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The Cultural Hegemony
Antonio Gramsci spent years in prison and came out with one of the core ideas to analyse the modern political world. Here’s why it still hits today. In 1928, Antonio Gramsci, one of Italy’s sharpest social thinkers, was dragged into a prison cell in 1920s Italy. The political prosecutor reportedly declares, “We must stop this…
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What’s behind social media craving?
Endless scrolling, sleepless nights, and hours spent on Tiktok or Instagram leading to temporary pleasure and empty feeling asking for more? Although it might sound unfamiliar for people from older generations, it is the daily reality for most young people nowadays. According to recent statistics (2026), an average gen-Z person reports 6.6 hours of screen…
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Walking Through Spaces Step by Step
For many of us, walking is one of our body’s most vital functions, spanning from infancy to the end of our lives. Beyond serving as our primary mode of transportation for centuries prior to the invention of the automobile, it occupies a central place in our lives, often without us even realizing it. We arrange…
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Macedonia — A story of independence and progress
Macedonia is a country well known for its rich cuisine, wines, breathtaking nature, and, of course, Ohrid — a true gem that attracts visitors from all around the world. On September 8, this country celebrates its Independence Day, reminding us of the 1991 referendum in which citizens voted on whether to start an independent state.…
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Bodies, Barriers and Belonging
Cities count their citizens without saying a word. Who gets to cross the street, catch a bus, or visit a local office depends far less on who lives in a neighborhood and far more on how the street was designed. In Skopje, a curb dropping twelve centimeters straight onto asphalt or a steep bus step…
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A Secret Journey to the Bare Skanderbeg Mountains
I wake up bright and early in the morning, to the sound of crows below my 5th-story window. I am afraid that this will be the last morning I wake up in my comfortable bed. It was 5:30 in the morning and my ride was coming at 5:50 to take me up into the mountains.…
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The People of the Algorithm: Homogenized Lives Behind Invisible Bars
How different can you truly be? How free do you actually feel? Or most importantly: are we trapped inside an invisible prison—one with no iron bars and wide-open doors, yet one we can never seem to leave? Why is it that the moment we stop consuming or scrolling through feeds, we are instantly flooded with…
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From a Pirate Flag to a Protest Symbol
One Piece and Gen Z’s New Language of Resistance What is a pirate flag from a manga series doing at protests in different parts of the world? In 2025, amid growing public dissatisfaction in Indonesia, an unusual flag began to appear in the streets: a smiling skull wearing a straw hat. For One Piece fans,…
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The day intelligence switched side
1989. In a silent room. A man faces an opponent unlike any other. It doesn’t breathe. It feels neither fear nor tiredness. It knows neither doubt nor pride. Yet it is about to challenge the best player in the world.
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Am I Pretty Enough?
When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and saw just yourself, without any judgment, without searching for the bad, without evaluating those extra pounds, already thinking about the next diet or workout routine? But just yourself, as you are. As I’m opening my browser to look something up, the first…
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My AI thinks I’m great
“Absolutely! That’s a fantastic idea. I’d love to help you with it!” Spend enough time chatting with AI and you’ll notice something: it’s remarkably supportive. It celebrates your ideas, compliments your work and rarely tells you you’re completely wrong. That’s not because it secretly believes in you. In fact, it doesn’t believe anything at all.…
