Internet

The online world can't be left to tech bros. It needs indigenous voices

Indigenous thought has a lot to offer future technologies, writes Daniel Smith.

Exploring the horny and heartfelt world of VRChat

"The encounters I had could be split into categories - the heartfelt, the harassing and the horny."

We fell in love in a VR chatroom

"In VR we can be whoever we want or whatever we want."

Using social media during a manic episode: two NZers share their experience

Research shows people with bipolar disorder are prone to risk-taking behaviour they later regret.

Spotify and Tinder use AI to influence us but won’t tell us how

“The process isn’t human or necessarily understandable to us."

Turns out Tonga’s internet outage can be fixed by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites

An update on the island's ongoing efforts to restore stable communications.

New Instagram settings designed to protect younger users

All Instagram accounts for those aged under 16 are now private by default.

Most NZers believe misinformation is becoming more common

57 percent of people believed they’d come across misinformation in the past six months.

I started one of NZ’s first Discord drug servers at 18

The mastermind of one of NZ’s first illegal drug servers was an 18-year-old Wellington student.

The simple guide to dealing with online conspiracy

A step-by-step guide on what to do when you encounter a piece of unverified information online.

Photos of my sexual abuse were shared online. Now I'm starting a movement.

Madeleine tells her story of surviving image-based sexual abuse.

Covid proved having no access to internet is dangerous in NZ

The internet is what made eight weeks in lockdown bearable for most of us. But for the estimated 20% of Kiwis who experience digital exclusion, not…

Staying Safe Online

Online shopping scams are everywhere, just ask Jack - he was scammed when trying to buy a ticket to a gig. You can’t be too careful…

Game of Pirates - Piracy and Game of Thrones

Now that the final season is over, we take a look at Game of Thrones and how it affected video-pirating culture around the world.

Weirdness of the web

It's only April and Jadwiga Green has already taken out Best Newcomer at the 2019 Wellington Comedy Awards. We were lucky enough to sit down with…

This online meme has a dark backstory

We've all seen the memes but do you know the weirdly detailed backstory behind this set of stock images?

Net Neutrality - What is it?

With net neutrality at risk in certain countries around the world, what are the chances of Aotearoa's coming under fire? Also...what is it?

Mukbang: food, fetish or both?

Mukbang videos have been clocking up millions of views across the internet in recent years...what exactly is it about people eating masses of food that is…

TradeMe's dog ban

With the spike in popularity of pugs and bulldogs thanks to social media, TradeMe banned them from being sold on their site to discourage 'backyard breeding'.…

The Kiwi tickling minds through ASMR

Shhhh, we're talking about ASMR, a relaxation method that has gathered a cult following online. So does it tickle your fancy, or your spine?

Are you googling yourself sick?

How many times have you Googled your symptoms and ended up in full panic mode because the internet has diagnosed you with something rare and incurable?…

Can the internet be a therapist?

The internet can be a nasty place, playing a part in many mental health issues but can it also help to heal us? We take a…

Censorship in the age of the internet

How much is too much? We invited two generations to watch a bunch of content that floats around the internet to see where they draw the…

Are selfies narcissism or art?

Is a selfie just the modern equivalent of a portrait or are we just too obsessed with ourselves these days? ?

Lucy goes 24 hours without the internet

2.8 million Kiwis spend more than 7 hours on the internet each day. Lucy is one of those people. Can she survive 24 hours without the…

Sharing stories about mental health

Liv Young started MENTAL - a mental health publication as a safe online space where people can share their stories and experiences with mental health.

Surfin' the web

We trawled through the world wide web to find you some weird and wonderful ways to kill some downtime ??

What was life like before the internet?

Gone are the days of the Yellow Pages and Ready to Roll. We asked a group of real-life grown-ups about what life was like before the…

The app combatting online bullying

Social media is all fun and games... until it gets personal. We catch up with Keryn, creator of ICON, the app enabling Kiwi teens to combat…

Meeting friends a differently

Whoever said internet friends aren't real friends should consider going along to a Wellington Reddit meet up. You might even meet the love of your life...…