How Internet Culture Forms
Internet culture forms through shared viral experiences, platform features like Twitter brevity, inside jokes, and memes as cultural currency.
May 2025
Virality Explained
Virality ingredients: emotional triggers like awe, anger, or humor; simple shareable message; timely relevance; and social proof from early...
Internet Subcultures Explained
Internet subcultures: niche groups with shared interests, distinct norms, and specialized language. Examples include crypto, gaming, fandoms, fitness.
Digital Tribalism Explained
Online groups form tribes with shared identity, distinct language, clear boundaries, and strong loyalty.
April 2025
Anonymity Effects Explained
Anonymity reduces accountability, increases disinhibition, enables experimentation, and amplifies both extreme honesty and trolling behavior online.
How Online Norms Form
Early adopters set culture. Visible actions become templates. Moderators enforce rules. Platform features shape behavior.
May 2024
Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories: The Psychology Behind Them
The psychology of conspiracy theories, from the three core needs they fulfill to pattern detection, proportionality bias, social identity, and what...
How to Spot Misinformation: A Research-Based Guide
Research-backed techniques for identifying misinformation online, from lateral reading and SIFT to inoculation theory, deepfakes, and what...
October 2022
What Is the Streisand Effect: How Suppression Backfires
The Streisand Effect is when attempts to suppress information cause it to spread further. Learn the 2003 origin, the psychology behind it, and how...
What Is The Long Tail: How the Internet Changed What Sells
Chris Anderson's Long Tail theory explained how the internet enabled niche products to collectively outsell hits.