Author: Conor Boyle

Law graduate Trinity College Dublin 2017; Editorial Producer at Intelligence Squared. All views expressed here are my own! If you'd like to write for The Conversation Room email: boylec4@tcd.ie
Articles

Why News And The Internet Don’t Mix

(Image: Steve Cutts) The way in which we consume information determines how we interpret it. In his seminal work “Thinking, Fast and Slow” Daniel Kahneman, Nobel prize winning behavioural psychologist  describes how two basic systems govern the way we think. We have a primal ‘system one’ way of thinking which is fast, impulsive and emotional. We also have a ‘system two’ form of thinking which is slow, deliberative … Continue reading Why News And The Internet Don’t Mix

Conor Boyle10 Comments
Articles, mental health

Selfie: How We Became So Self Obsessed

We live in strange times. A generation of selfies and self harm. We create edited online personas of people seemingly living perfect lives. Yet behind the screens insecurity, vanity and depression are the defining characteristics of our culture. People absorb culture like sponges. Every time we open our phones we internalize the competitive game of likes, retweets and follows as we strive to reach the … Continue reading Selfie: How We Became So Self Obsessed

Conor Boyle5 Comments
Europe

There is No Anti-Elite

“If you believe you are a citizen of the world you are a citizen of nowhere”   Theresa May condescendingly cackled as a rapturous applause erupted in the hall of the 2017 Conservative Party conference. No longer was the Prime Minister going to tolerate the smug, cosmopolitan elite who spend their summers in San Francisco and winters in the Andorran alpine sneering down with disgust … Continue reading There is No Anti-Elite

Conor Boyle5 Comments
politics

Why Universities Are Just A Corporate Conveyor Belt

A Career Fair is a microcosm. A dizzying snapshot into the absurd world of work. Fake smiles, branded ‘gifts’ and the unnaturally perky trainee enlightening you how his internship last summer really gave him an insight into “the culture of the firm” and explaining how he is now “making a global impact” working with multinationals seeking to “restructure their taxes more efficiently.”   The hollow atmosphere and … Continue reading Why Universities Are Just A Corporate Conveyor Belt

Conor Boyle16 Comments
blockchain

How Cryptocurrencies Are Building A New Internet

Author:     Henry Benjamin of SkyCoin   At present, no one knows how the FCC plan to roll out their unwelcome Net Neutrality Repeal. Nor does anyone know how it will affect end users and companies who might have conflicts of interest with large Internet Service Providers (ISP’s). Whatever way it turns out, we know there are going to be changes in the way we … Continue reading How Cryptocurrencies Are Building A New Internet

Conor Boyle4 Comments
Articles, politics

Why Satire Isn’t Funny

It’s often promulgated that satire is the great weapon of the powerless against the powerful. Nothing can send the unhinged megalomaniac or deranged despot faster into a toddler tantrum than simply being laughed at. Yet there is growing criticism that today’s mainstream political satire serves to promote rather than undermine the establishment and extremist politicians. By providing the likes of Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Jacob … Continue reading Why Satire Isn’t Funny

Conor Boyle12 Comments
Articles, Women's Empowerment

Empowered Woman? Who is She?

Author: Khadija Begum I was at a local film fest earlier this week that was screening movies by amateur film makers on gender based violence. During one of the audience discussions, a girl who must not have been older than 13 and an actor in the movie, in a very well-meaning manner asked a question: How do we teach boys/men to deal with the new generation … Continue reading Empowered Woman? Who is She?

Conor Boyle5 Comments
Articles, Uncategorized

Fast Food News And Information Obesity

Article was originally published on the Iras Global Observer as part of a new collaboration project between their site and The Conversation Room Be it the colossal shift in our diets towards snacking processed food to the life changing opportunities of international travel arising from commercial aviation, history shows that for better or worse human behaviour and consumption patterns are shaped by new technologies. In 2017, … Continue reading Fast Food News And Information Obesity

Conor Boyle3 Comments
Articles, politics

Why Young People Are Ditching Social Media For Good

The featured image is a work by the incredibly talented Steve Cutts. Kids growing up in 2017’s digital dystopia are sold one of the biggest lies ever told. That social media is an innocuous online tool to “connect” with friends. In reality social media has destroyed meaningful connection and replaced it with artificial online packs of “like-minded individuals” who all hold the same beliefs and … Continue reading Why Young People Are Ditching Social Media For Good

Conor Boyle22 Comments
Articles, politics

Why Storytellers are the Most Powerful People on Earth

Our entire lives are governed by stories. From the idea that certain pieces of paper are worth “$20” to the belief that to live a good life one must follow their passions, the stories we believe shape the course of our lives. Humans have harnessed this power to co-operate in large numbers and create ordered communities governed by a common set of beliefs and inter-subjective … Continue reading Why Storytellers are the Most Powerful People on Earth

Conor Boyle14 Comments