escobar.
Search
Google under fire again for racist search results
Ben Guarino A simple test substituting 'black' for 'white' elicited concerning search results. But who's to blame: society, or Google?
Internet
Telstra trolled with cat pictures
Hannah Francis Laura Carrie has been without her Telstra broadband for two weeks and counting. But she made light of it with cat selfies.
Streaming
Facebook takes on Twitch with video game livestreaming deal
Tim Biggs Social site partners with World of Warcraft maker Blizzard entertainment.
Web
Anti-Semitic Chrome extension highlighted Jews for attack online
Abby Ohlheiser Google has banned an extension of its Chrome browser which was being used to identify Jewish names on the internet by surrounding them with three sets of brackets.
Online
I got death threats for reporting on a video game delay
Jason Schreier This probably comes as no surprise to anyone who spends time on the internet, but it's still awful.
Web
Shrug and selfie included in new emoji candidates
Tim Biggs You may soon find it much easier to shrug or call your friends liars with your phone, as the organisation that governs emoji has announced 72 new potential pictographs for release this month.
Uber taps Saudi Arabia for cash
Mike Isaac and Michael J. de la Merced In its quest to build a global empire, Uber has turned to the Middle East for a $4.8 billion cash infusion.
Social
Women warmer than men on Facebook, but just as assertive, study finds
Christopher Mele Study conducted by universities in the US and Australia analysed posts by more than 65,000 users and came to some surprising conclusions.
Web
When YouTube pranks break the law
Katie Rogers In the world of YouTube pranks, long one of the platform's most popular genres, it's usually all fun and games — until someone incites a public panic and gets arrested.
Social
Russian 'FindFace' app identifies strangers with 70 per cent accuracy
Ben Guarino Software allows you to use a photo of a stranger to track down their profile on eastern Europe's most popular social network.
Social
Google still trying to figure out social web with confusing new app
Brian Fung After struggling for years to build its own social network, Google is trying again — this time with a confusingly designed app called Spaces.
Can you solve the Year 2 maths exam question confusing adults?
Mark Molloy A maths question aimed at seven-year-olds has left many adults confused - but can you work out the correct answer?
Web
Godwin's law of Nazi analogies lives on in cyberspace
Ben Guarino 'As an online discussion grows longer,' wrote Mike Godwin in 1994, 'the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one'. It appears this hasn't changed.
Internet celebrity shows how to make chocolate out of thin air
Rachel Browne A brain teaser showing how to get unlimited chocolate has gone viral.
Can you pass the intelligence test solved by millions on Facebook?
Mark Molloy First it was finding the hidden panda, then it was working out the 50-cent maths question. Now there's a new puzzle stumping the internet.
Culture
Radiohead disappears from the internet
Hannah Francis Popular British group all but erases its online presence in a move that fans believe is designed to drive anticipation for its new album.
Culture
Prince's complicated relationship with the internet
Abby Ohlheiser The late singer fiercely protected his copyright, but was also a recognised early adopter of the web.
Women recount experiences of sexual harassment from a young age
Catherine Armitage A middle aged man grabs the breasts of a 12 year old girl in a shopping centre.
Social
Snapchat's 'blackface' option: why the internet is cross about Bob Marley filter
Caitlin Dewey Virtually every face-swap app has an option for cross-racial masks, so why has Snapchat's addition of a Bob Marley face set people off?
Web
YouTube Hydraulic Press Channel is a joyous exercise in crushing things
Hannah Francis There's poetry in one of Finland's most popular YouTube stars crushing a vintage Nokia phone.
The 12-year-old boy who briefly became Australia's 30th PM
Jorge Branco and Kate Aubusson A 12-year-old boy has become the 30th Prime Minister of Australia, according to that irreproachable record of fact, Wikipedia.
Social
Instagram activates out-of-order feed
Instagrammers in New Zealand and several other countries have been selected as guinea pigs as the company rolls out a software update that does away with chronological photo feeds.
Web
What happens when a convicted murderer edits Wikipedia
Caitlin Dewey Charles Watson, convicted of seven first-degree murders in 1971, does not dispute that he stabbed, shot and mutilated several people to death. But there are some clarifications he'd like to make.
Social
Why I welcome Instagram's algorithm
Sophie Kleeman Some will get caught in the crossfire, but if the change starves the spammers I'm all for it.
