Texas Failed Because It Did Not Plan
What went wrong? The Lone Star State made three fundamental errors.
Who Would Volunteer to Fact-Check Twitter?
The site is hoping that its users will help stem the spread of lies—but first it has to inspire them.
The Librarian War Against QAnon
As “Do the research” becomes a rallying cry for conspiracy theorists, classical information literacy is not enough.
America’s Health Will Soon Be in the Hands of Very Minor Internet Celebrities
Local health departments are counting on lifestyle bloggers and fitness experts to get their message out.
It’s All Rigged
What Robinhood and Facebook have in common
A Super Bowl Ad That the Biden Presidency Made Possible
GM has cast its electric vehicles as normal American cars, in a normal Super Bowl ad. Here are seven ways to think about that.
The Absurd Logic of Internet Recipe Hacks
Spaghetti-Os pie has warped my understanding of reality.
Cottagecore Was Just the Beginning
Aesthetics Wiki is the internet’s one-stop shop for figuring out whether your vibe is more “cactuscore” or “synthwave” or “pastel goth.”
How the Pandemic Stoked a Backlash to Multilevel Marketing
YouTube vigilantes are taking consumer advocacy into their own hands.
The Far Right’s Fear of ‘Glowies’
In the aftermath of the January 6 riot, extremists have become obsessed with the federal agents who might lurk among them.
Parler’s Rise Was Also Its Downfall
The app that stoked the insurrection is gone, but something else is destined to replace it.
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 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.
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.