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The sharp rise of video game photography

Point, shoot — As the entertainment medium’s fidelity levels increase and developers build more powerful tools, a growing community of gamers are pushing the boundaries of image making in virtual worlds. Vicky Jessop meets people at the forefront of the emerging artform.

  • Culture
  • Vicky Jessop

Inside Lower Duck Pond, the nicest town on the internet

/r/HaveWeMet — With a population of 2,500 and no fixed location, the subreddit is a space for roleplaying citizens to solve mysteries, host fictional events and ultimately connect. In an internet that’s often divided and toxic, Vicky Jessop hangs out in one of its most wholesome corners.

  • Culture
  • Vicky Jessop

The Pope has declared holy war on AI

The New Butlerian Jihad — In his first encyclical letter, Pope Leo XIV addressed the increasing pervasiveness of artificial intelligence as a threat to the already fragile structures of society. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland makes sense of it all.

  • Activism
  • Emma Garland

The rise of anywhere and everywhere radio

Cooking up broadcasts — From a London rickshaw to a shipping container in Ukraine, independent stations are redefining what a studio looks and feels like. Bella Koopman speaks to DIY station founders to find out more.

  • Music
  • Bella Koopman

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.

  • Culture
  • 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.

  • Culture
  • Emma Garland
Black and white collage of overlapping rectangular frames containing Japanese text and silhouetted figures, creating layered composition.

Inside the fight against Japan’s ‘nuisance streamer’ epidemic

The business of brain rot — Taking advantage of a culture of tolerance and unwritten social rules, streamers searching for virality are increasingly targeting the far east country with outlandish stunts and pranks. As outrage builds towards foreign creators, ‘responsible streamers’ are speaking up.

  • Culture
  • Sophie Holloway

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.

  • Culture
  • Emma Garland

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.

  • Culture
  • Jessica Lucas

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.

  • Activism
  • Daisy Schofield

How hate-symbol Pepe the Frog took trolling mainstream

Feels Good Man — The directors of a new documentary about Pepe the Frog speak to Huck about how the cartoon was co-opted by the far right, and what it tells us about the state of America.

  • Culture
  • Daniel Dylan Wray

Why there's no such thing as an urgent email

Do not disturb — Modern work-culture has given rise to an unfortunate phenomenon: the Out Of Office message, a stopgap measure where ‘off-grid’ no longer means ‘off-limits’. But through tiny acts of rebellion, we can start reclaiming our downtime.

  • Magazine
  • Amelia Tait

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