Beat

Culture

Ideas, identity, and the internet’s effect on how we live.

6 stories
Culture

What we lost when comments died: the oral history of internet discussion

From Usenet to Reddit to X's current incarnation, we trace the evolution of public online conversation.

Apr 23, 2026 . 1 min . Read story
Culture

The 30-year-old who built a media company by never hiring journalists

A former product manager turned publisher is running one of the internet's most-read technology newsletters with no editorial staff.

Apr 23, 2026 . 1 min
Culture

The tech workplace in 2026: remote, hybrid, and surprisingly human

Four years after the pandemic reshuffled where we work, a new equilibrium has emerged.

Apr 23, 2026 . 1 min
Culture

How the internet killed genre and why that’s actually good for music

The collapse of genre as a marketing category has produced the most sonically diverse pop charts in history.

Apr 23, 2026 . 1 min
Culture

TikTok’s cultural dominance is waning — and nobody agrees on what comes next

After the US near-ban, TikTok's share of under-25 video consumption has dropped from 67% to 54%.

Apr 23, 2026 . 1 min
Culture

The newsletter economy: why paid writers are the new record labels

Substack and Beehiiv now support over 800 writers earning more than $100,000 annually.

Apr 23, 2026 . 1 min