The future of influence is here: a digital avatar that captivates millions of adoring fans while offering unparalleled customisation and round-the-clock availability. Virtual influencers are transforming the way content is created, consumed and marketed online. They represent an electrifying dance between cutting-edge technology and our desire for connection. But, at the same time, they are […] … learn more→

If you’ve ever been scammed, perhaps you resolved to never allow someone to take you for a fool again. But research shows not everyone reacts this way and in fact some fraud victims go into denial. This might help explain why the founder of the disastrous 2017 Fyre Festival (a fraudulent luxury music festival), William […] … learn more→

A learner can commit a crime. Studies by the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR ) (2016) and the Center for the Study and Advocacy for the Protection and Quality of Life for Children, University of Indonesia (PUSKAPA) (2020) reviewing court decisions of first instance show that the majority of children who commit crimes, or are known as children who […] … learn more→

What is meant by a new humanism after a pandemic? What senses and practices should education recover? Is it possible to speak of a human education? In fact, the post-pandemic has allowed us to reflect on what the new relationships between human beings, nature and technology are like . The pandemic brought pain and death to humanity and returned our […] … learn more→

We’re only halfway through 2023, and it feels already like the year of alien contact. In February, President Joe Biden gave orders to shoot down three unidentified aerial phenomena – NASA’s title for UFOs. Then, the alleged leaked footage from a Navy pilot of a UFO, and then news of a whistleblower’s report on a possible U.S. government cover-up about UFO […] … learn more→

It has been nearly 100 years since the skeletonised remains of nine people were removed from their graves on a farm near the town of Sutherland in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. They were donated to the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) anatomy department by Carel Gert Coetzee, who had unearthed them and was a […] … learn more→

Are you eager to steer your career, team or organization toward uncharted territory? Or do you aspire to solve complex societal problems through innovation? It turns out that the most successful innovators aren’t solitary geniuses. Instead, they excel by “spanning boundaries” — moving beyond a given particular niche to access different forms of knowledge, communities, interest […] … learn more→

If I started my blog today, 11th of July 2023, you would never hear about me. I built a readership in my little corner of academia, and some measure of influence, by sharing my work online. When people ask how I got to 100,000 followers on social media, I used to share two tips: 1) […] … learn more→

The society in which we live is still in need of achieving greater equality and integration. Cases of gender violence still open the news almost every day. We still verify that there is a gender gap in certain jobs or, even, we find out that drugs are not usually tested on women , among other issues. However, these situations are much worse in […] … learn more→

Several polls in the past couple of years (including from Ipsos, YouGov and most recently Savanta on behalf of Kings College Policy Institute and the BBC) have been examining the kinds of conspiratorial beliefs people have. The findings have led to a lot of concern and discussion. There are several revealing aspects of these polls. As a researcher, I’m mainly interested […] … learn more→