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Selected features, news, and investigative reporting on AI, online communities, digital aesthetics, internet culture & folklore.

WIRED •

People Are Using Sora 2 to Make Disturbing Videos With AI-Generated Kids

On October 7, a TikTok account named @fujitiva48 posed a provocative question alongside their latest video. “What are your thoughts on this new toy for little kids?” they asked over 2,000 viewers, who had stumbled upon what appeared to be a TV commercial parody. The response was clear. “Hey so this isn’t funny,” wrote one person. “Whoever made this should be investigated.”It’s easy to see why the video elicited such a strong reaction. The fake commercial opens with a photorealistic young girl ho...
The Daily Dot •

Have popular kids ruined the internet? Viral TikTok sparks online discussion: "The internet was better when it was just on computers" 

A man has sparked discourse on TikTok by claiming that “popular kids have ruined the internet.”In a video posted to the platform on Oct. 2, Kushal (@skskskushal) presented his theory: that the decline of the internet from its peak around 10-15 years ago coincided with an influx of “normies” arriving online.Commenters were divided on the issue, with many agreeing that the internet has become boring and mainstream, while others found Kushal’s claims childish and overexaggerated.Kushal’s theory is...
The Daily Dot •

"Bro leave her alone": Gen Alpha is showing printed brainrot memes to strangers and the results are hilarious

A surreal TikTok trend sees the chronically online bringing meme culture into the real world, and the results are hilarious. The trend involves people approaching strangers in public and showing them printed folders full of brainrot memes and images, including John Pork and Skibidi Toilet.As always, reactions from members of the public vary, with some appearing confused and only playing along out of politeness, while others seem to genuinely appreciate the community and joy.The “showing brainrot...
The Daily Dot •

The "watch my egg" TikTok challenge brings back the old-school internet prank

A new TikTok trend is cracking people up…literally. In the viral “watch my egg” prank, which first originated in September 2025, users text friends or family an egg emoji (🥚) and ask them to “watch it” while they’re away. What happens next depends on the recipient’s imagination: the egg hatches into a chick, a wolf emoji appears, and chaos ensues. Some “eggsitters” valiantly protect their charge, while others lie about letting it die, prompting one viral comment to declare, “not him gaslighting...
The Daily Dot •

Distracted by the Bob: Inside the new SpongeBob meme taking over TikTok

A new meme called “Distracted by the Bob” has taken over TikTok, and like most SpongeBob trends, it’s as ridiculous as it is surreal. What began as simple jokes about secretly watching SpongeBob instead of doing homework or chores has spiraled into something stranger: people now claim to encounter “The Bob” in everyday life, from themed drinks to spin-off memes like “The Pep” and “The Mins.” The trend seemed to start in mid-September 2025, and typically takes the form of videos like this one, by...
The Daily Dot •

"He is stable, you are deep": How a song lyric became a relationship test

TikTokers are celebrating all things messy, vulnerable, and unhinged again. Nothing new, but this time…well, you could say it goes deep.The “he is stable, you are deep” TikTok trend started as a fun way for people to contrast safe, dependable partners with intense and unpredictable ones, but it has evolved into something much more complex, and, at times, completely hilarious.It’s also leading people to question their relationships and ask whether it’s ever possible to have both Jeremiah and Conr...
The Daily Dot •

Kendamanomics explained: the app, the players, and the kendama rivalries fueling TikTok drama

TikTok has found its latest obsession: kendama, a centuries-old Japanese skill toy now fueling leaderboard rivalries and TikTok fandom wars through an app called Kendamanomics.Kendama dates back to Japan’s Edo period. The game is simple in theory, using a wooden handle (ken) and a ball (tama) on a string, but players use it to perform tricks that can get wildly complex, similar to yoyo or cup-and-ball.Although it’s been a competitive sport for decades, the craze has recently gone viral on TikTok...
WIRED •

‘Cheapfake’ AI Celeb Videos Are Rage-Baiting People on YouTube

Mark Wahlberg straightens his tie and beams at the audience as he takes his seat on daytime talk show The View, ahead of his hotly anticipated interview. Immediately, he’s unsettled by the host, Joy Behar. Something isn’t quite right about her mannerisms. Her eyes seem shifty, suspicious, even predatory. There’s a sense, almost, of the uncanny valley—her presence feels oddly inhuman. His instincts are right, of course, and he’s soon forced to defend himself against a barrage of cruel insults pla...
Medium •

What happened when internet sleuths discovered a viral lost song in a 1980s porn movie?

