“From our jokes and slang to the White House’s policy messaging, internet ‘brain rot’ has escaped our phones to take over … well, everything.”
digital culture
Posted inFeature
An Internet of Checkpoints
A mysterious YouTube video gave thousands of people a place to breathe. Then it vanished.
Posted inEditor's Pick
If You Quit Social Media, Will You Read More Books?
“Books are inefficient, and the internet is training us to expect optimized experiences.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Collapse of Self-Worth in the Digital Age
“Why are we letting algorithms rewrite the rules of art, work, and life?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
I Went Undercover as a Secret OnlyFans Chatter. It Wasn’t Pretty
“Your online influencer girlfriend is actually a rotating cast of low-wage workers. I became one of them.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Heavily Persecuted, Highly Influential: China’s Online Feminist Revolution
“On Chinese social media, women are censored and harassed, but undeterred.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How Chess.com Became ‘the Wild West of the Streaming World’
“While much of the e-sports industry struggles after billions in investments, Chess.com has gone in the opposite direction.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Are These Dudes the Future of News?
“Channel 5 has gone from upstart YouTube channel to undeniably influential reporting powerhouse. And they’re just getting started.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Twisted, Stolen Legacy of the ‘Matrix’ Red Pill
“The story of how the Wachowskis’ philosophical-crossroads moment was co-opted by bad-faith actors and a political movement is a complex tale about semiotics, the internet, and modern pop culture.”