I’m sure you’re absolutely shocked by this 20-something-year-old revelation, but it’s never been more true. Scams and misinformation are running rampant, algorithms purposely override your intuition and the inevitability of AI means you can’t trust the authenticity of images you see and voices you hear - even from those you care about. Media literacy is a crucial act of digital self-defence, and with it hitting historic lows, we need it now more than ever.

- Devin Pike, Guest Editor 💜

Me? I sh*t you not, I’ve always dreamed about some kind of supercharged Olympics where everyone’s on performance enhancing drugs and we see what humans can really do when jacked tf up. Look I know it’s weird but it’s my dream so, buzz off.

Never, in my 29 years of existence did I think this would be a thing. And alas. It is.

Not only is it real, but the Enhanced Games are officially coming for Usain Bolt’s crown, dangling a casual $10 million cash prize for any sprinter who can shatter Bolt's 100m world record of 9.58 seconds while totally juiced out of their mind.

Honestly, at this point, if people are willing to risk their entire cardiovascular system to run at supersonic speeds for my entertainment and a bag of cash, who am I to judge? Grab the popcorn.

Next! Back in the corporate rat race, the tech overlords promised us that AI agents like Claude would make us hyper-productive gods who work less. Flash forward to reality, and researchers have discovered that managing multiple AI tools actually causes what they call “AI brain fry.” Yes, that is the technical term. And yes, I think I have it. No seriously, help.

It turns out that constantly monitoring AI output causes intense mental fog, headaches, and a desperate urge to run away and be a bartender in Honolulu. So, we aren’t actually working less; we’re just getting executive burnout from babysitting code that still can’t format a spreadsheet correctly. Yay, future!

Finally, if your brain isn’t entirely fried and you actually want to date real humans, good luck paying for the commute. We can thank you-know-who for that. Thankfully BLK, the Black dating app, is heavily validating our financial trauma by giving away free gas just to convince singles to leave the house.

They are literally funding $500 gas gift cards because "pick a struggle" shouldn't apply to choosing between buying premium fuel or meeting your soulmate. Romance in 2026 is dead, but if your heart can’t be full, at least your tank can be.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Today, the reality of engaging with the internet looks incredible different.

Dodging hyper-realistic AI voice clones of our loved ones, deepfakes designed to swing global elections, and algorithmic slot machines engineered to hold our attention hostage until 3am are just a few things we’re dealing with.

Internet predators are sophisticated syndicates using generative tools to blur the lines between real and fake, scams are running rampant and misinformation spreads six times faster than the truth. And all of this is happening on the most addictive piece of technology ever engineered, which is actively taking a toll on our collective mental health.

As marketers, creators, and builders of the digital landscape, it is easy for us to look at engagement metrics and celebrate a win. But we need to look closer at the collateral damage. Media literacy is both an important school subject and an active act of digital self-defence, and we need it now more than ever.

Generative AI means that a fabricated screenshot, a cloned audio clip, or a synthetic video looks pretty much identical to reality. The old rules of thumb, like "look for the verified checkmark" or "check the image quality" are completely obsolete.

When everything can be faked, the human brain gets tired. This "digital fatigue" causes users to withdraw. The noise is becoming so loud that people are actively seeking out "signalmaxxing", the ultimate modern luxury of finding spaces with zero algorithmic manipulation. Alternatively, if we keep optimising our content for raw shock value, we are just contributing to the toxic sludge that makes users (me) want to throw their phones of the nearest cliff.

It’s also not just the AI bots we have to worry about - it’s the goddamn humans too.

We've entered a bizarre timeline where real creators are intentionally staging reality for financial gain. You’ve definitely seen the overly dramatic Facebook prank videos that feel just a little too rehearsed, the highly coordinated TikTok "couples' drama" that magically resolves right before a product launch, and the blatant rage-farming tweets and Threads designed specifically to make you angry enough to leave a comment.

When algorithms reward watch-time and comment volume above all else, conflict becomes a huuuge commodity. Creators are betting on our emotional reactivity, because they know that if they can trick you into arguing in their comment section, the algorithm will push their content to millions more. It’s a highly calculated performance, and our genuine human empathy is the fuel.

When both the technology (AI) and the people (influencers) are faking it, the entire digital ecosystem suffers from a profound lack of authenticity. It turns the internet into a giant game of spot the grift, leaving consumers cynical, guarded, and not to mention, completely burnt out.

Before we can even start to build a better internet for our audiences, we have to protect our own sanity. Here is how to practice high-level media literacy today:

If you want a less toxic digital world, you have to stop producing synthetic spam.

When the internet becomes a minefield of scams and deepfakes, the consumer's most valuable asset is trust. Audiences are fleeing polished, hyper-optimised corporate speak and craving radical transparency, raw human mistakes, and verifiable truth. You can choose to protect your audience’s attention - not exploit it.

Stay safe out there, soldiers x

-Sophie Randell, Writer

The sound comes from TikToker Dusty, and honestly the context of the original video is something you need to witness for yourself. All you need to know is he says "Wait, that's triggering me. That's triggering me. Stop that. That's triggering-" and the internet immediately knew exactly what to do with it. Surpassing over 100k shares, isn't that insane?

People are using it to react to anything that sets them off, serious or not:

How you can jump on this trend:

Use the sound and put your trigger as your text on screen.

A few ideas to get you started:

-abdel khalil, brand & marketing exec

😂Yap’s funniest home videos - Facetime
❤How wholesome - "I look just like my mommy"
😊Soooo satisfying - Dad & Daughter
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight - Crispy potato-egg wrap

Hey Robbie!

What it boils down to is this: the IG algo is driven by user behaviour. That's why it's funny when people say they hate the algorithm—as if someone else has trained it! When people like, comment, and share content, the algorithm learns what type of content those users enjoy and begins pushing similar content to similar audiences.

So when it comes to creating content, the platform doesn't care how much effort you put into a piece of content. It only cares about whether it earns people's attention. And whether it will do that comes down to 3 things: relatability, story structure, and whether it has a human truth. So instead of worrying about the algorithm, put your focus into getting those elements right in your content.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.