internet culture
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Skyrim and Sopranos Meme Universes Are Colliding
The way we remember our pop culture favorites is increasingly inseparable from the memes they generate. But those memes can take on a life of their own.
‘The Internet Remains Undefeated’ Must Be Defeated
The classic comment and caption has become a meme in its own right. Harmless as it may seem, a close study reveals dark undertones.
When Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend’s Balls Dominated Twitter
The Covid-19 conversation has truly hit a nadir.
The Strangest Time for Nostalgia Is Now
The Matrix, President Clinton, Blue’s Clues, and what we lose when we live in the past.
Is Social Media Making Us … Better People?
One painful interaction at a time, we’re mastering the gateway virtue of the networked world: tact.
.jpg)
The Bill and Melinda Gates Divorce Memes Are Freaking Me Out
Get LOLs out of anything else, I’m begging you.
He's a WWE Pro and a Vtuber. Those Worlds Aren't So Different
Brennan Williams wrestles as Mace but streams as an animated character named Jibo. It's all kayfabe, and a little bit not.
My Dream of the Great Unbundling
We don’t need the next big thing. We need countless next little things.
Bed Tricks, Cod, and the Hidden History of Catfishing
Intriguing, maddening deception can shake up our existence and sometimes—sometimes—set us free.
Soothe Yourself With a Picture Book About the Internet Dying
“Let us bake a pie, though we know not which recipe is rated highest.”
OK, That Spider-Man Movie Title Reveal Was a Good Troll
After several fake-outs, the cast of the movie finally (finally!) revealed the next installment’s title on Wednesday.
TV Characters Don’t Have Text History. This Is Not OK
You’ve seen it before: If a show includes a shot of a texting app, it looks like characters who are intimate have somehow never texted each other before.
Everyone on Twitter Needs an Etiquette Manual
After a year of quarantine, we could all use help relearning how to connect to people in a healthy way.
On the Capitalist Internet, Even Celebs Join the Gig Economy
Gimmicky message services like Cameo treat goodwill as a friendly contagion, something anyone can catch and spread. Just don’t let the money run out.
How to Fake Friends and Influence Instagram
In Fake Famous, journalist Nick Bilton sets out to document how easy it is to manufacture celebrity online.
An Internet Without Trump
With Donald Trump no longer the heart of online discourse, there's room for a powerful shift.
The Power of Kawaii: How Cute, Squishy Things Influence Us
Adorable puppies and baby cheeks don't just make us feel good—they change our behavior in surprising ways.
The Best Pop Culture That Got Us Through 2020
These 48 movies, TV shows, albums, Twitter feeds, songs, podcasts, and books helped us get through this wildly unprecedented year.
Hello, World! It Is ‘I,’ the Internet
When did “the Internet” become “the internet”? Why did that happen, and how has it changed us?
Another Victim of Global Warming: The Great British Bake Off
Increasing summer temperatures are proving a menace to butter, chocolates, and baked Alaska.