We’re not nostalgic for 2016 — we’re nostalgic for the internet before all the slop
At the time, people felt like 2016 was cursed — but at least we did not yet have a word for “doomscrolling.”
internet culture
I’m The Verge’s Senior Internet Typist, ask me anything while Nilay’s away!
Hello from the dead week of the year, when all sane people have logged off to spend time with their families. This is when I typically write at least one deeply weird post while I’m working over the holiday. One time I got left alone on New Year’s Day and posted about cats all day […]
The Luigi Mangione trial is all about narrative control
On Monday, several dozen members of the public are lined up outside 100 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan, hoping to squeeze into the courtroom to hear testimony from witnesses called by the state against Luigi Mangione – the man accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago. Despite the endless news […]
The Luigi Mangione legal saga
One year after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, his alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, faces charges of first and second degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, stalking, forgery, and others. Mangione has become a folk hero to many online, amid debates over wealth inequality, healthcare affordability, and even content moderation. His […]
The indie web is here to make the internet weird again
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on internet culture, follow Stevie Bonifield. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started The indie web began a few years after the end of GeoCities, […]
‘Jmail’ is like any other inbox, except this one has Jeffrey Epstein’s emails
The more than 20,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein emails released earlier this month by the House Oversight Committee have been enough to prompt more investigations into the convicted child sex offender and the people around him, like former Harvard president and OpenAI board member Larry Summers. Now, Luke Igel and Riley Walz have reformatted the […]
Who is AI nostalgia slop even for?
There has been a recent deluge of generative AI videos featuring uncannily fresh-faced teens waxing nostalgic about how much better the world was during the ’80s and ’90s. As the AI youths smize and show off their period-specific haircuts, the clips cut to dreamlike footage of sun-drenched cul-de-sacs and vintage cars while songs like “Everybody […]
Hot subpoena summer
On July 1st, Perez Hilton uploaded a YouTube video with breaking news. “Hello everybody, it is Perez, the queen of all media, the original influencer, and allegedly, I have been subpoenaed by Blake Lively,” Hilton said, stretching out the four syllables in the word “allegedly” as far as they could go. Since the actress sued […]
Fandom’s CEO has left the company
After six years as Fandom’s CEO, Perkins Miller is parting ways with the popular wiki hosting platform. While there has yet to be an official announcement, The Verge has learned that Miller is no longer working for Fandom as of last week. In a statement sent to The Verge on Fandom’s behalf, Katie Schroeder confirmed […]
Pitchfork is beta testing user reviews and comments as it approaches 30
Pitchfork is going full midlife crisis mode, experimenting with user-generated content, adding comments (when much of the web is moving away from them), and dropping absolutely deranged best-of lists. Like most of the media industry, Pitchfork has struggled in recent years as audiences have shifted towards influencers on social media and advertising revenue has dried […]