Social
Facebook users irked by 'live' notifications
John Herrman Those that run large Facebook pages have been given the power to buzz thousands — sometimes millions — of pockets.
Train rats: another reason not to sleep on your commute
A man has captured the moment a large rat crawls all over a sleeping man on a train
Web
Woman photoshops herself into other people's holiday snaps
Kate Aubusson A Kenyan woman who couldn't afford an overseas trip has used her atrocious photoshopping skills to insert herself into other people's holiday photos.
Social
Instagram users freak out as new algorithm-based feed looms
Tim Biggs Scores of web celebrities are losing their minds over the possibility their Instagram pics could be overlooked in a new algorithm-based feed.
AI
Not just Tay: a recent history of racist AI bots
Abby Ohlheiser Microsoft's well-meaning teen bot was turned nasty by the internet, but it's not the first time this has happened.
Social
'Bloody stupid' Facebook rules remove video of dancing 5-year-old
Leah Flynn A dad in Dunedin, New Zealand has been left bewildered after a 53 second video of his dancing daughter was removed from Facebook.
10-year-old Twitter struggles to grow up
Jessica Guynn Love it or hate it, Twitter has been with us for 10 years now. Despite it having a pile of cash there are still serious doubts about the social media company's chances of survival.
Snap crackle and Pope: Francis joins Instagram
Pope Francis has launched a new Instagram account with an image of himself praying.
How Facebook decides which breasts you can see
Daisy Dumas An acclaimed artist is conducting a social media experiment on the naked form.
Humans of New York creator pens open letter to Donald Trump
Daisy Dumas "I can confirm — the hateful one is you." So writes the man behind Humans of New York, Brandon Stanton, in an open letter to presidential hopeful Donald Trump that has so far been liked over a million times.
Social
Breaking up on Facebook: meet the 'compassion team'
Penelope Green The social network’s small team of engineers, designers and psychologists is devoted to making Facebook's interactions more human, and more humane.
Rich Kids of Instagram: 'They have more money than you, and this is what they do'
Catherine Armitage The Rich Kids of Instagram showcases the unapologetically self-indulgent lifestyles of the world's wealthiest millennials.
The father of email's @ symbol dies
He rescued the @ symbol from obscurity and, in the process, shaped the way we talk about being online.
Back equality and love, Grindr founder tells Australians
Tim Barlass Gay entrepreneur urges Turnbull government to support equality.
Web
Damn Daniel and the dark side of going viral
Caitlin Dewey Less than two weeks after posting the 'Damn Daniel' meme that would make him famous, Josh Holz experienced the latest milestone in the viral-fame cycle.
Web
Kanye West tweet suggests a massive double standard on piracy
Brian Fung As if Kanye West didn't have enough problems being $US53 million in debt, it now seems the hip-hop artist might have been caught trying to steal a fellow artist's music software.
A woman's 'mute' tattoo says all you need to know about her disability
Kate Aubusson A tiny tattoo of a mute button behind a young woman's ear is causing a cacophony online.
Apps
These occupations get the most right swipes on Tinder
Lisa Bonos Certain jobs make some users luckier in love than others, according to a list released by Tinder.
Zuckerberg hits out at 'malicious' racist Facebook employees
Michael Nunez Facebook founder's internal memo takes a hard stance on employees at the predominately white company altering messages written on the famous signature wall.
Abuse
'If Eron goes to jail, I will hunt Zoe Quinn down'
Caitlin Dewey Her home address, passwords and nude photos were widely distributed. She was threatened with rape. Zoe Quinn had a solid criminal case. But now, this high-profile victim of cyber-harassment has given up on the legal system.
Social
God quits Twitter: popular account to commandeth no more
God hath forsaken Twitter. Or, at least, the incredibly popular account @TheTweetOfGod will no longer be dispensing snarky takedowns of the pious and godly commentary on world events.
Who was René Laennec?
The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by French physician René Laennec to listen to the heart of an overweight patient.
Online
How to win an online argument: lessons from Reddit
Caitlin Dewey These eight tips might not allow you to convince absolutely anybody online, but they'll give you the best chance.
Comment
Tinder has a race problem nobody wants to talk about
Mahesh Sharma The system is set up in a way that puts non-caucasian people at a disadvantage, but also encourages them to feel as though it's their fault.
