Social Media
TikTok Has Created a West Elm Caleb Cinematic Universe
The imaginative play that makes the platform so much fun also helps explain the controversy around the internet's new main character.
Meta and Twitter's NFT Landgrab Could Backfire
A new plan to lure social media users to the metaverse could legitimize NFTs, but it could also ruin them
Inside the Student-Led Covid Walkouts
US high school students are demanding safer classrooms, and they’re mobilizing through group chats, Google Docs, and homespun social media campaigns.
The Creepy TikTok Algorithm Doesn’t Know You
The uncanny, addictive AI has turned math into a mystical force—and flattened humanity into a series of codes.
In Celebration of the Internet’s True Angels
They don't have VC funds. They just thanklessly post all the helpful content people really need.
The Year in Overflow Culture
Thanks to the constant content machine, there’s more culture online than anyone knows what to do with. Here’s the most baffling of the internet’s 2021 leftovers.
An ‘Alt-Jihad’ Is Rising On Social Media
The playbook of the “alt-right” is guiding a new generation of fringe jihadists, showing just how complicated extremism is about to become online.
Why Do People Make (and Watch) 5-Hour iCarly Analysis Videos?
Meet the obsessives creating extensive, multi-hour videos on YouTube examining long defunct Nickelodeon shows.
What Crypto Can Expect From Twitter’s New CEO
@jack is out at Twitter, but his crypto-mania is alive and well under Parag Agrawal.
2021’s Spotify Wrapped Is a Haunting, Hilarious Time Capsule
There's a lot to be gleaned from people’s listening patterns in the past year.
Congress Takes Aim at the Algorithms
A new crop of Section 230 reform proposals focuses on amplification, not content moderation. But the devil is in the details.
Researchers Have a Method to Spot Reddit’s State-Backed Trolls
Academics claim they can sniff out the telltale signs of troll-like behavior. But is it really as simple as monitoring cute animal postings?
Jack Dorsey Was the Soul of Twitter
The quirky CEO announced his departure on Monday. His record at the company is mixed, but his impact is undeniable.
TikTok’s Next Big Move? To Become Facebook
ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok and Douyin, has global ambitions to challenge Meta’s universe.
How Facebook Could Break Free From the Engagement Trap
Jeff Allen, cofounder of the Integrity Institute and a former data scientist at Facebook, says social media companies need missions beyond "giving everyone a voice."
Twitter Blue Is for People Who Love Reading the News
The platform's first subscription feature has a specific target audience.
Randonauting Promised Adventure. It Led to Dumpsters
Powered by the Randonautica app, the practice blew up on TikTok and Reddit following last year's lockdowns. Since then, it's left many users disappointed.
Substack Is Now a Playground for the Deplatformed
The company’s CEO says the old way of social media is broken—but is his alternative much different?
The Sneaky Way TikTok Is Connecting You to Real-Life Friends
The social network got huge by ignoring who you know. That's increasingly no longer the case.
Prince Harry ‘Warned’ Jack Dorsey Before the Capitol Riots
At the RE:WIRED conference, the Duke of Sussex spoke with Stanford's Renee DiResta and activist Rashad Robinson about misinformation's deadly consequences.
Salt Bae’s Next Great Act? Endless Content
Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe's restaurants serve something different: moments sure to go viral on social media.
How Social Media Can Give the Silent Generation a Voice
Sometimes the people least likely to engage with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Zoom are the people who can benefit from it the most.
Facebook Is Going Meta
Mark Zuckerberg would like you to call his troubled company something else now.
China Targets Extreme Internet Fandoms in a New Crackdown
Measures aimed at influencer and celebrity culture will reach into the screens of young people.