⋆˚𖦹⊹₊⋆lily⋆₊⊹𖦹˚ ⋆ @lily-in-peril - Tumblr Blog

Here is an article from NPR about it (May 22, 2026):

Carolina Milanesi, an independent technology analyst, said Google is trying to make its cash cow business — search — richer and more personalized, and it will make shopping easier. But there is a risk that users may have fewer choices about what to click. "Right now it's: I ask a question, I get a bunch of answers and I feel that I'm in control as to which answer I take, or if I'm looking for something, which product I'm going to end up buying. That is going to be less so going forward," she said. Milanesi envisions AI-enabled search and agents proposing products to consumers — perhaps even those they have requested — but with less clarity or choice around where it's coming from. "If you're going to say: 'I want a pair of Jordans, go find them,' you're not necessarily sure what steps have been taken and whether the AI has used a source or a store that was paid for and therefore came up in the search results," she said, "or if AI actually went and did their due diligence and picked the best for me as a customer."

And here's one from Time magazine (May 20, 2026):

While Google already has “AI Mode,” the company will now power the whole search bar through its new Gemini 3.5 Flash model. Instead of the classic list of blue links, Google Search will now also generate a custom page with an AI-generated summary of what you’re searching about, which will then trigger a conversation with AI Mode on the main page, allowing users to ask follow-up questions—similar to the kind of layout you would see when opening ChatGPT.

And a little more from Time's article on how this may affect the websites that we are trying to search for:

When Google first started implementing AI-assisted results, news publishers warned of “catastrophic” impacts on the industry, much of which relies on Google search to drive users to their websites. Last year, news websites saw significant traffic declines as chatbots increasingly replaced Google search as the primary way to find sites and ask questions. Small businesses also noted drops in traffic to their sites from Google, which has traditionally delivered customers. Lily Ray, vice president of SEO strategy & research at Amsive, a digital marketing agency, warned as early as last year that Google’s planned changes to search are “going to have a devastating impact on the Internet.” “It will severely cut into the main source of revenue for most publishers and it will disincentivize content creators who rely on organic search traffic, which is millions of websites, maybe more,” she told Technology Magazine.

anarchopuppy

noai.duckduckgo.com blocks all AI content in search results automatically

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Mid-case tea break got interrupted

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Steph portrait in your timeline

THE HISTORY OF EVERYDAY SUPERSTITIONS.

Humans believe we’re rational, cerebral beings. That we rely on logic, science, and mathematics to interpret out life and the world around us…until we break a mirror. Or see a black cat in our paths. Or throw a penny in a well. But why do we do that? And where do these strange practices originate from?

Breaking mirrors- Mercury Poisoning and Narcissistic Romans.

How many people have broken a mirror in their lives? Playing baseball, out of anger- either way, the superstition is something that probably lingered in the back of your minds. The saying goes that if you break a mirror, you’re cursed to have bad luck for seven years. But why? Unsurprisingly, it’s the Greeks and Romans fault. People in Ancient Greece believed that reflections were a pathway to the soul. But the romans were the ones who actually manufactured the first mirrors out of polished bronze, and they believed their gods watched their souls through them. Damaging mirrors was illustrated as disrespectful to the gods, as if they didn’t want their soul to be seen, and therefore caused bad luck. There is also another popular theory, and that contains mercury poisoning! In the 1400s people made mirrors containing mercury, which as we know today, is HIGHLY TOXIC. When these mirrors would break the mercury vapours would come out, and it could poison whole families and lead to physical symptoms, such as hallucinations, trembling, neurological damage, comas, or even death. The seven years is roughly the time that it takes for severe mercury poisoning to start showing physically. The people in this period didn’t know that their mirrors were killing them, and instead blamed it on their bad luck.

Black Cats- Cute, Cuddly, and Carriers of the Bubonic Plague

Picture this- it’s 1348. The plague has killed your neighbours, family, and maybe even lovers. You’re venturing out of your boarded up house to get some groceries, and a black cat crosses your path. Nowadays this wouldn’t be an issue. You’d pet the cat and go on with your life, but back then? It was a death sentence. But why are they feared? Blame the fleas. Or more specifically, blame the plague that the fleas carried. As we know today, rats weren’t the cause of the bubonic plage, it was fleas that travelled in traders’ ships from Spain. Rats were just their bus. However, rats weren’t the only mammal in Europe that carried them. Cats and dogs were also plague-carriers. Black cats however were especially feared for numerous reasons, being that they were harder to spot, you couldn’t easily see flea movement or symptoms, and pest-infected animals were not a good idea to be around. Black cats still get a bad rep from something that happened years ago. There’s no need to fear them. Or is there…?

