The Dark Reality of Betting Against QAnon
The conspiracy theory has been tied to real-life danger—but before it entered the mainstream, one man stumbled upon Q in a game of political predictions.
MAGA World Is Splintering
Following the riot at the Capitol, Trump supporters are having an existential crisis on Twitter.
‘Secure the Capitol’ Misses the Point
More roadblocks and police officers won’t stop the next attempted coup.
Trump’s Tweets Were Never Just Tweets
After the Capitol riot, Twitter had no defense for keeping the president on the platform.
The Internet Is Starting to Turn on MLMs
Multilevel-marketing companies rely on social media for recruiting. TikTok just became the first major platform to ban it.
Facebook Is a Doomsday Machine
The architecture of the modern web poses grave threats to humanity. It’s not too late to save ourselves.
Why Is There Financing for Everything Now?
Are the new online services that allow you to buy jeans or shampoo in installments—interest-free—too good to be true?
Dressed for the Plague. No, Not This One.
Young people are weathering the pandemic by posting photos of themselves in 17th-century plague-doctor outfits.
The Secret Internet of TERFs
After they were banned from Reddit, trans-exclusionary radical feminists became the latest of many toxic communities to simply build their own platform.
Dry Ice Is Hotter Than Ever
Solid carbon dioxide has long been essential to manufacturing, food processing, and high-school theater. Now it’s a key part of the race to get America vaccinated.
How Will the Future Remember COVID-19?
Three visions for a hypothetical pandemic memorial
98 Million TikTok Followers Can’t Be Wrong
How a 16-year-old from suburban Connecticut became the most famous teen in America
Americans Got Tired of Looking Bad on Zoom
The pandemic’s at-home workers are discovering what internet influencers have long known: If you want to be taken seriously, get good lighting.
The Role-Playing Game That Predicted the Future
Mike Pondsmith created Cyberpunk in 1988. Now it’s the inspiration for a highly anticipated video game—and an unlikely oracle.
Twitter’s Next Trump Problem
Trump is exempt from many of Twitter’s policies because of his status as a world leader. Come January, he could lose his favorite toy and most powerful weapon.
Welcome to Election Purgatory
Time has stopped. Just keep scrolling.
QAnon Is Winning
Conspiracy thinking in America had a huge night on Tuesday.
The YouTuber Who Treats the Inner City Like a Safari
Charlie Moore turned the aesthetics of beat policing into a full-time job.
The Internet Won’t Be the Same After Trump
How the president changed life online—for better and for worse
This Will Change Your Life
Why the grandiose promises of multilevel marketing and QAnon conspiracy theories go hand in hand
The Pandemic Could End Waiting in Line
Theme-park designers, architects, and engineers have been fighting against queues for decades. COVID-19 could finally kill them for good.