For our health’s sake, get tough with Big Tech
The Observer
One key thing we’ve learnt in the pandemic, says John Naughton, is just how much our society relies on the internet. Without the ability it gives us to shop, socialise and video-conference, lockdown would have been impossible. But our very dependence on it creates a huge virus-related problem: Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube et al are unable to control the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation about the disease. And if conspiracy theorists start using social media to undermine public confidence in a future vaccine, it would be “like the anti-MMR campaign on steroids”. In the end, the only way to tackle this will be to force Big Tech to make technological adjustments. Removing the retweet button on Twitter, for example, would slow the spread of antisocial memes; the algorithms used by Facebook and YouTube could be tweaked to discourage circulation of malicious content. Big Tech won’t like it – but “tough”. If they’re not willing or able to police their services, which are now so critical to 21st century life, we must force them to. The health of society depends on it.
A Japanese baseball team has turned to robots to lift its stadium’s atmosphere as fans stay away in the pandemic. Some 39 robots – some humanoid, others resembling dogs – stamped and shimmied to the Fukuoka Hawks’ fight song during their last home match. Fans’ reactions were mixed. “I think this is like a dystopia,” wrote one Twitter user. But another called the performance “insanely beautiful”.
Windsor and Maidenhead Council is determined to avoid Covid-19 spreading on its tennis courts. A sign at the Alexandra Gardens courts in Windsor carries the stern – if ambiguous – advice for players: “ONLY HANDLE YOUR OWN BALLS”.
An Ohio man who grew too fat to fit on roller coasters lost almost 14 stone, so he could board a new “giga coaster” at his local theme park. Jared Ream took radical steps after the new ride was announced last year. “It was a motivation for me to change my life, and I’ll think about that every time I ride the ride,” he said.