Jason Parham
Senior Writer
Jason Parham is a senior writer at WIRED covering pop culture. Before joining the publication in 2017, he was an editor at The Fader and Gawker. Originally from Los Angeles, Parham is the founder of Spook, a literary journal for emerging voices.
What the Black TV Viewer Is Owed
2021 was a banner year for Black TV. Still, progress can't be measured by representation alone—but by nuance, range, and more overlap.
The 8 Best Albums of 2021
This year’s most searing records—from Adele’s 30 to Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales—asked listeners to pause, reflect, and reconsider the path ahead.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Ready to Blow Your Mind
The actor isn’t just the new Morpheus. He’s the future of Hollywood.
Drake, Kanye, Lil Nas X, and the Art of Online Self-Creation
The internet has given all three artists license for role-playing. Only one is using it to the best effect.
The OnlyFans Porn Ban Reversal Does Not Reassure Creators
Performers of sexually explicit content are relieved but still worried about their futures on the subscription site.
OnlyFans’ Explicit Content Ban Betrays Its Creators
The adult fansite made its name off of personalized porn. This week, it announced that it would restrict “sexually explicit conduct” starting in October.
The Case Against Music Curation
In an age of pop singles and TikTok virality, letting go is the best way to listen.
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part III
Joy and pain, harmony and discord, organization and chaos—there’s no single way to define Black Twitter’s complex, ongoing legacy.
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part II
No longer just an online movement, Black Twitter takes to the streets—and finds its voice.
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A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part I
From #UKnowUrBlackWhen to #BlackLivesMatter, how a loose online network became a pop culture juggernaut, an engine of social justice, and a lens into the future.
Zeus Network’s Niche as a Streaming Service? Raw Drama
B-list reality stars. Sex workers. A shirtless cooking show. Programming on the renegade platform finds comfort among the uncomfortable.
Black Pain Will Never Stop Trending
From the Oscar-winning Two Distant Strangers to lived reality to social media, the spectacle of trauma is unrelenting.
Genera+ion Doesn't Give Its Characters the Depth They Deserve
The cut-and-paste portrayals of queer identity in HBO Max's new series provide visibility—but not substance.
What Do TV’s Race Fantasies Actually Want to Say?
Shows like Bridgerton and Hollywood alter the past in the name of inclusion. It would benefit us more to write the world as it was, as it is.
Lo-Fi Music Streams Are All About the Euphoria of Less
On an internet built around excess, lo-fi hip-hop channels have created a community for minimalist escape.
An Internet Without Trump
With Donald Trump no longer the heart of online discourse, there's room for a powerful shift.
The DC Insurrection Lays Bare the Fiction of America
The actions of rioters showed a need to hold on to a vision of the country that’s at odds with reality.
This Year I Found Pleasure in the Work of Looking
Among the misery and isolation of 2020, my secret Instagram became a portal to solace and a newer self.
The Horny Internet Wants You to Vote
From X-rated Twitter feeds to ErectionSeason.com, sex workers are using their talents to get fans to the polls.
The NBA Bubble Was a Success Because It Failed
The finals mean the league’s experiment will soon be over. But the bubble was a triumph for what it let in—the real-world concerns of its players.