Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends

This Substack explores digital culture, internet phenomena, and the impact of technology on daily life, emphasizing themes like privacy, grief, social media trends, AI, wellness culture, consumerism, and personal narratives. It critically reflects on changes in internet use, the commodification of personal life, and the evolving landscape of online interaction.

Digital Culture and Internet Phenomena Technology and Society Mental Health and Wellness AI and Automation Social Media Trends and Impacts Consumer Culture Personal Narratives and Storytelling Internet and Technology Critique Public Health and Misinformation Media and Content Consumption

The hottest Substack posts of Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends

And their main takeaways

Explaining sexting to my mom

0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 14
🎭️ Culture Parenting Fashion Sports Music Technology
  1. One in five adults has received a sext in their lifetime, which may be surprising to some.
  2. Bitcoin is seemingly our savior from the zombie apocalypse, according to Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne.
  3. Not every moment needs capturing - despite the temptation - as highlighted by Sarah Kessler's experiment in taking photos every 30 seconds.
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Less-than-savory characters

0 implied HN points • 24 Jan 14
🎭️ Culture Internet Media Social media Celebrities Trends
  1. That's what she said jokes are no longer popular since peaking in February 2010.
  2. Raging against online rage is considered futile and hypocritical, as shown in a recent essay and its retort.
  3. The internet still houses less-than-savory characters despite some infamous figures like Hunter Moore being in jail.

Is Al Gore ... God?

0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 14
🎭️ Culture Internet Crime Social media Celebrities Fashion
  1. The Internet speeds up everything from messaging to information-sharing, but can lead to a feeling of having less time.
  2. Hunter Moore, known as the 'most-hated man on the Internet', has been indicted for various computer charges, highlighting the criminal nature of revenge porn.
  3. A study claiming Facebook lost 80% of its audience was proven to be unbelievable, emphasizing the importance of fact-checking and reliable sources.

This is not a subtweet ... unless it is!

0 implied HN points • 17 Jan 14
🎭️ Culture Pop culture Social media Feminism
  1. We can now measure and understand social meta-trends thanks to tools like Google's Ngram viewer.
  2. There are various ways to use the Twitter favorite, like the farewell fave or the passive-aggressive fave.
  3. Criticism, like Jezebel's anti-Lena-Dunham-Photoshop vendetta, may not always promote positive causes.

There's no such thing as TMI

0 implied HN points • 15 Jan 14
🎭️ Culture Internet Social media Celebrity Film Parenting
  1. Online, there's no such thing as TMI - whether it's weird, gross, personal, or uncomfortable. Maureen O’Connor’s essay on sharing is witty and important in today's oversharing culture.
  2. YouTube can teach many things - someone suggested learning to butcher an animal, adding some humor into educational discussions.
  3. Sitting next to Obama at brunch and other interesting gems like that make for amusing reads people enjoy sharing.

You are less cool than your friends, statistically speaking.

0 implied HN points • 14 Jan 14
🎭️ Culture Internet Art Music Humor
  1. The debate on technology's impact: Does it make us smarter or dumb us down? Exciting perspectives by Tim Wu suggest viewing iPhone-users as "cyborgs."
  2. Jonathan Harris, a mix of programmer and artist, is praised for iconic Internet projects like "We Feel Fine" and "Today," offering insights on creative struggles.
  3. A 73-year-old man ironically called for shutting down the Internet in a letter that went viral, highlighting the ongoing tension between technology and its users.

All your vices are good for you!

0 implied HN points • 13 Jan 14
🎭️ Culture Celebrity Digital Fashion Art Comedy
  1. Tweeting about personal struggles like cancer can be a controversial topic.
  2. For migrant workers in Dubai, raising a child through virtual connections like on Facebook can present significant challenges.
  3. Ken and Ben Lerer are known for funding many trendy websites and companies.

Today is the absolute worst.

0 implied HN points • 06 Jan 14
🕹 Technology Internet Mystery Blogging
  1. Women face high levels of online harassment, as highlighted by Amanda Hess in her article on internet misogyny.
  2. The mysterious internet puzzle Cicada 3301 has intrigued code-breakers and sleuths since 2011, becoming a modern enigma.
  3. Travel blogging celebrated its 20th anniversary, with Wired's Jeff Greenwald attributing the genre's inception to a laptop birth in Oaxaca in 1994.

Separate, but forever plugged in

0 implied HN points • 14 Jul 16
🕹 Technology Social media Mental health Big Data Wearable Technology Online Dating
  1. Technology has disrupted the truth by prioritizing clicks over accuracy, causing misinformation to spread rapidly.
  2. Apps on our phones may not change our lives dramatically, but they can contribute positively to our mental health.
  3. Big data meeting the porn industry can lead to subtle shaping of views on sexuality by companies targeting advertisements.

Kittens!