Digital Life
Unwire to unwind in Old Havana
Hannah Francis Cuba is a curious destination for a technology reporter.
Social
Twitter introducing algorithm-based timeline changes after all
Tim Biggs Twitter has announced a change to its timeline that will elevate the "most important" tweets to the top of users' timeline, confirming reports of such a feature that caused a strong backlash among Twitter users over the weekend.
Web
Why Twitter may be considering a Facebook-style algorithm for tweets
Sarah Frier An uproar over the weekend, ignited by a report saying Twitter was making changes to the way tweets are displayed, gave CEO Jack Dorsey a stark reminder of how hard it's going to be to fix the microblogging service.
Social
The myth Facebook needs everyone to believe
Caitlin Dewey Does the social network, as it claims, present a neutral, global worldview to its billions of users around the globe, or is it part of the new face of American cultural imperialism?
The real reason why Facebook is revamping the Like button
Esther Han You'll soon be able to express more emotions with a click of a button on Facebook, but advertisers stand to gain the most.
Culture
Meet Rooster Teeth, the online video powerhouse coming to Australia
Tim Biggs If you're older than 21 you've probably never heard of them, but Rooster Teeth is one of the biggest names on the internet.
Web
Donald Trump, troll politics and how to win at social media
Matthew Hall By blowing up Twitter with controversial comments and posting 15-second political videos on Instagram, Donald Trump is proving to be a master manipulator who understands social media more than any other presidential candidate, according to experts on politics and social media.
Web
Behind the scenes with Face Swap Live, the latest viral app
Caitlin Dewey 'Creepy' app Face Swap Live has launched a thousand YouTube videos, Imgur posts and nightmare memes.
Comment
Why Facebook should take a bite out of Peach
Henry Cooke New emoji-themed social network for iPhone has probably seen its peak already, but there's one feature worth taking notice of.
Teens swap cars for phones
Peter Orszag For many young people today, there's a new rite of passage that's bigger than learning to drive: getting your first phone.
How the GIF is changing the face of politics
NICK BILTON Every few decades, a piece of technology comes along that alters political campaigning.
Social
Twitter considers increasing character limit from 140 to 10,000
Brian Fung Rumoured change would allow the posting of entire essays and fundamentally change Twitter culture.
Web
In 2015, Tumblr became the front page of the internet
Caitlin Dewey The Internet story of the year - perhaps of many years — began with a breezy, under-punctuated blog post on the Tumblr of some 21-year-old no one had previously heard of.
Internet
The most hated people on the internet in 2015: where are they now?
Caitlin Dewey Scarcely a month went by in 2015 without the christening of some new 'most hated' person: whether 'pharmabro' Martin Shrelki or cancer-faking blogger Belle Gibson. The people change, but the rage cycle remains pretty standard.
Flame-throwing, turkey-roasting drone demo
Richard Weizel A young man from Connecticut has cooked up a flame-throwing drone that roasts turkeys, but his latest foray into unmanned flight has drawn the attention of the law - again.
Why dictionaries have started including emojis and dumb internet slang
Caitlin Dewey Hardly a month goes by without one of the world's most reputable dictionaries trumpeting some tidbit of internet slang.
When death doesn't mean out of range
Andrew Masterson Imagine this: Sarah, having completed high school, heads off to Europe for a holiday. Fulfilling a long-held ambition, she visits the Eiffel Tower.
Messaging
Ending texts with a full stop is terrible, study confirms
Rachel Feltman Ending your texts with a full stop is truly monstrous. We all know this. Grammar be darned, it just doesn't look friendly. Now a study has confirmed it.
Canberra's 5 worst crowdfunding campaigns
Katie Burgess Crowdfunding campaigns showcase the best and the worst of humanity. These fall into the latter category.
Facebook trend invites a lot of likes about nothing
Catherine Armitage They're the social media equivalent of Seinfeld's show about nothing, and they're going off.
Cory Doctorow: we've lost key decade in climate fight, thanks to Abbott, Harper
Chris Zappone Could solutions to serious problems facing the world come from the imaginations of science-fiction authors?
Fourteen of our favourite Australian podcasts
Keegan Thomson and Ben Grubb Australia has some great podcasts hidden away in iTunes – some are even better than Serial.