In April 2024, internet sleuths finally located the lost song previously known as EKT in a 1980s porno. I interviewed the person who made the discovery (south_pole_ball), but the article never made it to publication. Here’s an updated version with some extra bits added in. Questionable moustaches. Full bush. Tenuous supernatural storylines. There are many things you might expect to encounter when watching a vintage eighties porno, but the answer to one of the internet’s biggest mysteries is prob...
The Daily Dot •

Internet clashes over photo of man having intimate chat with AI girlfriend on the subway

A viral photo of a man talking to the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT on his phone has initiated extensive debate on X regarding contemporary uses of AI.The controversial photo, posted on June 3, 2025, shows a man on a packed subway train engrossed in an intimate and vulnerable conversation with ChatGPT. Commenters were torn, with some users expressing concern over the man treating the chatbot “like it’s his girlfriend,” while others criticized the original poster for invading the man’s priva...
The Daily Dot •

"My grandma isn't ready for this": Google's new AI video tool is so realistic, it's freaking people out

A new wave of AI-generated videos is taking the internet by storm. The videos—created with Google’s new, state-of-the-art AI video generator Veo 3—allow users to generate audio alongside visuals, leading to highly cinematic and hyperrealistic results. However, they are leaving users stunned and scared in equal measure, with many calling them so realistic they are “terrifying,” and fearing for the future.In one video posted to the r/singularity subreddit on May 21, various people attend a bustlin...
The Daily Dot •

Here's why the Aerial Tramway Emoji is suddenly in every YouTube comment section

An emoji takeover is sweeping YouTube. After content creator John Casterline urged his 7.2 million subscribers to start using the aerial tramway emoji 🚡, allegedly the “least-used emoji in the world,” comment sections across the platform have been flooded with the little yellow icon.The campaign, which Casterline described as an effort to “make history,” quickly went viral, leaving many out of the loop and those in the know proudly declaring allegiance to “tram gang.” Casterline captioned his or...
The Daily Dot •

Only Black first-class traveler says American Airlines "ran out" of meals before she could be served

A Black travel influencer is going viral after posting a TikTok alleging she was the only first-class passenger on an American Airlines flight who wasn’t served a meal. In a TikTok that has been viewed over 4.9 million times, the influencer says she was given just a cup of coffee, while fellow passengers dined around her. She has since posted updates addressing the discourse and backlash and standing by her experience, which she called “humiliating.”The influencer, who goes by @johbidoo_official...
The Daily Dot •

What is the 2020 effect, and what does it have to do with a "graphics bug"?

A new trend online is seeing users go outside and declare that the “2020 effect is over.”Those partaking in the trend are claiming that the world has finally regained its color after 4 years of dullness brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, often nicknamed the “2020 effect” or the “2020 curse.” Some are drawing comparisons to video games updating their graphics, while others feel the atmosphere outside reminds them of legendary summers from previous years, like 2016.Videos showing the supposed en...
The Daily Dot •

"Low GPA Activity" meme turns into school trend of kids setting their Chromebooks on fire

Videos of kids setting fire to Chromebooks are going viral in a supposed TikTok “trend,” causing outrage and debate over whether there’s a new wave of classroom vandalism spreading, or if we’re seeing another round of internet-fueled moral panic. Though some are cracking jokes, footage of Chromebooks smoking and going up in flames has teachers seriously concerned that the trend is spreading and encouraging vandalism in schools. Others are drawing comparisons to previous online ‘trends’ such as 2...
The Daily Dot •

'The American mind can't comprehend this' meme has Americans and Europeans beefing

An image of a quintessential English terraced house led to a deeper discussion on X recently, regarding differences between European and American lifestyles. It’s part of an ongoing trend best summarized as ‘The American Mind Can’t Comprehend This’ meme—that, while often fun and lighthearted, hints at a growing gulf between the two regions online. Tom Forth posted the image of a terraced, redbrick house in Leeds, UK, on April 29, 2025, saying, “Incredible to think that many Americans will look a...
WIRED •

