We’re living in the age of augmentation, when lips, teeth, and breasts are only the tip of the ‘fake it til you make it’ iceberg. These days reality is augmented in every Instagram picture; perfection is entirely achievable with enough patience to capture the right moment, plus the right filters. And it’s turning us all into [...]
A scam benefiting a few rich chancers, supported by some orange squares. The pernicious influence of ‘positivity’ and ‘getting things done’ flying in the face of all realism. A determination to do the impossible, against all expert advice. And leaving the innocent inhabitants of an island nation penniless and unhappy after a lot of goodwill and [...]
I thought I knew about cyberbullying until I interviewed Joni O'Sullivan on the show last week. She told me about the 14 month ordeal her daughter Zoe has been put through at the hands of hundreds, maybe even thousands of other teenagers after kissing the 'wrong' boy at a disco. It's harrowing stuff. Joni is doing [...]
In 2010 I visited Port au Prince, Haiti, with the Irish charity Haven. Branding for Denis O'Brien's Digicel towered over UN refugee camps, cluttered market stalls, and even coated roadside shacks (I had never before seen the developing country 'fashion' of having your house painted for free by an advertising company... I'm amazed it's never taken [...]
