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USA Today
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The Coldplay concert affair captivated the internet. But is it time to move on?
Show Caption Unless you are living under a rock, you've likely heard the news about that recent Coldplay concert. When a kiss-cam panned to two concert-goers in a loving embrace, only for them to try and quickly conceal their identities. The internet (and journalists) found them quickly – employees at data tech company Astronomer, one whom is the CEO and has since resigned. The incident sparked many online and offline conversations and memes. Were the two having an affair? Didn't they know they'd eventually get caught? Why would they risk going out in public together? Is this the first time a jumbotron exposed an affair, let alone at a Coldplay concert? Posts on X included: "Sorry I can't, I'm busy liking all the Coldplay affair tweets I missed today because I was at my stupid job." "The seemingly infinite unfolding lore of the Coldplay affair couple has kept me entertained for an entire morning." Then again, others noted that these are real people. They have real lives and face real consequences. The CEO resigned over this, after all. Maybe it's time to move on. Media and psychology experts say it's not uncommon to obsess over others' cringey moments and mistakes because it makes us feel better about ourselves. It's a phenomenon called schadenfreude − when we find pleasure, joy and satisfaction in others' troubles, failures or pain − that ultimately reveals more about us than them. "There seems to be a narrative thread that we like watching people make this climb to wealth and status," Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University, previously told USA TODAY. "But once they actually get there, one of the only narrative threads left is to watch them fall. And we do get a lot of schadenfreude pleasure out of that if you look at a lot of the examples of stories we tell." But it's worth pausing and reflecting before letting your gossip session spiral too far. 'Endless repeating cycle of controversy' There's another psychological theory beyond schadenfreude, called "social comparison," that can explain our love for this drama, Elizabeth Cohen, associate professor at West Virginia University, previously told USA TODAY. Downward social comparison is when you consume media solely to look down on others, a behavior that tends to dominate the social media landscape. 'Social media activity is an endless repeating cycle of controversy, outrage and our sacred right to say whatever we want about whoever we want with no consequences,' David Schmid, an associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo, previously told USA TODAY. 'Once we've chewed (a person) up and spat them out, we'll move to someone else, and so it goes on, ad nauseam, at a pace dictated by our ever-shrinking attention span.' 'Our desire and hunger for [celebrity culture] never ends' Some gossip is inevitable. Everyone spends part of their day being unproductive – it's OK if yours involves gossiping about celebrities, even the social media kind. When it comes to celebrity culture, "our desire and hunger for it never ends," said Erica Chito Childs, the Interim Ruth and Harold Newman Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College. But people are better off focusing their energy on positive rather than negative messaging. "When you're engaging more of this hypercritical speculation on people's lives, who you don't even know, whether it's celebrities, or it's your neighbors, it's having the same impact," Chito Childs explained. "It's a negative thing." But this type of speculation won't stop as long as social media and celebrity culture remains intact. The same goes for those who turn into celebrities overnight in viral videos. "Being a celebrity means carrying a giant target on your back for people's psychological projections," W. Keith Campbell, an expert on narcissism, personality, and cultural change, previously told USA TODAY. "Sometimes those can be great but sometimes those can be really negative."
USA Today
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The Coldplay concert affair captivated the internet. But is it time to move on?
