Culture
Coverage of culture and digital life, exploring how technology shapes creativity and experience.
Digital Culture
Who Gets Paid Under YouTube’s New Monetisation Rules?
YouTube is doubling the threshold for new creators seeking ad revenue, while reportedly offering its biggest stars millions to stay exclusive.
Digital Culture
No AI, No Uploads, No Ads: Divine's CEO Says Friction Could Save Social Media
The six-second video app is banning everything that made modern social media frictionless. Its founder says that's exactly what will make people trust what they're watching
Digital Culture
Vine Is Back From the Dead, and It Brought an AI Bouncer
The six-second video app’s successor is here, with archived OG content, a Taco Bell partnership and a strict human-only policy.
Video Games
GTA 6 Netflix Reveal: When to Watch and Which Leaks Are Real
Netflix subscribers will see GTA 6’s extended look six hours early. Here’s when to watch, what CyberLeek posted and which leaks may be real.
Movies and TV
The Best TV Shows to Stream in the Middle East This August
From Silo and Lanterns to The 99 and Ted Lasso, these are the series worth watching across Netflix, OSN+, Apple TV+, Prime Video and more.
Digital Culture
The Patrick Clancy Conspiracy Theories Are Rooted in the Harsh Realities of Motherhood
Lindsay Clancy’s defence argues she killed her three kids because of postpartum psychosis. But armchair detectives, including many fed-up mothers, are laying blame with her ex-husband.
Movies and TV
The Best Movies To Stream in the Middle East This August
From The Devil Wears Prada 2 and F1 to murderous machines and a complete Spider-Man marathon, these are the movies worth watching across the region right now.
Digital Culture
How Hot or Not Built the Internet We’re Still Swiping Through
Hot or Not taught the internet to rank people at scale. Twenty-six years later, dating apps are trying to escape the culture it helped create.
Health
Spicy Food Makes You Sweat. That Doesn’t Mean It Cools You Down
From India’s vindaloos and Nigeria’s pepper soup to Thailand’s fiery som tam salad, many warm-climate cuisines are famous for food that produces its own kind of heat.
Books and Music
As Spotify Labels AI Artists, Anghami Warns of an Arabic Music Blind Spot
Spotify wants to separate synthetic stars from human musicians. Anghami says tools trained on Western catalogues may struggle with Arabic music.
Culture
Ultimate, The Self-Refereed Sport Taking Off Across the Middle East
With little equipment and no traditional referees, ultimate is evolving from an expat pastime into a locally driven regional sport.
Digital Culture
A Palestinian Village Destroyed in 1953 Is Being Rebuilt in VR
Using oral histories, archival photographs and British maps, Palestinian diaspora architect Tony Ghannam is reconstructing Kafr Bir’im as it existed before its residents were displaced in 1948.
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Movies and TV
The 10 Best Anime for People Who Don’t Watch Anime, WIRED Middle East Picks
Japan’s strongest media export makes a solid case for your attention span. Here’s what to watch.
Culture
The Escape Issue
Culture
Big Tech Is Hitting Ctrl+Z. The Rest of Us Are Looking for The Esc Key
Google and Meta quickly reversed two easily abused AI features. But undoing a launch does not undo the damage it leaves behind.