Do you ever get the feeling that we’re living in a postmodern fiction? You’re not alone

The once outlandish predictions of Ballard, DeLillo and (yes) The Simpsons are coming true. It’s time to author our own future, says writer Dan Brooks

Straight to your inbox: meet the journalists shaking up local UK news

Local newspapers in the UK are disappearing fast, creating news deserts and leaving councils unscrutinised. Enter a new generation of online reporters…

Ministers urged to act over physical and online intimidation in UK election

MPs and candidates who faced abuse discuss polling station buffer zones and action to tackle social media

The Rock ’n Roll birder wants you to take a walk – and look up

Hipster ornithologist Matt Spracklen makes birds cool, while Elizabeth Day introduces an an insightful how-to series. Plus: five of the best podcasts about ancient history

How do young people ever get any work done? They’re always so distracted

Decades ago, I got a job as a scaffolder – and I was a total liability. I’d have been even more useless if mobile phones had been around, writes Adrian Chiles

Half a million households cancelled BBC licence fee last year

Corporation faces stark challenge as it struggles to reach younger audiences who are watching Netflix and YouTube

‘Nobody can be entirely impartial’: Lewis Goodall on poverty, politics and the BBC

At just 35, Lewis Goodall has carved out a reputation as an astute political commentator and podcaster. But it’s always been a battle to keep his own views out of the news

‘Google says I’m a dead physicist’: is the world’s biggest search engine broken?

For decades now, anyone who’s wanted to know everything about anything has asked Google. But is the platform losing its edge – and can we still trust it to tell us the truth?

Liberating and a huge pain: my week with a Nokia ‘dumbphone’

Using the reissued 3210 model left our reporter very frustrated – but less mobile-obsessed and in awe of its battery life

‘Just missed’: German comedian loses job over Trump shooting joke

Sebastian Hotz, aka El Hotzo, was dropped from his radio show and provoked anger from Elon Musk after now-deleted posts on X

Doomscrolling linked to existential anxiety, distrust, suspicion and despair, study finds

Expert compares doomscrolling to being in a room where people are constantly yelling at you and says media needs to rethink news

Best podcasts of the week: Esther Perel’s love letter to romance

In this week’s newsletter: The audio superstar is back with a ‘beach read’ of a podcast, The Arc of Love. Plus: five of the best podcasts about death

Elon Musk promises ‘battle in court’ over EU’s crackdown on X’s blue checks

Regulators’ findings suggest social network breached Digital Services Act and could be fined 6% of global turnover