Wishing Wells- Throwing Coins in a Hole all Around the World

I know most people as a child threw money into a wishing well or fountain. Or maybe tried to steal from one. Either way, it’s an odd superstition that’s apparently been around for thousands of years. Let’s go back to ancient Europe, where the ancient druids were roaming about, doing whatever ancient druids do! They believed that sacred wells held the power to grant wishes and bring health and prosperity to them and their families. They would leave offerings of jewellery, coins and even weapons like swords or daggers. Whether there was any founding for this I’m not sure, but it wasn’t just them that believed water held a great power. Ancient romans threw coins into fountains as offerings to their gods, people in China throw coins into rivers as offerings to the river gods for protection and affluence, and even some native American tribes see springs as sacred and make offerings to honour and show respect to the water spirits. Apparently throwing hard-earned coins into bodies of water is an international thing!

Whistling Outside, at Night, or Indoors- When are we Even Allowed to?

“Whistle While You Work” is a famous song from Snow White, the first ever Disney film. I can imagine people whistled a lot more after watching that movie, however whistling is seen as bad luck in many countries. The only differences? When and where its bad. In turkey for example, whistling at night is deemed as calling out to the devil. Russia and other Slavic cultures, however, believe that whistling indoors believed to bring poverty. There is even a Russian proverb saying, "whistling money away." In the UK, there is a superstitious belief in the "Seven Whistlers" which are seven mysterious birds or spirits who call out to foretell death or a great calamity. There is even a famous case in the 1800s that hundreds of mine workers stopped working for day, saying that they heard a whistle and proceeded to refuse to work.

Whether you believe in any of these things or not, it’s interesting to learn about them because of the curious links and similarities between superstitions in different cultures. Who knows, maybe there’s some semblance of truth about them, or at least a reason why they are so firmly believed in in some cultures, but less so in others. Either way, avoid breaking mirrors please. And who knows, try your luck with a wishing well sometime soon!

#black cats #superstitions #supernatural #wishing well #history #lighting #in this essay i will

HOW HORROR FILMS REFLECT SOCIETAL FEAR, AND WHAT WE SHOULD HOPE TO SEE IN YEARS TO COME

Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. These films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include monsters, apocalyptic events, and religious or folk beliefs. The first horror film ever made was made by French filmmaker Georges Méliès, and called Le Manoir du diable, which roughly translates to The Haunted Castle or The House of the Devil. It was about a group of people who enter a castle and encounter a plethora of supernatural beings and occurrences. Back then the film was revolutionary because of its use of special effects and visual storytelling technique, but it was also famous because it was scary. Or at least was considered to be back then. As members of modern society, we aren’t scared as much of vampires and witches because they’re unfathomable. but that wasn’t always the case. Horror has always reflected societies current social/moral issues, so what can we expect in the years to come?

(I WANT TO REMIND ANYONE WHO’S MADE IT THIS FAR THAT THIS IS MOSTLY AN OPINION PIECE!! DON’T JUMP ME FOR ANY INNACURACIES OR THINGS YOU DISAGREE WITH.)

silent horrors (1920s-1940s)

In the great depression, people were poor. I mean seriously poor. like “making pies out of water” poor. but the one of the few things that everyday citizens could afford? Cinemas! According to Digital History.edu (2021), 60-80 million Americans went to the movies each week. This was the era that introduced audiences to expressionistic European nightmares, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922). It also brought life into the genre with more classic approaches to this type of film. It was universal studios that solidified horror as a genre with films and characters we still know and love, such as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and The Mummy (1932). As much as this was a good thing for the horror fans of today, it also played into the xenophobic narrative of the time. these films were set in places like Romania, the Bavarian Alps, and Cairo. It framed danger as something foreign, making eastern Europeans seem like monsters, and that the genre was something that was far enough away not to affect Americans or Brits, but close enough to gawk at.

1950s nuclear attacks, mutations, and communism.

