The Monocle Minute

Will 2025 be a year of reckoning for America’s relationship with social media? That certainly looks to be the direction of travel. After years of the China hawks in Congress circling, Tiktok faces an outright US ban in the new year unless its Beijing-based parent company, Bytedance, can fight it in the courts. Florida has its own under-14s social media ban coming in from mid-January, pending an ongoing legal pushback, with other states contemplating following suit. Meanwhile, X – the nightmare formerly known as Twitter – has been shedding users by the millions in recent months. The exodus has been prompted for some by its owner, Elon Musk, and his proximity to incoming president Donald Trump but also by a sense that the “digital town square” has lost its way – and, I would argue, its marbles.

In a country that typically balks at regulation, especially when it comes to the pipes and organs of public discourse, the boldness of lawmakers to get involved speaks to the tenor of constituents and their demand for action. In 2024 the release of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation, which posits that smartphones, social media and being constantly online is deleterious to childhood, was a milestone moment in this shift. Commentators of all political stripes weighed in on the book’s most worrying prognoses and many parents took heed, in some cases successfully lobbying their children’s schools to ban phones in classrooms.

The closeness between Musk and president-elect Donald Trump (himself an avid user of social media) means that, at federal level, the will to rein in these platforms will probably be limited. But in homes and schools around the US, there’s growing unease about the reach they have, especially into young people’s lives. Australia’s blanket ban on under-16s using social media is, in principle, anathema to many Americans’ notion of free speech. Seeing so many cheering on the Aussies feels like a watershed moment.

Christopher Lord is Monocle’s executive editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Is there any finer setting for a fashion outpost than an Alpine resort town? You have a captive well-heeled crowd, many of whom will be clamouring for a cosy spot après-ski to peruse luxurious goods in wool and cashmere. The world’s major houses have spotted opportunities in the mountains and there are a few smart new arrivals this season, from winterwear in Gstaad to pizza in St Moritz. Getting the look right is paramount here and many brands have taken over quaint chalets or turned old lodges into something to entice and excite. Here are three that are catching our eye.

Massimo Dutti, Verbier. Open until 2 February
Massimo Dutti’s Off-Piste pop-up in Verbier is a sophisticated affair. Cosy and slope-side, its interior flaunts a range of cold-weather threads among a muted darkwood chalet. After a browse, patrons are invited to take a seat on the veranda, where they can warm up by an open firepit and watch the skiers slide by.
massimodutti.com

Chanel, Gstaad. Open until 8 March
Reprising its previous post in the heart of Gstaad to celebrate the new season of its technical winterwear line, Coco Neige, Chanel has set up shop in a traditional Swiss chalet, complete with two VIP salons, fitting rooms and an exterior enwreathed in lights and boughs of holly.
chanel.com

Samigo Fuel 7500, St Moritz. Open until 8 March
Need to refuel? Mr Samigo and Family’s new St Moritz concept shop, the Samigo Fuel 7500, is right next to the train station Plazza da la Staziun 2. Dripped in neon, it’s a nostalgic take on roadside petrol stations. But on the inside this elaborate set there’s a mini market and a sit-down Italian restaurant with a dance floor.
mrsamigo.com

On a recent trip to Norway’s west coast, Monocle joined a bus full of delegates heading for the island of Øygarden for the opening of Northern Lights, the world’s first commercial carbon capture and storage facility. The opening represents a great leap forward in the country’s aim to be a low-emissions society by 2050, while remaining Europe’s most avid supplier of oil and gas. In many respects, the country is a green icon.

In 2024, 98 per cent of Norway’s electricity grid came from renewable sources, mostly hydropower, while electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for more than 94 per cent of new car registrations. Despite this, its petroleum exports brought in €125bn in 2022 and emissions are only set to fall by 26 per cent by 2030 – far short of its 55 per cent Paris Agreement target. Rare-earth mineral deposits discovered in Ulefoss by Rare Earths Norway (REN) could lessen the country’s dependence on oil, though there is no government plan to help REN secure financial support from the EU. Instead, the government has prioritised its deep-sea mining ambitions, which would involve extracting minerals such as cobalt, nickel and rare earths from the ocean floor. The debate strikes at the heart of Norway’s environmental identity crisis – and promises sleepless nights ahead for its avowedly green political leaders.

For our full report on Europe’s green petrostate, pick up the latest edition of‘The Forecast’, which is out now.

Singaporean photographer Rebecca Toh was exploring a Japanese fishing town when she wandered into a small library. She learned that each shelf was operated by different people, who brought their own books for others to borrow. “I couldn’t get the idea out of my head,” says Toh. Inspired to start a similar project in Singapore, she signed a lease for a shop in Bukit Merah. An architect volunteered to install wooden flooring; graphic designer friends created a logo; and almost 200 people committed to a monthly fee of S$45 (€32) to cover running costs. In August the Casual Poet Library opened to the public, staffed entirely by volunteers.

Membership is S$25 (€18) a year and members can borrow up to five books at a time. There are no late fees; mutual trust is central to the ethos of the library. One shelf is run by a class of schoolchildren, while others are curated by doctors, aspiring playwrights and couples. “People just want to share their passion for books and literature with others,” says Toh. “We have built a real community here.”

For more unlikely finds and agenda-setting stories on books and culture from around the world, pick up a copy of Monocle’s‘December/January issue’, which is out now.

A growing number of residents from major cities are now seeking a new start – and you might also be wondering where to go. In The Forecast, our reporters travel to Essaouira, a storied port town on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. With a more laid-back pace than Marrakech or Fez, low-cost living and a plethora of cultural offerings, the city is attracting a new wave of digital nomads, entrepreneurs and investors seeking a new home.

To read the full article, pick up a copy of ‘The Forecast’ now.

The London edition of The Monocle Christmas Market is now a fine-tuned machine with Santa, reindeer, bountiful tombola and aSwedish choir all part of the programme. On 14 and 15 December we welcomed readers and listeners from around the world, hosted established and new brand partners and, of course, cranked out Monocle’s unique mix of global Christmas tracks.