Internet Culture

The Verge’s Internet Culture section is the home for daily coverage of how our online lives influence and are influenced by pop culture and the world around us. The ways in which we communicate, create, and live with each other have been radically altered by the internet’s powerful connective tissues, from the platforms we inhabit, like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram; to the policies, laws and guidelines that govern them (or don’t); to the subcultures, communities, and memes that bring us together there — for better or worse. Here you’ll find our coverage of life on the web, with an eye on what’s next.

Twitter verification is the line between order and chaos

Adi RobertsonOct 31, 2022

Elon Musk might resurrect Vine

Mitchell Clark and Alex HeathOct 31, 2022

Jordan Peele and Keke Palmer open up about evolving in the public eye and the trap of ‘elevated films’

Nope director Jordan Peele and star Keke Palmer understand why nobody wants to be spoiled before a movie, even though some people definitely do

Charles Pulliam-MooreOct 29, 2022

How do cryptozoologists feel about cryptocurrency?

Andru MarinoOct 26, 2022

Wikimedia is adding features to make editing Wikipedia more fun

Adi RobertsonOct 24, 2022

A history of the horny side of the internet

Russell BrandomOct 23, 2022

Dan SeifertOct 14, 2022

The internet is for complaining about corporations doing shenanigans.

Perhaps you’ve seen that Dunkin’ (née Dunkin’ Donuts) has changed its loyalty program for the worse. It’s been hard to miss for the past couple of weeks since it launched, thanks to many people complaining about it on social media.

Wired rounds up a few of those complaints today and asks what might be the outcome? The cynic in me says nothing, “my free” coffee is going to cost me twice as much going forward.

A column about Dunkin’ AND complaining on the internet? Be still my beating heart.

Dunkin’ Donuts Drama Is the Internet at Its Best

[WIRED]

Richard LawlerOct 5, 2022

There’s no mention of beads in this chess cheating report.

After an investigation, Chess.com has put together a 72-page report (PDF) backing world chess champion Magnus Carlsen’s explosive allegation of cheating by 19-year-old grandmaster Hans Niemann.

Niemann publicly admitted to cheating on a couple of occasions years ago, but the report claims he’s cheated over 100 times, more recently than he admitted, and in tournaments with money on the line.

Hans Niemann Report

[Chess.com]

Richard LawlerSep 30, 2022

Street shark... or lake fish.

When we started our reporting this morning, I said we’d update you on that viral video of a shark in a flooded street, and here’s the explanation.

Unlike the usual “shark in a highway” pic that goes around every time there are flooded streets — this video was real and taken yesterday morning in Florida as Hurricane Ian approached.

However, as Storyful’s Rob McDonagh explains, it wasn’t in a street, and it’s hard to tell if it truly shows a shark.

Two GameStop documentaries miss the forest for the memes

The whole thing smacks of ‘content’

Elizabeth LopattoSep 29, 2022

Elizabeth LopattoSep 23, 2022

Spain’s Transports Urbans de Sabadell has La Bussí.

Once again, the US has fallen behind in transportation — call it the Bussí gap. A hole in our infrastructure, if you will.

Elizabeth LopattoSep 19, 2022

The 2010s were about lifestyle brands. What’s next?

Loved this meaty essay about trends in consumerism, what we mean by “culture,” and how DTC brands led to a new understanding of community and identity. “In the 2010s, supply chain innovation opened up lifestyle brands. In the 2020s, financial mechanism innovation is opening up the space for incentivized ideologies, networked publics, and co-owned faiths,” writes Toby Shorin. “The authenticity-driven culture of ironic detachment, so present in the early 2000s, has given way to a moment where people are genuinely open to being influenced, open to sincerely participating, even if it’s cringe.”

Life After Lifestyle

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