Unless you are living under a rock, you've likely heard the news about that recent Coldplay concert. When a kiss-cam panned to two concert-goers in a loving embrace, only for them to try and quickly conceal their identities. The internet (and journalists) found them quickly – employees at data tech company Astronomer, one whom is the CEO and has since resigned. The incident sparked many online and offline conversations and memes. Were the two having an affair? Didn't they know they'd eventually get caught? Why would they risk going out in public together? Is this the first time a jumbotron exposed an affair, let alone at a Coldplay concert? Posts on X included: "Sorry I can't, I'm busy liking all the Coldplay affair tweets I missed today because I was at my stupid job." "The seemingly infinite unfolding lore of the Coldplay affair couple has kept me entertained for an entire morning." Then again, others noted that these are real people. They have real lives and face real consequences. The CEO resigned over this, after all. Maybe it's time to move on. Media and psychology experts say it's not uncommon to obsess over others' cringey moments and mistakes because it makes us feel better about ourselves. It's a phenomenon called schadenfreude − when we find pleasure, joy and satisfaction in others' troubles, failures or pain − that ultimately reveals more about us than them. "There seems to be a narrative thread that we like watching people make this climb to wealth and status," Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University, previously told USA TODAY. "But once they actually get there, one of the only narrative threads left is to watch them fall. And we do get a lot of schadenfreude pleasure out of that if you look at a lot of the examples of stories we tell." But it's worth pausing and reflecting before letting your gossip session spiral too far. More details: Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay concert 'Kiss Cam' video 'Endless repeating cycle of controversy' There's another psychological theory beyond schadenfreude, called "social comparison," that can explain our love for this drama, Elizabeth Cohen, associate professor at West Virginia University, previously told USA TODAY. Downward social comparison is when you consume media solely to look down on others, a behavior that tends to dominate the social media landscape. 'Social media activity is an endless repeating cycle of controversy, outrage and our sacred right to say whatever we want about whoever we want with no consequences,' David Schmid, an associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo, previously told USA TODAY. 'Once we've chewed (a person) up and spat them out, we'll move to someone else, and so it goes on, ad nauseam, at a pace dictated by our ever-shrinking attention span.' In case you missed: TikTok of couple caught on camera at Coldplay concert goes viral. The internet is determined to find 'cheaters.' Why? 'Our desire and hunger for [celebrity culture] never ends' Some gossip is inevitable. Everyone spends part of their day being unproductive – it's OK if yours involves gossiping about celebrities, even the social media kind. When it comes to celebrity culture, "our desire and hunger for it never ends," said Erica Chito Childs, the Interim Ruth and Harold Newman Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College. But people are better off focusing their energy on positive rather than negative messaging. "When you're engaging more of this hypercritical speculation on people's lives, who you don't even know, whether it's celebrities, or it's your neighbors, it's having the same impact," Chito Childs explained. "It's a negative thing." But this type of speculation won't stop as long as social media and celebrity culture remains intact. The same goes for those who turn into celebrities overnight in viral videos. "Being a celebrity means carrying a giant target on your back for people's psychological projections," W. Keith Campbell, an expert on narcissism, personality, and cultural change, previously told USA TODAY. "Sometimes those can be great but sometimes those can be really negative." Contributing: Katie Camero
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Band parade on Open weekend is hailed a huge success as crowds pack Portrush
More than 80 bands marched through the town, with locals saying it was a huge success. The annual parade, organised by the local Sons of Ulster Flute Band, coincided with the penultimate day of the tournament. Large crowds gathered in the seaside town to enjoy the parade as it moved off at 8.30pm, finishing up at 10.45pm. Local TUV councillor Allister Kyle was among those at the parade and praised its success. "I was proud to be in Portrush on Saturday night, seeing the vast crowds, many of whom were in golf attire, clearly having attended The Open during the day and staying to enjoy the incredible musical spectacle in the evening,' he said. "Once again, I congratulate Portrush Sons of Ulster, particularly their committee, for organising one of the most successful nights Portrush has seen in years.' The parade was led by Ballykeel Loyal Sons of Ulster Flute Band. The bandmaster, Robert Thompson earlier told the Coleraine Chronicle his band had no hesitation in supporting Portrush Sons of Ulster's decision to go ahead with the rally. He said: 'It's an annual fixture and one of our favourite parades that is treated as a family day out. 