The launch of Threads, Meta’s new Twitter killer, has catapulted some of us into a social media midlife crisis. What is it all for, anyway? Maybe some shiny new app will bring meaning and texture back to microblogging. But also, do we need so many shiny new apps? It’s fitting, then, that just as Twitter… Continue reading Forget New Twitter—Retro Is a New Instagram
Author: Wired Magazine
16 Best Prime Day Sex Toy Deals on Vibrators and Strokers (2023)
Amazon isn’t the only store having a Prime Day sale. Even if it’s called something else, plenty of other retailers are getting in on the action–especially sex toy makers. That’s good news for anyone looking to pick up a new toy or two. Unfortunately, there are a lot of deals out there and it’s hard… Continue reading 16 Best Prime Day Sex Toy Deals on Vibrators and Strokers (2023)
The Best Prime Day Deals on My Favorite Office Chairs
I sat on a cheap gaming chair for years and, as someone who works in front of a computer all day, it was a big mistake. My back hurt often, and those foam chairs trap so much heat that … well, you know. Sweat. In 2020, I waded into the world of office chairs and… Continue reading The Best Prime Day Deals on My Favorite Office Chairs
Amazon Prime Day Liveblog (2023): Highlights and the Best Lightning Deals
Amazon Prime Day 2023 is almost halfway over, and our up-to-date deals coverage continues. Our product reviewers are rounding up the best discounts at Amazon and beyond. Even if you’re shopping like a pro, it can be hard to fathom the sheer volume of deals, let alone determine which discounts are worthwhile. This liveblog will… Continue reading Amazon Prime Day Liveblog (2023): Highlights and the Best Lightning Deals
Meta Ran a Giant Experiment in Governance. Now It’s Turning to AI
The company just ran a huge pilot program to inform decisions about the metaverse. Here’s how it needs to improve the process before applying it to AI. Go to Source
The Microplastic Crisis Is Getting Exponentially Worse
Not even the Arctic Ocean is immune to the incessant growth of microplastic pollution. In a new study that analyzed sediment core samples, researchers quantified how many of the particles have been deposited since the early 1930s. As scientists have shown elsewhere, the team found that microplastic contamination in the Arctic has been growing exponentially… Continue reading The Microplastic Crisis Is Getting Exponentially Worse
Old Memories Can Prime Brains to Make New Ones
The tiny foragers are also “remarkable learners” that can remember something after a single exposure to it, Crossley said. In the new study, the researchers peered deep into the snails’ brains to figure out what happened at the neurological level when they were acquiring memories. Coaxing Memories In their experiments, the researchers gave the snails… Continue reading Old Memories Can Prime Brains to Make New Ones
Can Twitter Alternatives Escape the Enshittification Trap?
Is it possible for a social media platform to plan for its own death? I’ve been thinking about that while enjoying Bluesky’s “fizzy, fuck-around energy,” as my WIRED colleague Kate Knibbs described the (still) invite-only Twitter alternative a few months back. The shitposting, the earnestness, the bad takes from novices trying to figure out the… Continue reading Can Twitter Alternatives Escape the Enshittification Trap?
How Threads’ Privacy Policy Compares to Twitter’s (and Its Rivals’)
Meta’s long-awaited Twitter alternative is here, and it’s called Threads. The new social media app launches at a time when alternatives, like Bluesky, Mastodon, and Spill, are vying for users who are dissatisfied with Elon Musk’s handling of Twitter’s user experience, with its newly introduced rate limits and an uptick in hate speech. Meta owns… Continue reading How Threads’ Privacy Policy Compares to Twitter’s (and Its Rivals’)
Don’t Join Threads—Make Instagram’s ‘Twitter Killer’ Join You
As Meta’s Twitter competitor, Threads, started generating buzz ahead of yesterday’s launch, curious netizens spotted a placeholder listing for the app in Apple’s App Store. Like all iOS apps, the listing included details about the user data the app is designed to collect and track. And observers couldn’t help but notice that this brand-new app… Continue reading Don’t Join Threads—Make Instagram’s ‘Twitter Killer’ Join You