Long Reads

Amid economic, political, and environmental uncertainty, Pakistanis are increasingly seeking guidance from digital astrologers for a sense of reassurance. In this narrated feature, Rest of World profiles celebrity astrologers who are revitalizing the practice in one of the world’s most populous Muslim nations, using their growing platforms to advocate for astrology’s place in Islam.

Written by M. Z. Adnan. Narrated by Mithila Phadke.

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/youtube-astrology-stars-pakistan/

Amid a life of upheaval and poverty, Jeffter Wekesa tried and failed to found three churches in Kenya. Then he started preaching on TikTok, and his fortunes changed.

In this episode, Rest of World takes you inside the emerging virtual-preaching economy in internet-obsessed Kenya. Livestream churches — backed by viewer donations — are increasingly popular. Is this the future of religion, or just a post-Covid fad?

Written by Vincent Owino. Narrated by Jane Seidel.

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/kenya-virtual-churches-preachers/

For years, Mauricio Bustos used his YouTube channel to try and break into the music industry. Then he discovered AI. Overnight, he could rap like Bad Bunny and sing like Justin Bieber. He went viral. Now, he’s at the forefront of a global debate: Is AI art really art?

Written by Charis McGowan. Narrated by Daniela Dib.

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/ai-song-flowgpt-bad-bunny/

Los Angeles-based Trilogy Media took “scambaiting” to a new level, but some claim they’re gaining viral fame at others’ expense.

In this story from our archive, Rest of World, profiles the Trilogy Media YouTubers who travel from L.A. to India to harass call center scammers.

They release dozens of cockroaches in their office and secretly film the whole prank via hacked security cameras. Did they take things too far?

Written by Andrew Deck and Raksha Kumar. Narrated by Jane Seidel.

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2023/youtube-scam-call-vigilantes/

The average age for delivery workers is 29 and the average age for ride-hailing drivers is 36, but many older individuals are turning to gig work, too.

Rest of World spoke to 52 workers above the age of 50 who ventured into gig work to keep up with rising living costs or because they cannot find employment elsewhere. As more and more workers transition to informal gig employment and populations age, the lack of social safety nets poses significant challenges.

Written by Laís Martins, Kimberly Mutandiro, Lam Le and Zuha Siddiqui. Narrated by Victoria Turk.  

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/aging-global-gig-workers/

As millions of Indians vote, there’s one platform most of them will turn to for information: WhatsApp. And no one controls the political narrative on WhatsApp like the BJP, the ruling party helmed by Prime Minister Modi.

In partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Digital Witness Lab, Rest of World spent several months in northern India to explore how the BJP turned its WhatsApp strategy into an election-winning machine. Just in Mandi, a tiny Indian town with a population of 26,000, party volunteers run a network of more than 400 WhatsApp groups. Our analysis of thousands of messages sent in these groups shows how India’s ruling party is able to maintain a sophisticated operation on WhatsApp, and optimize its political campaign on the platform far away from public scrutiny.

Written by Srishti Jaswal. Narrated by Mithila Phadke. 

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/bjp-whatsapp-modi/

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was slated to open a plant in Phoenix, Arizona in 2024. It aimed to bring thousands of jobs, but the expansion hasn’t taken off.

In this story, Rest of World follows the experience of an American engineer, Bruce, as well as others employed by TSMC, and explores how missed deadlines and tension among Taiwanese and American coworkers are plaguing the chip giant’s Phoenix expansion.

Written by Viola Zhou. Narrated by Daniela Dib.

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/tsmc-arizona-expansion/

Mass protests used to offer a degree of safety in numbers. Facial recognition technology changes the equation.

This story explores how thanks to new facial recognition technology, protesters’ safety in numbers is becoming a thing of the past. We take a look at three case studies — in Russia, India, and Iran — to show the proliferation of facial recognition as a tool to control and curtail protest.

Written by Darren Loucaides. Narrated by Jane Seidel. 

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/facial-recognition-government-protest-surveillance/

Generación Zoe’s Leonardo Cositorto was charged with fraud in Argentina in April 2022. His and staff arrests have users asking, “¿Qué pasó con generacion Zoe?”

In this feature from our archive, Rest of World visits Cositorto as he awaits trial in prison, we speak with some of his loyal followers and alleged victims, and chart the rise and fall of Generación Zoe, the “educational and resource-creating community for personal, professional, financial and spiritual development”. This is a tale of a celebrity salesman, stock-trading “robots,” and millions of lost dollars.

Written by Facundo Iglesia. Narrated by Daniela Dib. 

Original story:https://restofworld.org/2023/generacion-zoe-leonardo-cositorto/

From toxic skies to health hazards: Rest of World measured air quality for riders in Lahore, New Delhi, and Dhaka. The results were devastating.

Pollution is worsening in South Asia’s major cities, but few occupations face more risk than gig riders. Many have no options for alternate work, and receive little help from employers. we spoke to 25 gig workers in Lahore, New Delhi, and Dhaka, all of whom reported symptoms that health experts believe are the consequence of routine exposure to carcinogenic pollutants. 

Listen to our reporting to find out just how poisonous the air has become.

Written by Zuha Siddiqui, Samriddhi Sakunia and Faisal Mahmud. Narrated by Mithila Phadke. 

Original story: https://restofworld.org/2024/riders-in-the-smog-gig-workers-pollution/