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Internet Culture

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Internet Culture. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

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

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.

11 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Louvre

Video | Mystery ‘Fedora Man’ in Louvre heist solved

12 Nov 2025 - 6:39PM

China society

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

16 Oct 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

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.

14 Oct 2025 - 6:00AM

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.

27 Sep 2025 - 8:00AM

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.

27 Sep 2025 - 12:10PM

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.

16 Sep 2025 - 7:00PM

Indonesian film Norma becomes Netflix hit in Southeast Asia

02:08

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.

4 Sep 2025 - 10:26AM

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.

28 Aug 2025 - 4:14PM

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.

22 Aug 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

A man takes a photograph on the University of Hong Kong campus on June 4. The case of a student who created hundreds of deepfake photographs of fellow students has sparked discussion about whether Hong Kong’s law can adequately deal with such cases. Photo: Dickson Lee

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.

21 Aug 2025 - 8:00AM

01:35

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.

14 Aug 2025 - 6:15PM

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.

5 Sep 2025 - 12:38PMvideocam

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.

2 Aug 2025 - 7:17AMvideocam

The median service length of employees at ByteDance showed that the firm was an attractive employer in mainland China’s technology industry. Photo: Shutterstock

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.

27 Jul 2025 - 1:41AM

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.

26 Jul 2025 - 4:24AM

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.

20 Jul 2025 - 7:32AM

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.

19 Jul 2025 - 7:54AM

Chris Martin of Coldplay performs in Las Vegas in June. Photo: TNS

Stories behind top Asian brands

Why a Sanrio popularity contest has Gen Z divided

Each year millions vote in the popularity contest, with this year’s showdown – between two long-time rivals – fiercer than most.

23 Jun 2025 - 5:00PM

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Internet Culture

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}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.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Mystery ‘Fedora Man’ in Louvre heist solved

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

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}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.

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.

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.

Video | Indonesian film Norma becomes Netflix hit in Southeast Asia

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Why a Sanrio popularity contest has Gen Z divided

Each year millions vote in the popularity contest, with this year’s showdown – between two long-time rivals – fiercer than most.

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

Video | Mystery ‘Fedora Man’ in Louvre heist solved

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