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The internet used to be a lot more fun. It used to be more informative, less saturated with misinformation and ads, more user-friendly, and populated by real people. Social media was for connecting with loved ones, not for fuelling outrage. Bizarre AI-generated slop wasn’t at the top of everyone’s feeds. What happened?
The biggest problem: financial motives drive much of the content now, write Marc Cheong and Wonsun Shin. Between incessant advertising and opaque algorithms fed with surveillance-level user data, we are getting less of what we want when going online. To claw back to the good times, they argue we should be voting with our feet.
This article is the first in our new series examining the great internet letdown, also known in some circles as the “enshittification” of the web. Stay tuned for more pieces that will look at the open source movement, the dire state of online advertising, and niche communities where people still thrive online.
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Signe Dean
Science + Technology Editor
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Marc Cheong, The University of Melbourne; Wonsun Shin, The University of Melbourne
In the early days the internet was a free, egalitarian space for anyone to surf. Now, commercial interests rule – but users do still have some control.
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Rachel Ong ViforJ, Curtin University; Christopher Phelps, Curtin University
Despite owning a smaller share of their home, younger homeowners borrow often, and borrow more, than their parents.
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Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Monash University; Stefani Vasil, Australian Catholic University
New data from Victoria shows that in a quarter of deaths by suicide between 2009 and 2016, the person had experienced family violence before they died.
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Cathy Humphreys, The University of Melbourne; Margaret Kertesz, The University of Melbourne; Van Callaly, The University of Melbourne
There are several ways a person using violence may exploit their own substance use, or that of those around them, to gain more power. This is sometimes called ‘substance use coercion’.
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Jared Mondschein, University of Sydney
Despite all the drama, the race for the White House remains remarkably close, with the polls shifting little in recent weeks.
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Zena Assaad, Australian National University; Lauren Sanders, The University of Queensland; Rain Liivoja, The University of Queensland
At a recent global summit, 2,000 government officials and experts met to discuss the responsible development and use of AI by militaries.
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Peter Kirkpatrick, University of Sydney
How would an official poet laureate “speak” to the spoken word, slam or hip-hop communities, or to bush poets, or to songwriters?
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Yvette Grant, The University of Melbourne
Christopher Wheeldon’s new production is a bold and cinematic venture bringing Oscar Wilde’s legacy to the big stage.
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Simon Gorta, UNSW Sydney; Richard Kingsford, UNSW Sydney; Rohan Clarke, Monash University
It’s easier to steal another seabird’s meal than catch your own fish. But this behaviour by skuas, frigatebirds and gulls is contributing to the spread of lethal avian influenza
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Nic Rawlence, University of Otago; Alan Tennyson, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Pascale Lubbe, University of Otago
A recent announcement that kiwi and moa are Australian immigrants is not borne out by available evidence. Working out when birds arrived in New Zealand requires both fossil evidence and genetics.
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Politics + Society
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Jeanette King, University of Canterbury
Despite today’s tensions over Treaty principles and Māori political representation, the language revitalisation movement has delivered the culturally confident generation its trailblazers dreamed of.
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Health + Medicine
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Clare Collins, University of Newcastle; Erin Clarke, University of Newcastle; Jordan Stanford, University of Newcastle; María Gómez Martín, University of Newcastle
Health at every size promotes mindful eating and lifestyle behaviours to pursue health and wellness, without focusing on weight loss. Here’s how it compares to traditional weight-loss approaches.
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Science + Technology
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Mohiuddin Ahmed, Edith Cowan University
Last year, Australians lost more than $2.7 billion to scammers. The government’s new scam prevention framework is currently open for public consultation.
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Andrew Tomkins, Monash University
Mounting evidence suggests the rubble of an asteroid once formed a ring orbiting our planet’s equator.
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Environment + Energy
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Timothy Neal, UNSW Sydney
We must make protected areas more effective, to conserve what’s left of Earth’s plants and animals.
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Education
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Karley Beckman, University of Wollongong; Claire Rogerson, University of Wollongong; Tiffani Apps, University of Wollongong
The focus of media and political debates has been on teenagers and social media. But studies have shown about one in four Australian kids between eight and12 use social media too.
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Arts + Culture
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Caitlin West, The University of Queensland
Unapologetically sentimental, uncynically joyful, and brimming with wholeheartedness, Love Stories delivers exactly what its title promises.
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Books + Ideas
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Alexander Howard, University of Sydney
Creation Lake is currently longlisted for the Booker Prize. Our reviewer believes it’s one of the most important novels to have been published in recent memory.
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Business + Economy
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John Hawkins, University of Canberra
Trump has a poor track record on trade, inflation and taxes but the area of biggest economic concern if he is re-elected president would come from his rejection of climate change.
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