Latest news with #onlineculture
New York Times
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What Are the Viral Moments You Remember Most From the Last Decade?
The experience of being on the internet is always changing. Not so long ago, so-called viral content created moments that captured a wide audience, held our collective attention and gave everyone something to talk about. Maybe you watched patiently on Facebook Live to see a watermelon explode under the pressure of being wrapped in a zillion rubber bands. Perhaps you can vividly recall that day in 2015 when two llamas escaped from a retirement community in Arizona, prompting a dramatic police chase. Or how, on that same day, a striped dress divided us into warring factions — but united us around the proverbial water cooler. I've been a reporter of online culture for more than a decade, and I'm writing about how algorithms, influencing and internet celebrity has changed the meaning of virality. But first I would love to hear from you. Take a walk down digital memory lane and tell me what you're seeing and talking about online. I'll read every response to this questionnaire and reach out to you if I'm interested in learning more. I won't publish any part of your response without following up with you first, verifying your information and hearing back from you. And I won't share your contact information outside the Times newsroom or use it for any reason other than to get in touch with you. Tell us about the moments that got the internet talking.
The Sun
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Top Tory James Cleverly slams ‘hypocrite' Angela Rayner for warning about Britain's social breakdown
TOP Tory James Cleverly has blasted Angela Rayner as a hypocrite for warning about Britain's social breakdown - after she took the knee for Black Lives Matter. The ex-Home Secretary said her claim immigration and online culture are fuelling unrest 'rings a bit hollow' given Labour's history of 'jumping on every bandwagon'. 2 2 The newly-appointment Shadow Housing Secretary told Sky News: 'I think she makes a very good point, and I think she has echoed things that Conservatives have said for a while. 'I think it rings a bit hollow when she was one of the people that took the knee during the BLM protest. 'She, the Labour Party, the Prime Minister, have jumped on every bandwagon that's come along, and they have spent so much time seeming to be on the side of the people who don't play by the rules, who jump the queue, who abuse the system. 'And now that they're in government, she is saying, 'Oh, well, I think you know, society is fracturing', seemingly blind to the role the Labour Party have played in driving wedges between communities.' The Deputy PM told Cabinet this week that immigration, economic insecurity and time spent online were having a 'profound impact on society' and said ministers must face up to people's 'real concerns'. She was presenting the findings of her year-long study, commissioned in the wake of last year's riots. Downing Street said the unreleased study will form the backbone of the Plan for Neighbourhoods, which promises to invest £1.5 billion in 75 of the 'most deprived' areas across the UK over the next decade.
Fast Company
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Why Gen Z is ditching popular emojis for unexpected alternatives
Not all emojis are created equal. The sparkle emoji or red heart emoji are staples of text conversations and social media captions. But how often are you using the baggage claim icon or the non-potable water symbol? Recently, a new trend has emerged: mainstream emojis are being passed over in favor of more creative alternatives. The broken heart emoji? Tired. Predictable. The wilted rose emoji? Aesthetic. Unexpected. The trend began earlier this year when a video from one TikTok user went viral. The caption read: ''💔' lowkey starting to become too mainstream / i might just start using '🥀'.' Others quickly joined in. 'How it feels using '💔' in the '🥀' era,' one TikTok user posted, cutting to a photo of someone's grandpa. As David Doochin explained for Emojipedia: 'One of the most typical memes gaining traction among the TikTok contingent is the 'X has gone mainstream / we now use Y' format that declares a given meme, emoji, or cultural symbol as out of date or past its prime and offers a replacement, usually a derivative of the original symbol in some way but sometimes totally arbitrary.' The most commonly used emojis include faces, hearts, and hand gestures—ones that slip seamlessly into texts to convey emotion. 'Loudly Crying Face' was the most-used emoji of 2024, followed by 'Face with Tears of Joy' and the 'Fire' emoji. Now, among younger generations and the chronically online, certain emojis have taken on entirely new meanings—with lesser-used icons pulled from obscurity. YouTuber John Casterline posted a video last month encouraging people to adopt the aerial tramway emoji—once the least-used emoji in the world —as a replacement for the common 'Crying Laughing Face.' 'I came up with a plan where we can make this emoji one of the most used emojis, at least on YouTube,' he explained. 'Instead of using laughing emojis from now on, replace it with this. And if someone doesn't know why you're doing it, don't tell them.' This isn't the first time the aerial tramway has been thrust into the spotlight. Back in 2018, the now-defunct X account @leastUsedEmoji reported that the aerial tramway held the title of least-used emoji for 11 weeks straight. Responding to the call, public transportation advocates rallied around the underappreciated emoji, spamming Twitter/X with strings of the aerial tramway. The plan worked. After 77 days, the tram climbed the ranks and was replaced in last place by input symbol for latin capital letters. As of the account's last post on August 3, 2020, input symbol for symbols had been the least-used emoji for 264 days. Perhaps it's time it gets the same treatment.
Fast Company
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Feeling down? TikTok says: Make a fan edit of yourself
Feeling bad about your appearance? Try making a fan edit of yourself. That's the latest advice circulating on TikTok, where users are cutting and stitching together dramatic clips of themselves to the tune of Rasheeda's 2006 track Got That Good. And it seems to work. One viral video, with 10 million views, has people hyping up the creator in the comments. 'WHO IS THAT DIVA?' one wrote. 'Chill out my bf is on this app,' another added. In another video, with 5.6 million views, the creator wrote, 'Feel ugly? Make an edit with yourself to boost your confidence.' Again, the internet responded with compliments, and many saying they are going to try the trend for themselves. 'This was my favorite activity as a high schooler,' one commented. 'Made one yesterday and can't stop looking at it,' another wrote. 'Hold on wait I'm gonna try this but I'm afraid it would raise my ego through the roof.' The trend is meant to boost creators' confidence by giving themselves a fan edit normally reserved for the likes of Harry Styles, Timothée Chalamet, and other beloved celebrities. Fan edits have long been a cornerstone of fandom and online culture. They are also an art form, with dramatic music, flashy transitions, and glowing filters that show the subjects at their most attractive and iconic. But why should celebrities be the only ones who get the fan-cam treatment? It's no secret that social media is a highlight reel. Yet even when we know Instagram is not real life, the constant exposure to filtered photos and curated feeds can take a toll on our self-image. Research backs this up. One 2021 study found that frequent Instagram use is linked to higher rates of body dissatisfaction, a stronger desire to be thin, and lower self-esteem among girls ages 14 to 24.