'Phuc Dat Bich' faked it: the man with awkward name turns out to be a hoax
Kate Aubusson, Timna Jacks The Australian man who claimed his name was 'Phuc Dat Bich' has admitted it was a hoax.
Web
Google launches Star Wars tie-in
Jessica Guynn Google joins forces with Disney to create a Star Wars theme for Google apps including Google Maps, Gmail, search and YouTube.
Social
New Facebook feature helps you purge ex from timeline after breakup
Caitlin Dewey Breaking up has never been harder than it is in the internet age. And in recognition of this tragic and undisputed fact, Facebook has begun testing a new tool to make it easier.
Web
SMS cat spam targets Twitter users
Tim Biggs Users who tweeted their mobile numbers are getting spammed with cat facts - and Edward Snowden is their saviour.
Web
Paris attacks: 10 hoaxes the internet tricked you into believing
Caitlin Dewey For starters, neither Battlefield 3 nor a Twitter bot 'predicted' them.
Web
Dad films Las Vegas trip with GoPro facing the wrong way
Think of every Irish joke you've ever heard — and you're close to the antics of one dad whose attempt at filming his recent trip to Las Vegas went horribly and hilariously wrong.
Man asks for his money back from first Tinder date after woman rejects him
Most people have had bad dates, and a lot of us have been rejected at some point in our lives.
Web culture
The Facebook hoax that never ends
Abby Ohlheiser The "secret sister" scheme promises a bounty of gifts for anyone who passes along the Facebook post.
Tragic death of a father at Airbnb rental
Michael Koziol Zak Stone was in the midst of a real-life nightmare. In the yard of a stranger's home, he was mopping the blood of his father's face, trying in vain to deliver mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Web
The most fascinating Wikipedia articles you haven't read
Caitlin Dewey Journalists, Wikipedians and Wiki enthusiasts shine some light on the hidden gems of the largest repository of human knowledge.
Social Media
Cash for posts: the murky ethics of social media stardom
Hannah Francis A growing tribe of so-called "social influencers" are becoming hot property for marketers looking for new ways to reach their target audience. But the murky rules on disclosure in Australia are making it increasingly difficult to know what is paid and what is "genuine" endorsement.
Hipster Barbie exposes herself, then quits the internet
Catherine Armitage Is the internet having an authenticity crisis? Two young women with almost 2 million followers have grabbed headlines by quitting social media in a week.
Social
Finland first country to introduce national emojis
Jussi Rosendahl Finland has rolled images of a couple in a sauna, an old Nokia phone and a heavy-metal music fan as part of its own set of national emojis.
Culture
SXSW plans summit on online harassment after cancellation uproar
Nick Wingfield The SXSW Interactive conference faced a growing outcry after it canceled two discussion panels intended to tackle online harassment and related issues plaguing the games community. Now it plans to hold a full day of panel discussions on the topic of online harassment. On Friday, Hugh Forrest, directo...
How the internet's most earnest evangelist became its fiercest critic
Caitlin Dewey Jonathan Harris has spent much of his time lately doing two things: writing computer code and meditating.
Why 5+5+5 doesn’t always make 15
Working out the answer to 5x3 may seem simple enough but the solution one student gave has sparked an online debate.
Web
Astronaut Sloth is going to the moon thanks to Reddit
Caitlin Dewey Famous meme wins Lunar One competition to be included in moon mission, but nobody thought to tell the image's original creator.
More hipster than thou: perchance bearded ones are behind the re-emergence of archaic words
Ana Swanson Hipsters are famous for their love of all things old-fashioned: 19th century beards, picklemaking, cider, naming their kids Clementine or Atticus. They may be excavating archaic language, too.
Creepy video contains coded messages
Abby Ohlheiser Shaky video shot in front of a gloomy, windowed brick wall and filled with coded messages becomes an object of fascination in certain corners of the internet.
Inside the perverse world of YouTube pranksters
Caitlin Dewey Being funny or cool isn't the point anymore. The only thing that matters is being the most extreme.
Guide to the people who became memes
Abby Ohlheiser One of the weirder things that can happen to someone is to become the basis of a meme.
Piracy
'Netflix for pirates' now available in browser
Hannah Francis Fifteen-year-old Serbian boy creates web browser version of PopCorn Time - making it even easier to pirate movies.
