Author Archive

Taylor Lorenz

Taylor Lorenz is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers technology.
Cybersecurity

The Hidden Dangers in Your Phone Number

Using your phone as an authenticator can be a problem.

Digital Government

Instagram Wants Memers to Like It Again

After a series of account purges, meme pages are at war with their platform. Now Instagram is trying to smooth things over.

Modernization

The Slackification of the American Home

Stretched for time, some households are starting to operate more like businesses.

Emerging Tech

Uber Riders Can’t Stand All the Air Fresheners

Customers are reporting migraines. Drivers say they’re just trying to provide a pleasant ride.

Emerging Tech

The Groups Bringing Forum Culture to Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for communities on his platform is very different from how users are gathering together there organically.

Policy

Instagram and Facebook Ban Far-Right Extremists

Alex Jones, Infowars, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Joseph Watson, Laura Loomer, Paul Nehlen, and Louis Farrakhan have all been removed from the platforms.

Emerging Tech

Instagram Is the New Mall

The platform is allowing influencers to sell things to users directly through their posts.

Digital Government

Re-creating Facebook on Instagram

Class accounts are a way for incoming freshmen to make friends, find roommates, and suss out colleges before fall.

Emerging Tech

How Instagram Replaced the Contacts List

The app has become the default way to connect with new friends, dates, or business contacts.

Emerging Tech

How an App for Gamers Went Mainstream

Discord has become an indispensable tool for internet creators to connect with their fans.

Cybersecurity

How Hackers Are Stealing High-Profile Instagram Accounts

In the Wild West of “influencer” marketing, there are few protections and plenty of easy marks.

Emerging Tech

Twitter Should Kill the Retweet

The feature derails healthy conversation and preys on users’ worst instincts.