Under the influence
I AM currently struggling to embrace the era of the influencer, especially as it enters the newsroom. This is despite me attempting to convince my previous employer to let us…
Teenage blues
THE teenage years are not a trouble-free phase in a young person’s life. The transition to adulthood poses many challenges, mainly due to physiological reasons, including hormonal changes in the…
Monetising hate
THE unverified news of a young female student being sexually assaulted at a private college in Lahore has shocked the country. The news, that was made viral via social media…
Silencing the press
THANK goodness journalist Asad Toor was finally released on bail on Saturday. But his ordeal is not over as he battles numerous charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act…
Legacy of the caretakers
THE formation of the new governments at the centre and in the provinces has arguably been completed under strict cyber surveillance, coupled with the silencing of dissenting voices. The political…
Divide and rule
THE project of weakening political parties in Pakistan seems to be on track, with tricks and interventions ensuring that no one political party wins a majority in parliament. The record…
The challenge of disinformation
The internet has led the world to an unprecedented revolution, fundamentally transforming how we access and share information. Social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have…
Mental cost of social media
When joke becomes a reality—a cartoon on a person sitting in an addiction treatment clinic. The doctor is asking him what is he addicted to alcohol or drugs? He replies,…
Digital dilemma: building a firewall against growth
In today’s world, internet connectivity is as essential as electricity or running water. Remarkably, it remains one of the few services in Pakistan that is still relatively affordable, even as…
Virality & vileness
IN a chapter from his 2005 book The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman outlined “10 flatteners” which contributed to the flattening out of global economies. The fall of the Berlin…
