The Shoptimist: Put an end to the microtrend
For her monthly column, skeptic and hater Maya Kotomori shares a list of the most abhorrent as-seen-on-TikTok looks she’s caught in the wild
The micro-trends we never asked for
Media coverage implies that ‘tomato girl summer’ and ‘blueberry milk nails’ are being embraced on TikTok—but the girlies aren’t so sure
A preternatural attraction to cuteness
From Gwen Stefani’s faux Japaneseness to the age of J-fashion TikTok, a Western fascination with the other endures across subcultures
The deception and seduction of TikTok’s ‘Aged’ filter
The internet is obsessed with looking old, whether we’re “freeing the wrinkle” or shelling out for Botox
Sugar, spice, and saying the same thing twice
All about the absurdist next generation of the NPC, and the political reputation that precedes it
True crime TikTokers are employing AI to resurrect murder victims
Deepfakes, which have long been used to create explicit content without consent, are now being leveraged to craft a new kind of trauma porn
How TikTok’s dark psychology trend rebranded emotional manipulation
“Toxic relationship coaches” promise to help women reclaim the power in their relationships—but these techniques are not as liberating as they seem
Will transparency be enough to improve TikTok’s famously overzealous censorship policy?
The app is under fire for banning everything from educational content to videos about racial injustice. Now, they’re putting a new “strike” system in place
The internet is in its lying era
TikTok’s Celebrity Death trend left the internet divided, signaling the latest generational disconnect on what society finds funny
Within the glitz of Hollywood Hills, Leyla Blue is finding her voice
In championing art as therapy, the Gen Z musician provides a peek into the metaphorical bedroom of an uncertain generation
Everything you need to know this week, from the Buttigieg doc no one asked for to Instagram’s potential death knell
An essential roundup of the week’s buzziest topics of varying importance and consequence
Betty Images’s books for burgeoning leftists
TikTok's 'Martha Stewart for Socialists' gives her literary guide for baby radicals
Everything you need to know this week, from robot companions to the raffle that might send you to space
An essential roundup of the week’s buzziest topics of varying importance and consequence