'At the end of the day, it's Portrush's [Sons of Ulster] prerogative. Whatever they chose to do, we were backing them 100%. 'If they had chosen not to have held it, we would have backed them. But they chose to go ahead and asked us to have the privileged of leading it, and we jumped at the chance.' The route took in Metropole Green, Sandhill Drive, Eglinton Street, Kerr Street, Upper Main Street, Main Street, Causeway Street, Victoria Street and Dunluce Avenue. The Parades Commission application listed 83 bands taking part. Bands taking part came from all over Northern Ireland including Dungannon, Belfast, Londonderry and Coleraine. That makes it bigger than any single Twelfth parade. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of sports fans are in the area for The Open at the nearby Royal Portrush Golf Club, which concluded on Sunday, The Open: International visitors share views on Portrush The organising band was offered around £20,000 by organisers to postpone their parade — which they refused. Outside the Station Bar today, Jeff McCusker said the band was 'definitely right to not accept the money'. 'The parade is every year on this date and if the golf organisers wanted to they could have reached out long before they did to the band,' he said. Despite fears of traffic chaos those helping with the traffic flow in the town said while it was heavy at times they kept it moving around the town. Some tourists in the area for The Open decided to stick around after the golf ended to watch the marchers. Harn Huang who was visiting Portrush for The Open from South Africa with her mum and boyfriend said: 'We don't have anything like this. I'm here to see both the golf and the parade. It's very cool.' But not all were even aware a parade was taking place including couple Luke Kelly and Mackenzie Brown from Phoenix, Arizona. Mackenzie said: 'We're not aware of any band parade and can't stay unfortunately. "I didn't know what to expect in Portrush (for The Open). It was breathtaking – the course and the cliffs and the water.' Canadian tourist Jess Marks, who was at The Open with partner Tim Shaw from Germany, said they didn't know anything about the march but had heard there was 'an event that might cause a few problems at the train station with more people trying to leave'. Earlier this week, Mark Darbon, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient (R&A), said there would be "marginal adjustments" of about 15 minutes to the golf tee-times to try to ensure both events can take place in a "seamless" way. "We recognise that when we bring The Open Championship to town, we are a guest in the community in which we operate," he said. "On many occasions, there are concurrent events that take place around the action that we are very focused on here, within the walls of the venue. "So, recognising the events that are taking place on Saturday, we have worked really collaboratively with the organisers and across multi-agency groups to ensure, primarily, that both events can run as seamlessly as possible.
Mint
08-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Australias Central Bank Surprises Market by Holding Key Rate
Australia's central bank surprised investors and economists by keeping interest rates unchanged on Tuesday and signaled a wait-and-see approach on policy as US tariff plans stoke uncertainty across the world. The Reserve Bank held its key rate at 3.85%, a decision that only five of 32 economists had predicted, while the rest in the survey, along with most traders, expected another quarter-point cut. The RBA has eased twice in its current cycle and economists have been debating how much further easing is likely given the tightness of the labor market and poor productivity growth. Governor Michele Bullock faced tough questions at a briefing in Sydney, including whether the RBA had 'betrayed' households expecting a rate cut. She said the decision Tuesday was about the timing of a move, rather than the direction. 'I understand that people had expected there might be a rate cut today, my message to them is, provided that we are on top of inflation, then yes, there is an easing cycle coming,' she said. Six of nine members of the monetary policy board voted in favor of the decision that sent the Australian dollar higher. Policy-sensitive three-year government bond yields rose the most since January, extending an earlier gain. While traders still priced the central bank will cut three more time in the current cycle, the third was pushed into the first quarter of 2026 from being priced for year-end before the decision. 'The board judged that it could wait for a little more information to confirm that inflation remains on track to reach 2.5% on a sustainable basis,' the monetary policy board said in a statement. 