There were plenty of unmissable cultural moments in 2021: “Squid Game” exploded, “Dune” dazzled, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift dominated, Bennifer reunited, “Friends” and Carrie Bradshaw returned, and sea shanties took over TikTok. But those were just the headliners. Suspecting there was more to 2021 than Lil Nas X and #FreeBritney, The Information Weekend asked our plugged-in writers, reporters and editors to clue us in on the cultural phenomena that they loved and the rest of us may have missed this year.
Each pick on this list feels extremely of the moment, even though it may not have gotten the spotlight it deserved. We’re here to hype what we couldn’t stop talking about, from a venture capital newsletter to a comedic TikTok creator to a band we can only call “the Anglo-Saxon Haim.” So in your last few days of 2021, catch up on these semi-hidden gems—you’ll thank us in 2022.
