Every year has its ups and downs. The ups are a thrill. The downs are often fascinating, for what they reveal about the limits of our ambitions, the challenges of trying to get things right and the escape hatches that might get us out of trouble (or the rabbit holes that take us ever deeper).
Or just because misery loves company. At this time of year, we regularly take a look back at the craziness that unfolded in the world of technology. There were notable slipups and outbreaks of weirdness, which CNET news chief Roger Cheng has chronicled in his wrapup story; I particularly liked his use of the term “an iceberg of terrible” in describing all the trouble that accumulated around Facebook/Meta in 2021.
That story is among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss.
The biggest tech fails of 2021, from Facebook to Activision
Commentary: This year included more vaccine misinformation, random internet outages and yet another T-Mobile data breach.
Robert Rodriguez/CNET
NFTs: Why people spend millions on JPEGs
“I could just right click and save that NFT” isn’t an argument anymore.
Richerd/OpenSea
Surviving a violent collision gives me new perspective on car safety tech
Commentary: I’ll never again take safety technology for granted.
Kent German/CNET
Twitter’s leadership shakeup comes at a critical moment
Parag Agrawal, the new CEO, will have his hands full.
Twitter
The year Marvel shows took over your TV
Disney Plus became indispensable entertainment this year, with WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…? and Hawkeye appearing at a steady clip.
Marvel
Instagram and TikTok are failing users with eating disorders
Critics fear new tools to help those struggling with body image are just a drop in the bucket.
Getty Images
Are you being scammed? Here’s how to know and what to do
If someone asks for payment in the form of a gift card, just say no.
Sarah Tew/CNET
How COVID accelerated a shift that could put new cities at the forefront of American life
Our work and our lives may never return to a pre-pandemic normal, and that’s caused some major shifts in where people are choosing to live in the US.
CNET
Biden’s FCC pick will be instrumental in net neutrality fight
Gigi Sohn, a longtime consumer advocate and former FCC official, faced Republican opposition at her Senate confirmation hearing.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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