'It noted that monetary policy is well placed to respond decisively to international developments if they were to have material implications for activity and inflation in Australia.' The RBA's pause comes as global central banks are splitting on policy. The Federal Reserve has stood pat through the first half of 2025, while the European Central Bank, Bank of Canada and the Bank of England have all eased in recent months. 'It's a shock for the market that July hasn't been delivered, but key language around inflation suggests they're just kicking the can down the road to August which is pretty much a 'lock' now to the market,' said Robert Thompson, a strategist at Royal Bank of Canada in Sydney. 'So that's tempering the hit and ensuring terminal rate pricing doesn't kick up too much.' Since the RBA's May 19-20 meeting, data have shown monthly inflation slowed to near the bottom of the bank's 2-3% band, household spending is tepid and pessimists are still dominant in consumer sentiment surveys. At the same time, weak productivity growth means unit labor costs are likely to remain elevated, raising risks of renewed inflation pressures. Government spending also remains strong, underscoring the board's cautious approach to the outlook. 'We share the central bank's concerns about the health of Australia's consumers,' said James McIntyre who covers Australia at Bloomberg Economics and correctly predicted today's decision. 'Without household spending, the resilience of the labor market will be significantly tested.' President Donald Trump's tariff plans have meantime triggered fears about the prospects for global growth. The US president on Monday unveiled the first in a wave of letters that threaten to impose higher tariff rates on key trading partners, including levies of 25% on goods from Japan and South Korea, and signed an executive order holding off the new duties until Aug. 1. 'The likelihood of a severe downside scenario associated with a trade war, which we set out in our May statement, that likelihood has abated,' Bullock said. 'But this is a very fluid situation and we will continue to watch the data here and overseas very closely to see how they play out.' Australia received the lowest level tariff of 10%, while also being impacted by sectoral duties on steel and aluminum. According to modeling by Australia's Productivity Commission, many of the proposed US tariff changes could have a small, positive effect on the local economy. Cheaper imports from the rest of the world, and an outflow of productive capital from the US and highly tariffed economies, would stimulate Australian production, the commission said. Its modeling shows the US 'Liberation Day' tariffs and sectoral imposts on aluminum, steel and cars and parts could lead to an increase in Australian real GDP of 0.37%. One of the biggest concerns for Australia is the impact of US tariffs on the economy of its biggest trading partner, China. Australia's goods exports to China were worth 6.6% of nominal gross domestic product in 2024. RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser will on Wednesday morning deliver a speech on 'What Has Australian Macroeconomic Thought Achieved in the Past Century – and Where Can it Contribute in the Next?' With assistance from Shinjini Datta, Brett Miller and Matthew Burgess. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Daily Mail
James Bulger's killer applies for parole AGAIN - sparking fury and fear for family of the murdered schoolboy
The family of murdered schoolboy James Bulger have been left 'wracked with fear' over news that their son's killer is once again up for parole. Jon Venables, now 42, was last refused release in December 2023 when the independent board ruled that he remained a risk to the public. However, he is set to be referred to the Parole Board within six months - meaning he could be free by the end of this year, The Sun reported. James, two, was abducted, tortured and beaten to death by 10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in 1993 in a crime which shocked the nation. The pair became the youngest ever to be convicted of murder after James' body was found on a railway track two days later. They were both convicted in 1993 and given life sentences, a source of controversy given their age. After eight years in youth custody, Venables was released in 2001 to much public outcry. A pressure group called Mothers Against Murder gathered outside the parole board's headquarters in Westminster, central London to demonstrate. Despite public pressure, the decision was made to release Venables on license in 2001 but he was recalled in 2010 after officers discovered child abuse images on his computer. He was granted parole again in 2013 but only four years later he was back in jail after yet more images were uncovered. The news of yet another parole hearing has left the family of James Bulger fearing the worst. A source told The Sun: 'It's very worrying that the process has started all over again. How many chances does he need before they throw away the key? 'The family are wracked with fear, and who can blame them?' However, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood does not want him released under her watch, a message that has been passed on to James' parents by senior probation figures. Venables' parole review is believed to still be in its infancy and his last three parole bids have failed.