Imagine this. It’s the 1950s. nuclear weapons have been made, and mutations are occurring as a result of testing, people are in distress because of the cold war, and worst of all…communists! It was all these things that led to the making of the first movie with big, bad, and scaly Godzilla, a character who was a result of nuclear testing and later became one of the most famous characters in pop culture. However not all horrors from this era were made based on science. Invasion of the body snatchers (1956) played upon a different fear ravaging American’s. That your neighbour, teacher, friend or husband might secretly be a communist. Or Russian! Ernest g. Laura had a lot to say on the topic, but a certain quote could summarise it well. “Considering the state of public opinion in the United States today…it is natural to see the pods as standing for the idea of communism which gradually takes possession of a normal person, leaving him outwardly unchanged but transformed within.”

1960s: The People Next Door

The sixties brought about a new era in horror films. That the real monsters weren’t giant lizards, or monsters under our beds, but people. Psycho (1960) is often hailed as the mother of all slasher films, as it was the first. At the time it was incredibly controversial due to its depiction of sexual content (Scandalous!) and the fact it was between an unmarried couple. But it was all for the best, because without it, there would be no Ghostface, no Micheal Myers, and no Freddy Krueger. It also introduced a new, terrifying possibility. That what’s scary isn’t a demon possessing women, or an alien that invades your neighbours’ bodies, it's just human nature gone wrong.

1970s-1980s: Satan and Slashers

Picture this- it’s the 1970s. bell bottom jeans are on the rise, as well as the Beatles, pink Floyd and…serial killers? Ted bundy, the zodiac killer, the Boston strangler, and many more were around in the 70s and 80s. according to northeastern university, the numbers of serial killers peaked in the 1970s when there were nearly 300 known active serial killers in the U.S. In the 1980s, there were more than 250 active killers who accounted for between 120 and 180 deaths per year. The number of slashers that appeared in cinemas during this time directly corelates to the terror and uncertainty that surrounded them.

1990s- slasher and internet horror

By the 90s people were bored. Slasher films kept churning out sequels, but fresh ideas were running out. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) had won an oscar for its writing, but now there was nothing new. Until that is, the Scream (1996) was born. A darkly funny, self-aware horror film that poked fun at the genre, it breathed new light into slasher and horror films. By the end of the era, horror had changed again with the creation of The Blair Witch Project (1999), and thus, found footage horror was born. It fit right in with the new internet age.

2000s: Torture Terror

The shocking events of 9/11 had terrified the world. What could you control in a world so unpredictable? The media you consume. Saw (2004) introduced a new, objectively ghastly horror subgenre; Torture p*rn. The movie follows a group of strangers stuck in a psychotic stranger’s house, having to complete challenges to survive. But if you look past the gouged eyes, broken necks, and cut out organs, saw can be a great metaphor for the cruelty in human nature.

2010s- nothing all that new.

The 2010s didn’t have much change from previous generations in terms of horror genres or types of films. Horrors like Get Out (2017) and Hereditary (2018) blended psychological and supernatural elements in movies.

2020s- What can we expect/ what have we already seen?

Not a lot! So far, a lot of the horror films of this era have been sequels or based off of other films. However, a few films can demonstrate what we could be expecting in years to come. The substance, for example, is a film about how societies often unrealistic expectations about women can cause mental health issues, and a lack of personal identity. M3GAN (2022) is about what the possible repercussions of Ai being allowed to run rampant or dictate its own behaviour. So, what would I, as a teenage girl like to see? Actual movie plots! So many films like the terrifier, scream, saw, and many others are made just to make money. Screams been going on for like 30 years. At this point Sydney’s going to be 70 years of age fighting off a serial killer. So, what I would really like would be films that are original. And no, I don’t mean full on new everything. Sinners (2025) did a great job of revitalising the vampire genre. Weapons (2025) did witches incredibly well, and I’m looking forward to seeing Mummy (2026). The one thing that all these films had in common? They didn’t copy others.

Another thing I would like to see is more horrors where AI is the villain. Or where nature fights back against corporations. Or a woman who a witch curses the men who assaulted her. Horror movies where the sole purpose of them isn’t to entertain, but to have actual morals. Because as much as the world without art is just a rock, whats art without thought provoking nature, or morals? Just a book. Just a drawing. Just a film.

So yeah! That’s all I have to say. This is my first ever Tumblr post so it’s probably not very concise lol.

Love y’all

#horror #history #horror films #horror movies #scream 1996 #aunt gladys #m3gan