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, 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
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
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 Boyle13 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
Articles, Women's Empowerment

Teach Your Daughters To Break Glass Ceilings Not Break into Glass Slippers.

Why parents should worry less about their daughters fitting into glass slippers and more about shattering glass ceilings. Author: Ana Rasheed   Attend tuition 100 hours a week. Check. Make sure you get 4 A*’s at A-Level. Check. Get into a Russel Group university. Check. Get a first in your degree. Check. Now sit at home, get a job near home and wait to get … Continue reading Teach Your Daughters To Break Glass Ceilings Not Break into Glass Slippers.

Conor Boyle4 Comments
Uncategorized

CALL FOR WRITERS

Have some ideas you’d like to get off your chest? Want to expand your online presence and engage with other bloggers online? The Conversation Room has been featuring some great op-eds lately and I’d love people to keep contributing rather than me just giving my opinions and perspective all the time. We’ve already featured some amazing contributing writers from Kenya to Pakistan, Greece to Spain … Continue reading CALL FOR WRITERS

Conor Boyle5 Comments
Articles, politics

Boris? Trump? Rees-Mogg? How Social Media Gave Us Pantomime Politics

Ridiculous statements go viral. From Boris’s bombastic Libya remarks to Trump’s daily Twitter toddler tantrums, nothing gets our thumb tapping that retweet button faster than outrageous political buffoonery. Be it virtue signalling, endorsing or simply showing our sheer shock and dismay, social media users love reacting to silly soundbites as newsfeeds are coloured with witty one line responses and hastily published news articles looking to … Continue reading Boris? Trump? Rees-Mogg? How Social Media Gave Us Pantomime Politics

Conor Boyle3 Comments