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Push notifications started as a genuinely helpful idea — a quick tap on the shoulder to let you know something important happened. Somewhere along the way, that tap turned into a full-on shove, and then a relentless, screaming mob. Here's how we got here and what you can actually do about it.
Your phone was at 80% when you left the house, and now it's 2:47 PM and you're hunting for an outlet like your life depends on it. The usual suspects aren't always the real culprits — and the actual battery killers hiding in your pocket might surprise you.
Your inbox is a disaster zone and you know it. That little red badge on your mail app showing four or five digits isn't a notification anymore — it's a lifestyle. So how did we all end up here, and what does it say about the way we communicate in 2014?
Music streaming has turned playlist-making into a full-blown personality exercise. Whether you're obsessively organizing your Spotify library or sharing a carefully titled collection with friends, your playlists are doing a lot of talking on your behalf. Turns out, the songs you queue up say plenty about who you are — and who you want people to think you are.
Remember when cutting the cord felt like the smartest thing you could do? Fast forward a couple years and somehow you're paying for six different streaming services just to watch the shows you actually care about. The dream of à la carte TV is real — it's just a lot more complicated and expensive than anyone advertised.
The average American internet user in 2014 juggles somewhere between 20 and 90 online accounts. Nobody remembers all those passwords. Here's why that's a bigger mess than you think — and what, if anything, you can actually do about it.
Your phone buzzes. Then it buzzes again. Then a red badge appears on an app you downloaded eight months ago and forgot about. Life in 2014 means living inside a constant stream of pings, alerts, and nudges — and it's starting to wear people out in ways they're only beginning to understand.
You've been told to use stronger passwords for years, and you've tried — sort of. But the real story of why accounts keep getting compromised in 2014 isn't just about lazy users picking 'password123.' The system itself is cracked, and the fixes on the table are weirder and more interesting than you'd expect.
Everyone from fitness enthusiasts to accountants is being told to 'build their brand' online in 2014. Instagram feeds are getting more curated, LinkedIn profiles are getting more polished, and somewhere in the middle of all that careful crafting, a lot of people are quietly burning out. So is the hustle worth it — or are we all just performing for an audience that isn't paying?
Before Spotify told you what to listen to and Netflix started guessing your mood, people actually had to work to find new music, movies, and books. In 2014, those old-school discovery methods are still alive — but maybe not for much longer. We look at how Americans are navigating the last days of genuinely accidental cultural discovery.
Most Americans have downloaded dozens of apps they've opened exactly once. In 2014, the app stores are more crowded than ever — and so are our home screens. Here's why we can't stop downloading stuff we'll never actually use.
Streaming video looked like the future just a few years ago, but in 2014 it's starting to feel more like a crowded food court where everyone's selling pizza. We break down how the three biggest names in on-demand TV are bumping elbows — and why your wallet is already feeling the squeeze.
From planking on rooftops to snapping selfies with a stick longer than your arm, Americans in 2014 are doing increasingly bizarre things in public — and broadcasting all of it online for strangers to double-tap. We take a look at what's really driving the endless hunger for likes, shares, and fifteen seconds of internet fame.
Famous people have been saying dumb things in public forever — but the internet has made the consequences stick around a lot longer than a bad tabloid headline. From tone-deaf brand posts to full-on Twitter meltdowns, the years 2013 and 2014 served up some truly unforgettable lessons in what not to do online. Pull up a chair.
Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are quietly dismantling the cable TV empire one canceled subscription at a time. In 2014, the living room is becoming a battleground, and cable companies are showing up to a gunfight with a remote control. Here's how it's all going down.
The 90s and early 2000s were basically a golden era of tech promises that never quite delivered. From self-balancing scooters to wearable computers to handheld TV remotes that somehow cost $300, we've rounded up 15 gadgets that had us totally convinced the future had arrived — until it didn't.
Remember laughing at those weird black-and-white squares plastered on bus stop ads? Yeah, turns out QR codes aren't going anywhere. In fact, they're showing up everywhere from your local burger joint to department store windows — and this time, people are actually using them.