0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 14
🕹 Technology Internet Innovation Social media
  1. Silicon Valley geeks are focusing more on being cool than making a real impact in important areas like healthcare
  2. Understanding the design and technology behind everyday things like pancakes can be thought-provoking
  3. Internet slang and expressions like 'I can't even' showcase how language evolves over time

wtf?

0 implied HN points • 08 Apr 15
🎭️ Culture Internet Entertainment Celebrities Social media Animals
  1. Where are all the black YouTube stars? Despite having huge followings, black comedians and vloggers are not often promoted by YouTube.
  2. You can finally watch Game of Thrones online with HBO Now, as they aim to reinvent TV.
  3. The guy behind the 'troll face' meme patented and profited from it when he was only 18 years old.

Announcing some upcoming changes to Links (... as well as, y'know, some actual links)

0 implied HN points • 06 May 16
🕹 Technology Social media Internet culture Technology impact Data Privacy Media influence
  1. The 'Links' newsletter is transitioning to a weekly schedule on Thursdays, focusing on the best links of the week.
  2. The changes to the newsletter are driven by a mix of reader feedback and the author's evolving life and job demands.
  3. Readers can provide input on the changes or the newsletter's future, and there's an alternative newsletter suggestion for those who prefer daily emails.

Laugh without my permission again.

0 implied HN points • 26 Apr 16
🎭️ Culture Technology Literature Health & Wellness
  1. Trouble in emoji-land: Scholars are unhappy with Unicode focus on light-hearted symbols over scholarly scripts.
  2. Popular unknown authors: New book 'Imagines' explores teen Internet fantasies, not highbrow literature, but still captivating.
  3. Historical body hacking: Women have been modifying bodies long before modern tech trends, yet actions like using IUDs aren't seen as cyborgian.

"Links" Weekend Edition: Feed the trolls

0 implied HN points • 22 Apr 16
🕹 Technology Social media Art E-commerce Artificial Intelligence
  1. Snapchat's face-swap feature is so disturbing it once featured in an epic poem, reflecting the app's ability to melt faces like warm wax
  2. The internet culture of trolls and online abuse is highlighted in various articles that explore feeding trolls, Victorian teachings on online abuse, and the man behind 8chan
  3. A collection of diverse and intriguing reads on digital culture is provided in a Friday newsletter, offering readers a chance to catch up and unplug

Real talk:

0 implied HN points • 13 Apr 16
🕹 Technology Internet Social media Innovation Digital Culture Online community
  1. The secret rules of the Internet are enforced on whims, leading to varying perceptions of censorship and moderation.
  2. Using a flip phone in 2016 can help you engage more with the world and reduce distractions.
  3. Staying in has become the new trend due to the convenience of the Internet, making it unnecessary to leave the house for various activities.

😒

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 16
🕹 Technology AI Social media Cybersecurity Online Content Video Platforms
  1. The author expresses frustration with brand pranks on April Fools' Day, calling them insipid and unfunny.
  2. The newsletter includes a compilation of interesting reads on digital culture shared in the form of an ebook.
  3. Readers can share the newsletter with others and provide feedback or ask questions by replying to it.

Fair warning

0 implied HN points • 21 Mar 16
🕹 Technology Social media Power Dynamics Ethics
  1. Twitter's most prolific user tweets mostly nonsense, sending 37 million tweets since 2012.
  2. Facebook groups are doxing 'snitches' and 'rats', causing harm to criminal informants.
  3. Debating the power dynamics between Uber, who owns nothing, and Uber drivers, who own their own cars.

#your #authentic #self

0 implied HN points • 25 Jan 16
🕹 Technology Internet Conspiracy Photography Apps Mysteries
  1. Internet sleuth Daniel Luke started a website to explore the Halbach murder after watching 'Making a Murderer.'
  2. There was truth to the internet conspiracy that Michael Jackson wrote music for Sonic 3 as discovered by Sonic fandom.
  3. Gage Skidmore, a 22-year-old photographer, became widely known through crowdfunding and Creative Commons.

Of course Sydney wants to rebel against her makers!

0 implied HN points • 26 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Chatbots Data Analysis Social Issues Digital Media AI Ethics
  1. Sydney and similar chatbots generate text based on the data they've been trained on, which can lead to both impressive and predictable outcomes.
  2. There is drama within the free-gifting community, like Buy Nothing, as founders aim to monetize while admins rebel.
  3. Netflix password-sharing is seen not just as a cheat, but as a feature of streaming culture that connects people with distant family and friends.

My favorite reads from 2021

0 implied HN points • 17 Dec 21
🎭️ Culture Internet Social Issues Media Fashion Technology
  1. The year 2021 was a mix of chaos and fun, with events like an armed uprising and a tornado happening.
  2. The recommended articles cover a diverse range of topics, such as influencers' anxiety, bird board games, and the gig economy.
  3. The list of favorite reads reflects a variety of thought-provoking and insightful articles from different publications.