There has been a lot of soul-searching in mainstream media in the past week, following Shane Smith‘s scathing health check at this year’s MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh international TV festival. The lecture should be obligatory viewing for anyone interested in media in general, but also for those of us […]
It may not come as a surprise that I have a lot of left-leaning liberal friends. During last year’s UK election, most of my social timeline was strongly in favour of Labour, and they were confident that there would be a victory for the left and Ed Milliband would be […]
We tackle the big issues here in Technollama. Do monkeys and cats own copyright? Will the UK government ban Whatsapp? Can you copyright a tweet? Can you knit a Dalek? The latest copyright controversy has arisen in the UK as a result of a written question posed to the Culture […]
In his great documentary The Century of the Self, Adam Curtis explores topics such as consumerism and social control of the masses, but at its heart it is an exploration of collectivism and individualism. It describes the second half of the 20th century as struggle between collective ideals, and the […]
I have to admit that I am not a big fan of radio. Other than the occasional listen to the always excellent BBC Radio 6, I tend to spend most of my listening time with my own music (iPods still rule!), and podcasts. I have been surprised by the endurance […]
Last month, a 22-year old Norwegian called Kevin Synnes took a trip with his girlfriend to get a new engine for his car. They stopped at a hardware store and Kevin found a large box filled with toy rubber geese. Wanting to play a prank on his girlfriend, and while […]
Some times I feel like I am living in a bizarro alternative reality. The Tories. The Snowden revelations. Chelsea FC. Miley Cyrus. The Minions. The continuing success of the cinematographic works of Michael Bay. But the aspect of modern life that truly alienates me has been building for some time, […]
Some weeks ago I was asked to comment on whether tweets are subject to copyright protection. Unsurprisingly, this is a common question that gets asked over and over again, as some of the information online is contradictory and misleading, or refers to other jurisdictions. Do we have an answer in […]
Turkey declared war on the Internet this week when its regime decided that it did not like the portrayal of its leader in social media. Accusing them of bias, the Telecommunication’s Department issued a directive ordering the immediate blocking of Twitter across its territory. The reason for the ban was […]
There is a saying in Spanish that I’ve always liked: “pueblo chico, infierno grande” (small town, big hell). The Internet is vast, but social media has brought us together in ways that constantly remind me of this phrase. Short social connection pathways lead to clusters of communities where a tiny […]