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Internet Culture

Internet Culture
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Internet Culture. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Shanghai-based Mark Gong is dialed into pop culture and internet memes alike. Photo: Handout
Fashion

Mark Gong – loved by Rihanna and Lisa – on designing for the modern woman

The Shanghai-based designer is inspired by female stars like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter – and is all for women embracing their ‘nasty, messy’ desires.

Doxxing and cyberbullying

Editorial | China’s sports stars show bravery in the face of toxic fan culture

Sexual harassment and assault

Thousands rally against online sexual violence, pornographic deepfakes in Berlin

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Icons and Influencers

Meet Marcelo Wang, the influencer teaching Rihanna phrases in Mandarin

The content creator boasts over 1 million followers on Instagram, just attended Milan Fashion Week – and speaks Portuguese, too.

Chinese influencer Marcelo Wang with Rihanna at a Fenty Beauty event. Photo: @marcelowang0527/Instagram
Icons and Influencers

Meet Clavicular, the ‘looksmaxxer’ who just made his NYFW debut

He started injecting himself with hormones at 14 to ‘maximise’ his looks, started streaming, and now earns US$100,000 monthly.

Indonesia

Video | TikTokkers hungry for Indonesian man’s ‘mini-food empire’

The miniature artist became a street vendor after his tiny culinary creations caught the eye of children and adults alike.

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Internet

Xibei vs the influencer: why Beijing called time on a restaurant food feud

Communist Party mouthpiece says it’s worrying that online posts can create a crisis for a long-standing business.

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The controversy involves the Chinese restaurant chain Xibei, which became the target of an influencer’s online complaints about high-priced pre-made dishes. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
Pop culture in Asia

Video | Hong Kong’s biggest fan-hosted anime event returns

Rainbow Gala, first held in 2007, has been held at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo for a second time after the redevelopment of the Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Centre in 2024.

Fame and celebrity

Explainer | What is the relationship ‘swag gap’? Just ask Hailey and Justin Bieber

It’s been 2 years since the Biebers attended a Rhode beauty drop in wildly different outfits – and TikTok seems to think such ‘swag gaps’ are relationship deal-breakers.

Australia

‘Terrified’ Sydney man with same name misidentified as Bondi gunman

After an online photo was shared thousands of times with ‘terrible’ comments, the young man pleaded for ‘help to stop this propaganda’.

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This screen grab from video footage courtesy of Timothy Brant-Coles shows two gunmen firing from a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday. Photo: Handout via AFP
Australia

Opinion | Australia’s social media ban offers a path between excess and inaction

For policymakers elsewhere, Canberra’s approach to children’s social media use isn’t a model to copy but one to learn from.

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A child tries to unlock a social media site after receiving an age verification message at her home in Sydney on December 10. Photo: AFP
Louvre

Video | Mystery ‘Fedora Man’ in Louvre heist solved

The ‘Fedora Man’, photographed in a striking vintage suit next to police on the day of the Louvre heist, enjoyed reading wild theories about himself.

China society

Opinion | China’s overnight social media stars are discovering the flip side of fame

The social media era has made it far too easy for internet users to put viral celebrities on pedestals as novelties rather than as people.

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Icons and Influencers

Explainer | Meet Caitlin Covington, the woman synonymous with ‘Christian girl autumn’

The woman behind the meme has given us yearly autumn content since 2019 – and she is neither Republican nor homophobic, as the internet believed.

Caitlin Covington, the face of “Christian girl autumn”, in a season-ready outfit in 2022. Photo: @cmcoving/Instagram
Icons and Influencers

Video | VTubers: the virtual stars redefining entertainment

Behind the animated avatars are real people who offer a glimpse into the new industry and how they connect with fans on a deeply personal level, forming devoted communities worldwide.

VTubers: the virtual stars redefining entertainment
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Icons and Influencers

Video | VTubers: the virtual stars redefining entertainment

Already selling out concerts in New York, Hong Kong and Japan, VTubers are transforming what it means to be an entertainer, without ever revealing their real faces.

Social media

Video | Indonesian film Norma becomes Netflix hit in Southeast Asia

Norma , an Indonesian feature film, has become a hit on Netflix in Southeast Asia.

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Internet

Value of Instagram-style Xiaohongshu hits US$31 billion in GSR’s books

The valuation came to light through portfolio documents distributed by a GSR Ventures Management unit.

Xiaohongshu’s booth during the AWE2024 exhibition in Shanghai on March 14, 2024. Photo: Getty Images
Indonesia

Video | Ear-splitting street parties in Indonesia declared ‘haram’

Many residents have complained about loud music from ‘sound horeg’ parties, and said they have an adverse impact on their health.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Deepfake porn scandal in Hong Kong exposes need to update laws

Not since the 2008 Edison Chen sex photo leak has the city faced such a crisis in privacy protection as laws struggle to keep up with AI.

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Internet

Video | The ‘Gen Z stare’ explained

Expressionless, blank reactions among young people in various social situations became a point of contentious debate on TikTok and have spilled over to Chinese social media apps.

The ‘Gen Z stare’ explained
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Art

Blobfish, bulldogs and Labubu – welcome to the age of ‘ugly cute’

Labubu, blobfish and bulldogs all trigger the same instinct: protect, nurture, adore. Science explains why ‘ugly cute’ is more than just a trend.

A shopper holds up Labubu dolls in a store in Beijing, China, in June. Photo: EPA-EFE
Gen Z

From a boat in Indonesia to trolleys in Hong Kong, ‘aura farming’ is everywhere

Timothée Chalamet, Travis Kelce and a boat kid in Indonesia have one thing in common: a new viral trend.

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ByteDance

ByteDance finds median service length of employees at about 3 years

About half of the company’s 120,000 employees have spent more than three years at the social media giant.

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Fame and celebrity

Firm in Coldplay video drama turns to Chris Martin’s ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow

Astronomer – whose CEO and HR chief were caught embracing on KissCam – has hired the Iron Man star as a ‘very temporary’ spokeswoman.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at an event in Los Angeles in April. Photo: AP
Music

What the Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ scandal says about privacy for us all today

‘There’s no such thing as the private life any more,’ says one expert as the fallout from Coldplay concert saga continues.

A fan holds up a sign reading “We’re not here cheating on our significant others” during a kiss cam segment of the baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Angels in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo: Getty Images
United States

US tech CEO in viral Coldplay concert video resigns

The clip of Andy Byron embracing an alleged colleague fuelled countless memes about them purportedly being caught having an affair.

United States

Coldplay’s jumbotron captures – what exactly? The internet has its theories

A US firm is investigating after a viral clip sparked speculation that its CEO and HR chief had been caught on camera while having an affair.

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