Internet
Artifaxing: “We’ve become so addicted to these supercomputers in our hands”
Framing the future — Predominantly publishing on Instagram and X, the account is one of social media’s most prominent archiving pages. We caught up with the mysterious figure behind it to chat about the internet’s past, present and future, finding inspiration and art in the age of AI.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Clavicular isn’t interesting, really
Dreaming Small — The ‘looksmaxxer’ of the moment has garnered widespread furore over recent controversies. But newsletter columnist Emma Garland asks whether the 20-year-old influencer is actually doing anything that new, and what his rise says about modern turbo-nostalgia’s internet dominance.
Written by: Emma Garland
Will internet age verification actually work?
VPN Summer — With the Online Safety Act coming into force over the weekend, the UK woke up to find pornography, but also any content deemed “harmful” hidden behind an ID wall. But young people are far too tech savvy to be deterred, explains newsletter columnist Emma Garland, who also warns of the dangers of mass data harvesting.
Written by: Emma Garland
Have capitalists killed the internet?
At the start of the century, the internet was an escape from reality. Now, reality is an escape from the internet writes Huck Newsletter columnist Emma Garland.
Written by: Emma Garland
Get rich or lie trying: how deceit drives the influencer economy
From dropshipping, to digital sex work, to MLMs and BBLs, Symeon Brown speaks about his new book investigating the murky world of influencing.
Written by: Diyora Shadijanova
Inside the moral maze of friend-rental services
‘It’s exploitative‘ — Amid a loneliness epidemic, platforms offering to connect people for paid friendship have been on the rise during lockdown – but some worry the service is being used for the wrong reasons.
Written by: Poppy Koronka
The K-pop stans fighting for a free Palestine
Activist Army assemble — After emerging as a powerful force for social justice during the BLM protests last summer, K-pop fans are now mobilising around another urgent human rights issue: Palestinian liberation.
Written by: Chloé Meley
Inside the online ‘safe space’ for female incels
Enter the pink pill — After being kicked off Reddit, femcels are the latest banned community to build their own platform. They claim to just want somewhere to speak free from harassment – but some experts question whether the site will descend into toxicity.
Written by: Daisy Schofield
The internet’s substitute mothers are here to help
r/MomForAMinute — As the pandemic leaves people feeling scared and vulnerable, Reddit users are seeking out stand-in mothers for advice, love and comfort – but some experts suggest it might not always be the healthiest coping strategy.
Written by: Jessica Lucas
Inside the complex world of ex-Mormon TikTok
Exiting the cult — ‘Exmos’ are flocking to TikTok to share their stories of leaving the LDS Church and building supportive communities which are helping them to heal.
Written by: Catharine Hughes
The TikTok students taking on gun violence in schools
‘We beg for change’ — Young Americans say the Capitol riots mirrored school shootings. While many are doubtful it'll be a wake-up call for Congress, TikTok is offering a space for them to process their trauma.
Written by: Daisy Schofield
VCR visionary: The woman who taped 33 years of TV news
The Marion Stokes Project — Director Matt Wolf speaks to Huck about his documentary on the elusive Marion Stokes, a Communist radical who recorded 70,000 tapes worth of TV news as a form of activism.
Written by: Daisy Schofield
