Culture
Dial Up
Drew Afualo Will Never Stop Making Fun of Misogynist Men
The TikTok influencer and podcast host amassed millions of followers for her roasts—and swears she’ll keep doing it even if TikTok goes away.
Jason Parham
Eminem’s New Album Prompted Gen X to Declare a TikTok ‘War’ on Gen Z
The release of Eminem’s new album The Death of Slim Shady has led to a series of viral shitposts from Gen X. Their targets, Gen Z, remain unbothered.
Isabel Fraser
Deadpool & Wolverine Scales New Heights of Cinematic Self-Awareness
Deadpool’s first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all about giving fans more Easter eggs and references than they can catch. Will it also score Disney a hit?
Chris Baker
The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Will Be Unlike Any Before It
For the first time in history, the Olympics opening ceremony won’t be held inside a stadium. Instead, it will float down the Seine. Here’s everything you need to know.
Daniele Polidoro
This Is the Year Comic-Con Bounces Back
After being upended by Covid-19 cancellations and Hollywood strikes, Comic-Con International in San Diego has a chance to come back in a big way this year.
Angela Watercutter
Video Game Performers Are Going on Strike Over AI
The union representing the voice and motion-capture actors who work in video games authorized the strike after talks with gaming companies stalled over the use of AI.
Megan Farokhmanesh
AI Is Already Taking Jobs in the Video Game Industry
A WIRED investigation finds that major players like Activision Blizzard, which recently laid off scores of workers, are using generative AI for game development.
Brian Merchant
A Chaotic History of Clickolding, the Year’s Most Disturbing Game
Strange Scaffold’s hit couldn’t have been made without a little help from their friends—and a late night joke that took on a life of its own. Here’s the oral history of the summer’s clickiest game.
Megan Farokhmanesh
Fortnite Has a Political Violence Problem
In a report shared exclusively with WIRED, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism says it found more than a dozen user-generated games on Fortnite that featured antisemitism and political violence.
Vittoria Elliott
The 21 Best Movies on Apple TV+ Right Now
Fancy Dance, The Velvet Underground, and Argylle are just a few of the movies you should be watching on Apple TV+ this month.
Angela Watercutter
The 29 Best Shows on Apple TV+ Right Now
Sunny, Constellation, and Presumed Innocent are among the best shows on Apple TV+ this month.
Angela Watercutter and WIRED Staff
For the Director of Wicked, There’s No Place Like Silicon Valley
Six years after Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu prepares to release his adaptation of one of Broadway’s biggest musicals. From a table at his family’s famous Chinese restaurant, he opens up about his childhood among the titans of tech—and why filmmakers shouldn’t be afraid of AI.
Jay Ruben Dayrit
What Twisters Gets Right—and Wrong—About Tornado Science
The Twister sequel, which brought in over $80 million at the box office this weekend, is full of good science. But its big reveal is full of spin.
Dennis Mersereau
The Real Reason Will Smith Broke Twitch’s Biggest Streaming Record
A boxing tournament in Spain didn’t need the Fresh Prince’s help to become the most popular stream in the platform’s history.
Adam Bumas
The New ‘Ethical’ AI Music Generator Can’t Write a Halfway Decent Song
Song generators are in hot water over alleged copyright infringement, but the AI tool Jen was trained on licensed material. We asked pro musicians to test it, and the results were uninspiring.
Marah Eakin
I Am Laura Kipnis-Bot, and I Will Make Reading Sexy and Tragic Again
Margaret Atwood, Marlon James, Lena Dunham, Roxane Gay: We’ve all agreed to be turned into AI reading companions by a mysterious company called Rebind. I report from the inside.
Laura Kipnis
The Secret to Living Past 120 Years Old? Nanobots
In The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge With AI, the spiritual sequel to his (in)famous first book, Ray Kurzweil doubles down on the promise of immortality.
Ray Kurzweil
The Inevitability of Big Tech Backing Trump
Silicon Valley, fueled by greed and acting in its own calculated interest, seeks to influence the 2024 presidential election. Political scientist Jared Clemons is certain capitalism won’t save us.
Jason Parham
Elon Musk Couldn’t Beat Him. AI Just Might
Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, is unsentimental about what’s at stake if we don’t curb the spread of disinformation: the death of democracy, yes, but also the complete ruin of reality.
Jason Parham
Saturday Night Live’s Alex English Wants You to Shut Up and Laugh
Saturday Night Live writer and veteran stand-up comedian Alex English believes platforms like TikTok have changed the relationship a comic has to their audience—in the worst ways possible.
Jason Parham
The Studio Executive Who Wants Hollywood to Get Real About Bad Storytelling
As the entertainment industry rebounds, Kamala Avila-Salmon, head of inclusive content at Lionsgate, wants to make sure it comes back healthier than before.
Jason Parham
The Trump Shooting Fueled an Online Sticker Battle
After the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump last weekend, Sticker Mule sent messages to customers suggesting they back Trump and asking to “stop the hate.” That’s not what happened.
Angela Watercutter
RIP Redbox, a Bad Idea at the Worst Time
The parent company of Redbox, the outfit that put DVD-rental kiosks in retail locations, is liquidating—another sign of the death of physical media.
Angela Watercutter
The Acolyte and the Long-Awaited Death of Review-Bombing
Leslye Headland’s new Star Wars show is getting positive reviews from critics and being trashed by audiences. Some are calling it review-bombing—but it’s more complicated than that.
Angela Watercutter
Somehow, Concerts Are the Biggest Memes of the Summer
From Chappell Roan to Kendrick Lamar, online life is spilling onto the lighted stage, and vice versa. Maybe we all just want something real.
Angela Watercutter
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