Dozens of YouTube Channels Are Showing AI-Generated Cartoon Gore and Fetish Content

Somewhere in an animated New York, a minion slips and tumbles down a sewer. As a wave of radioactive green slime envelops him, his body begins to transform—limbs mutating, rows of bloody fangs emerging—his globular, wormlike form, slithering menacingly across the screen.“Beware the minion in the night, a shadow soul no end in sight,” an AI-sounding narrator sings, as the monstrous creature, now lurking in a swimming pool, sneaks up behind a screaming child before crunching them, mercilessly, bet...
The Daily Dot •

People are feeding AI the same image 100 times, and it keeps changing race, gender, and weight. Here's why that's a problem:

The internet has a new AI-image generation trend, and as usual, it’s proving highly divisive. The craze began with a now-viral video where a user inputted a picture of his friend into ChatGPT—instructing it to “create the exact replica of this image, don’t change a thing,” over 70 times. The results were strange and unexpected, but also led to renewed questions about the ethics of AI, on both an environmental and broader cultural level. The original video was posted back in March, but a repost o...
The Daily Dot •

'It's like a Sims world': Edge of Las Vegas videos are TikTok's latest obsession

If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you might have noticed a new unexpected fascination taking over your feed: the “Edge Of Las Vegas.” It all started with a viral video showing how abruptly the city gives way to open desert, prompting comparisons to video games like The Sims, or movies like The Truman Show. Since then, TikTok creators living at the borders of Vegas have been posting their POVs, sparking both admiration for the landscape, as well as an eerie, existential dread over how surreal it a...
Medium •

What is older brother core?

For something to be classed as older brother core, it must feature several key components. Gaming is one of the most important. Older brother core almost always involves video games—whether these are played at home in the bedroom (where most photos depicting the trend are set), or occasionally in video game stores or arcades. Games are usually played on mid-2000s consoles, particularly the Xbox or Xbox 360—with their characteristic green cases serving as the dominant colorway (alongside black) f...
MediaCat •

Morbin’ time! When brands misread internet culture

Speaking the language of internet culture is crucial for any brand — something we’re all, hopefully, well aware of in today’s late-stage social media era. But something you might not know is that in 2020, the global meme industry was valued at an inconceivable $2.3 billion dollars, and this figure is projected to almost triple by 2025. Or, that businesses who use memes in their marketing are 60% more likely to land sales than those who opt for traditional graphics. It’s a no-brainer — meme marke
MediaCat UK •

Why is print coming back?

Just like the printing press before it, the internet promised the global delivery and dissemination of information to improve public knowledge. And for a while this worked, until its incentive — to make things uniform, standardised, stuffed with facts — led it to gorge itself into incapacitation on a mukbang of SEO-driven content. Now, we live in fear of a dead internet — an online landscape devoid of creativity where content is generated by bots, for bots (take shrimp Jesus, for example), and w...
Dazed Digital •

Lostwave: how the internet became obsessed with lost songs

On Reddit, internet sleuths are desperately searching for the artist behind a mysterious 80s-sounding track, ‘Everyone Knows That’ – the latest in a long line of

It’s late at night and you’re searching. For what exactly, you’re not sure, but perhaps something ASMR-infused – a video equal parts soothing and strange that’ll lull you gently to sleep, while reminding you of the vast expanse of the internet. As you navigate YouTube’s complex warrens of ‘dark’ and ‘unsettling’ video essays, you see a
OFF CHANCE •

You Do It To Yourself: Why We Can’t Stop Social Media Stalking —

Perhaps the most mortifying moment of my online existence happened about a year ago, when I saw on Instagram that someone I’d been interested in had a new girlfriend. We hadn’t been in a relationship or even a situationship—merely a strange, liminal talking stage that transpired over a chain of romantic, long-distance phone calls, and never materialized into anything. Eventually, I got over my yearning, but continued to watch his stories—until one day, she came up on the screen. I clicked on her
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