All posts tagged: Memes

War Memes Are Turning Conflict Into Content

War Memes Are Turning Conflict Into Content

Published by skeptic

As ceasefire announcements between the US and Iran—and separately between Israel and Lebanon—dominated headlines over the past two weeks, they also prompted a look back at how war spread online: through memes. There were jokes about conscription. Captions about getting drafted, but at least with a Bluetooth device. The song “Bazooka” went viral, with users lip-syncing to: “Rest in peace my granny, she got hit by a bazooka.” Military filters followed. So did posts about Americans wanting to be sent to Dubai “to save all the IG models.” Across the Gulf, the tone was different but the instinct was the same. Memes joked that Iran was replying to Israel faster than the person you’re thinking about. Delivery drivers were shown “dodging missiles.” “Eid fits” became hazmat suits and tactical vests. Dark humor is one of the oldest responses to fear, a way of reclaiming control, however briefly, over events that offer none. Variations of that idea appear across psychology and philosophy, including Freud’s relief theory, which frames humor as a release of tension. But social …

Euphoria’s New Costume Designer Is After More than Viral Memes

Euphoria’s New Costume Designer Is After More than Viral Memes

Published by Sam Flores

The first two seasons of Euphoria delighted fashion fanatics with iconic vintage pieces and other Easter eggs. Newman-Thomas says fans can expect even more. There’s a Levi’s jacket Rue wears that was custom made for her. (The brand provided several replicas, which were needed because of the amount of action she goes through.) There’s also a vintage Roberto Cavalli jacket, and some Dior by Galliano, plus vintage Prada and Saint Laurent Newman-Thomas “trolled The RealReal for.” The costume designer also worked with Jackson Wiederhoeft, the New York-based designer, on Cassie’s wedding dress. “He really is a master of his craft,” she says. The reception of Euphoria’s early costumes was top of mind for Newman-Thomas, but she says that her take is different. “That was such an iconic moment for what high school looked like then, but my approach tends to be to aim for something a little more timeless.” In a way, it needed to be. In high school, every moment feels big and consequential. As we get older, we stop living summer to summer …

Iran’s war propaganda homes in on Trump with Lego memes

Iran’s war propaganda homes in on Trump with Lego memes

Published by Sam Flores

Young Iranian women walk past a state building covered with a giant anti-U.S. billboard depicting a symbolic image of the destroyed USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 26, 2026, the final day of Iran-U.S. talks that take place in Geneva. Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurphoto | Getty Images Wartime propaganda has evolved for the social media age, and Iran is now vying with the U.S. to be the world’s biggest keyboard warrior. As the real-world bombardment in the Middle East continues and casualties mount, both sides in the month-old war are also firing off ironic, pop-culture-steeped memes on the online battlefield. Iran’s new leaders have quickly assumed an online fighting posture, amping up their memes and pointed attacks on the U.S. and Israel. “What we’re seeing is not just a war of weapons, but it’s also a war of aesthetics,” said Nancy Snow, a professor and author who studies propaganda. “Whoever controls the meme controls the mood.” Iran’s prime target is President Donald Trump, with state media and top officials alike …

Chuck Norris, US action movie star whose toughness inspired endless memes, dies at 86

Chuck Norris, US action movie star whose toughness inspired endless memes, dies at 86

Published by Sam Flores

Chuck Norris, the martial arts grandmaster and action star whose roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy – sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents – has died at 86. Norris died Thursday, in what his family described as a “sudden passing.”  “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the family said in a statement posted to social media. Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He became a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion. He also founded his own Korean-based American hard style of karate known sometimes as Chun Kuk Do and the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 Chuck Norris System black belts worldwide. Black Belt magazine ultimately credited Norris in its hall of fame with holding a 10th degree black belt, the highest possible honor. Chuck Norris memes have become internet lore. …

Sam Altman’s thank-you to coders draws the memes

Sam Altman’s thank-you to coders draws the memes

Published by skeptic

If you need a cathartic release from the news that Amazon laid off 16,000 workers, Block chopped nearly half its workforce, Atlassian pared back 10% of staffers, and Meta is reportedly considering another massive round of layoffs, all in the name of AI, then we invite you to browse the responses to a recent Sam Altman post on X. Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, shared this on Tuesday: “I have so much gratitude to people who wrote extremely complex software character-by-character. It already feels difficult to remember how much effort it really took. Thank you for getting us to this point.” I have so much gratitude to people who wrote extremely complex software character-by-character. It already feels difficult to remember how much effort it really took. Thank you for getting us to this point. — Sam Altman (@sama) March 17, 2026 The problem with that sweet sentiment is that Altman’s company ushered in the AI now being used as an excuse for developer layoffs and fewer junior developer jobs. And it did so by training …

