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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.
A customer at an internet cafe in Seoul, South Korea in December 2013. For years, internet cafes appeared destined for extinction. Instead, the industry reinvented itself. Photo: AP
Hong Kong society

Opinion | How East Asia’s internet cafes became a cheap urban refuge

An informal safety net, these cafes offer gig workers and those between jobs crucial breathing space.

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Crime

Influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami as UK seeks extradition

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Japan

Video | Japanese company revs up Gen Z machismo with quirky antics

Social media

Video | Japan’s viral property agents get weird

A Tokyo estate agent in a green-screen bodysuit has gone viral – but are the gags stealing the show?

Japanese property agents are finding new ways to promote themselves through social media, using visual gags, stunts and innovative hooks to find new audiences.
02:37
Pokemon

Video | Pokemon cards are fuelling a global crime spree

A burglary at a trading-card shop in Niigata, Japan, saw 5,000 cards worth 10 million yen (US$62,000) stolen on Monday.

Australia

Video | Australia falls for rowdy Neil the Seal

The 5-year-old elephant seal is a viral sensation in towns in southern Tasmania.

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Hong Kong

Video | Anti-drug video pulled over claims it promotes drug use

Internet users have been posting selfies, sticker packs and song parodies mocking the video’s AI-generated K-pop girl band.

Internet users have been posting selfies, sticker packs and song parodies mocking the video’s AI-generated K-pop girl band
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China society

Opinion | China’s ‘check-in culture’ tourists need a reality check

Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use.

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Fame and celebrity

Meet Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of Backrooms

What began as a 4Chan post and then a creepypasta led to Parsons’ viral YouTube series – and now, a debut movie cementing his role in Hollywood.

China’s Communist Party

As pioneering Chinese web forum returns, authorities warn free speech has limits

Financial problems forced Tianya to shut down in 2023, but it returned on Monday to combat the rise of ‘fast-food content’.

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Tianya was a household name among China’s early internet users. Photo: Jiemian News
Fame and celebrity

Meet Backrooms actor Robert Bobroczkyi, who’s 7ft 7 inches tall

It may be summer, but horror films are all the craze right now, the latest being Backrooms starring Chiwetel Ejiofor – but who is the actor playing Pirate Clark?

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kane Parsons and Robert Bobroczkyi of Backrooms. Photos: AP, Getty Images
Hong Kong

Video | Hong Kong Comic Con makes its debut

Mads Mikkelsen, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Lloyd are part of the celebrity line-up at Hong Kong’s first event, which takes place May 29-31.

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

Olympic champion Quan Hongchan is just the latest Chinese star to detail being on the receiving end of abuse from fans.

Quan Hongchan celebrates winning gold in the women’s 10m platform at the Paris Olympics on August 6, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Sexual harassment and assault

Thousands rally against online sexual violence, pornographic deepfakes in Berlin

The protest highlighted German actress Collien Fernandes, whose ex-partner allegedly created profiles in her name to make contact with men.

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A protester holds a placard that reads “Silence protects abusers” during a rally at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany on Sunday. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

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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.

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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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

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.

Justin Bieber (left) and Hailey Bieber at the 2022 Grammy Awards. Photo: Getty Images
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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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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People take photos of Cheng Yunfu, nicknamed “the noodle guy” by online fans, at a rural market in Feixian county, Shandong province, in 2021. Photo: Baidu
Icons and Influencers

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.

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.

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