Against a backdrop of uncertainty, people are searching for new sources of control and stability. Where science and ancient wisdom have been conventionally pitted against one another, many are moving towards an integrated approach to authority that draws from the best of both worlds.

The past decade has seen political polarisation – accelerated by social media’s filter bubbles and echo chambers – deepen and mutate. An ominous era of a polycrisis has shattered any remaining societal consensus. Meanwhile, powerful anti-establishment voices have stepped into the void.

With QAnon and conspiracy theories impacting mainstream discourse, tech companies are having to take greater control of what’s published on their platforms. Increasingly active on social media, American Boomers are caught up in the misinformation wars - but what draws them to fake news?

With trust in big tech dwindling, people are looking for services that protect them from external surveillance. And as governments crack down on protest, new forms of digital democracy are emerging. Fully encrypted messaging app Signal is winning trust by giving back power to users.

Dismissed as creepy at best and dangerous at worst, Snapchat’s Snap Map enables users to share their real-time locations. Although the feature was universally panned, it’s been instrumental in documenting social unrest and helping protesters organize without relying on media.

The global coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdown has created a multitude of technological solutions that could impinge on rights to privacy in the long-term. How are Britons dealing with this new level of surveillance and what does this shift in behaviour mean for the future?