‘Uncanny Valley’: Anthropic’s DOD Lawsuit, War Memes, and AI Coming for VC Jobs

‘Uncanny Valley’: Anthropic’s DOD Lawsuit, War Memes, and AI Coming for VC Jobs

Published by skeptic

Brian Barrett: The irony is my favorite part because I feel like venture capitalists have largely positioned themselves as immune to the effects of AI because they’re very special and surely a machine can— Zoë Schiffer: It’s art, not science. Brian Barrett: Yeah. It’s art, not science. Machines can take every job, but not us. The ladder stops just below VC for them in a way that is entertaining and fun. So I wonder how many people are actually using this now, especially because venture capitalists themselves are so skeptical of it, it seems like. Who’s the audience? Is it finding real traction out there? Zoë Schiffer: Yeah. So the way that ADIN works is they have scouts that go out and look for potential deals, and then those scouts can make money on said deals. So I think this would be something where VCs wouldn’t necessarily be adopting the network, but people would be going around them and they wouldn’t be as necessary, as useful. I think there was another great irony, which Arielle …

“The memes will continue”: A fake presidency, but real tyranny

“The memes will continue”: A fake presidency, but real tyranny

Published by Sam Flores

This past week, the Trump White House posted an image on social media that appeared to show Nekima Levy Armstrong, a lawyer who was arrested after an anti-ICE demonstration in Minnesota, weeping helplessly after being handcuffed. It was a blatant fake. Only minutes earlier, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had posted the original photo of Armstrong’s arrest, in which she appears calm, even resolute. After the New York Times confronted White House officials with evidence that the second image had been “digitally altered,” probably using a generative AI tool such as Gemini or Grok, deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr responded with a post on X: “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.” You could almost hear the high-fives being exchanged; you could almost smell the medium-high-end hair products and lily of the valley-scented body spray. That extraordinary statement says, or reveals, much more than it intends to, and even amid the relentless onslaught of lies, abuses, perversions of justice and outright criminality perpetrated by the Trump regime, it merits closer attention. The memes …

Why Everyone Is Suddenly in a ‘Very Chinese Time’ in Their Lives

Why Everyone Is Suddenly in a ‘Very Chinese Time’ in Their Lives

Published by skeptic

In case you didn’t get the memo, everyone is feeling very Chinese these days. Across social media, people are proclaiming that “You met me at a very Chinese time of my life,” while performing stereotypically Chinese-coded activities like eating dim sum or wearing the viral Adidas Chinese jacket. The trend blew up so much in recent weeks that celebrities like comedian Jimmy O Yang and influencer Hasan Piker even got in on it. It has now evolved into variations like “Chinamaxxing” (acting increasingly more Chinese) and “u will turn Chinese tomorrow” (a kind of affirmation or blessing). It’s hard to quantify a zeitgeist, but here at WIRED, chronically online people like us have been noticing a distinct vibe shift when it comes to China over the past year. Despite all of the tariffs, export controls, and anti-China rhetoric, many people in the United States, especially younger generations, have fallen in love with Chinese technology, Chinese brands, Chinese cities, and are overall consuming more Chinese-made products than ever before. In a sense the only logical thing …

China’s Hottest App Is a Daily Test of Whether You’re Still Alive

China’s Hottest App Is a Daily Test of Whether You’re Still Alive

Published by skeptic

An indie app with only one function is currently all the rage in China. It’s called si le ma (死了吗), which translates literally to “Are You Dead Yet.” The app asks users to tap a button once every day, and if they fail to do so for two consecutive days, it automatically sends an email to a designated emergency contact, urging them to check on the user in person. Guo, one of the three Gen-Z developers behind Are You Dead Yet, says he has been building social and entertainment apps for a few years. But he wanted to pivot to something more fundamental. “When I looked at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I saw that safety needs are deeper and apply to a much broader group of people. That felt like a good direction,” Guo told WIRED in an exclusive interview. (He asked to be identified only by his last name, for privacy reasons.) The app’s practical functionality and the dark humor its name evokes have struck a chord with young people in China, who swarmed …