Why does nothing feel real anymore?

Whether it’s Donald Trump’s much-memed assassination attempt, Prada’s SS25 show or Harmony Korine’s latest film, culture is beginning to feel a lot like some elaborate TV plot

Jul 25, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya

Beauty

Meme tattoos and the rise of post-ironic body art

Shitposting-style tattoos are the latest trend, birthed from a chronically digital upbringing that has landed Gen Z with a meta-ironic internet persona and an absurdist, self-referential style of humour

Jul 23, 2024

Tiarna

Life & Culture

The best memes about Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 US election

It’s Joever

Jul 22, 2024

Serena Smith

Music

Onoe Caponoe’s internet obsessions: pilk, pranks and Kenny Powers

Ahead of the release of new album Tears of the Dragon, the Holy Delix Surf Gang leader reveals his secret search history

Jun 27, 2024

Solomon PM

Life & Culture

How brainrot humour infected the internet with surreal gibberish

Can you tell your Skibidi from your Gyatt? What was once a niche obsession has gone mainstream and irreversibly warped the way people speak online

Jun 25, 2024

Kieran Press-Reynolds

Life & Culture

Nonsense/acc: Why ‘chronically online’ memes will destroy the internet

Our feeds are filling up with illegible content, and every day it gets harder to find common ground. Is social media in a death spiral? And if so, what comes next?

Jun 21, 2024

Thom Waite

Life & Culture

What’s going on with the Pope?

Only a month after apologising for using the homophobic slur ‘frociaggine’, the Pope has been caught using it again. Are we allowed to find this funny?

Jun 12, 2024

James Greig

Life & Culture

Politicians can never seize the memes of production

Joe Biden is hiring a $85,000 meme manager and Labour is sharing Keir Starmer fancams on TikTok – but why does it all feel so embarrassing?

May 30, 2024

Thom Waite

Life & Culture

The shiba inu that inspired the viral ‘doge’ meme has died

Much sad

May 24, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya

Music

Incels and sad girls: how memes have changed the way we categorise music

With infinite access to music online, users are making connections between artists and bands that have little in common

Apr 10, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya

Life & Culture

The PS2 filter turning us all into 00s videogame characters

The AI-generated trend is going viral on socials – here’s how to try it for yourself

Mar 26, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya

Art & Photography

The British Museum tries and fails to get down with the girlies

A TikTok post – promoting an exhibition about Roman military history as a great way for single women to meet men – has been met with widespread accusations of sexism

Mar 06, 2024

James Greig

Life & Culture

Uncanny Valley of the Dolls: why dolls are making a comeback

From Barbie to Blythe dolls, Margiela to Marc Jacobs, dolls are spilling out from our screens and onto fashion runways. Enter the dollhouse at your own risk

Feb 16, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya

Ram Han, “Save our souls 02 (seal)” (2022)

Life & Culture

How cute became the defining aesthetic of the internet age

From emojis to coquettes and Hello Kitty, cute’s transformative potential is shaping how we see ourselves both on and off-screen

Feb 09, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya

Life & Culture

Rage against the machine: how incel culture went mainstream in 2023

From the canthal tilt filter to mewing and mogging, looksmaxxing has gone viral on social platforms as young people adopt increasingly black-pilled ways to enhance their physical gains

Dec 29, 2023

Günseli Yalcinkaya