The Information

Art by Clark Miller.

Can the Pro-Abortion Rights ‘Camping’ Movement Really Make a Difference?

By Flora Tsapovsky · Jul 22, 2022 11:00am PDT

When 19-year-old Jordan Benewiat posted a TikTok on June 24 inviting women to “camp” with her, it got 45,600 views and an outpouring of positive responses. Benewiat, who recently moved from Kansas to her sister’s home in Medford, Ore., said the invitation, intended for women in states with abortion bans, was genuine: “I totally stand behind... When 19-year-old Jordan Benewiat posted a TikTok on June 24 inviting women to “camp” with her, it...

Culling the ‘Chicken of the Tree’: YouTube Hunters Are Taking Down Invasive Species in the Name of the Environment

By Jessica Lucas · Jul 9, 2022 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Darcie Arahill started fishing at the age of 3 in her home state of Florida and never really stopped. Under the tutelage of her father, she learned to respect nature and the delicate balance of the ecosystems around her. Today, Arahill, 33, has gained notoriety as a bikini-clad “blonde babe” who posts clips on YouTube of herself reeling in... Darcie Arahill started fishing at the age of 3 in her home state of Florida and never really...

So Your Startup Died. What Do You Do With All That Swag?

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 18, 2022 7:00am PDT · 5 comments

Megan Auringer started as a project manager at construction startup Katerra in January 2018, the same month it announced an $865 million fundraising round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund, the world’s largest private tech investor. Over the next few years, the company kept collecting checks from venture capitalists, while Auringer collected free... Megan Auringer started as a project manager at construction startup Katerra in January 2018, the...

Art by Clark Miller

Meet the Mathfluencers: Teachers Are Turning to TikTok to Sharpen Kids’ Math Skills

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 3, 2022 1:35pm PDT · 2 comments

Art by Clark Miller

Meet the Mathfluencers: Teachers Are Turning to TikTok to Sharpen Kids’ Math Skills

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 3, 2022 1:35pm PDT · 2 comments

Sixth graders at Polly Ryon Middle School in Richmond, Tex., clamored to get into a certain math class at the beginning of the last school year. That’s not because they’d heard rumors that the class was easy or that they’d get to watch a lot of movies between lessons. The reason: The class was taught by Deidre Kelly, a teacher with1.5 million... Sixth graders at Polly Ryon Middle School in Richmond, Tex., clamored to get into a certain math...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

The University of Indecision: For Some High School Seniors, TikTok Is the New College Counselor

By Margaux MacColl · May 7, 2022 7:00am PDT

It was almost May 1-–the ominously named Decision Day when high school seniors across the U.S. must commit to a college—and undecided teenagers were getting desperate. After touring campuses, studying college websites and asking their families for advice, there was only one option left: making a TikTok. “Everyone comment I have 3 days left to... It was almost May 1-–the ominously named Decision Day when high school seniors across the U.S....

Art by Clark Miller

‘The Perfect Slot Machine’: TikTok’s Most Addictive Design Features Are Being Cloned Across the Internet

By Annie Goldsmith · Apr 15, 2022 12:00pm PDT · 1 comment

To the untrained eye, it’s hard to distinguish between a TikTok post and the videos you’ll find on Snack, a new video-based dating app. And there’s a very good reason for that. “When we came up with the idea for Snack,” said founder Kim Kaplan, who was previously an executive at Plenty of Fish, a dating app bought by the Match Group for $575... To the untrained eye, it’s hard to distinguish between a TikTok post and the videos you’ll find...

Art by Clark Miller

‘Buckle Up, the Next Four Weeks Are Going to Suck’: Silicon Valley’s Return-to-Office Survival Guide

By Annie Goldsmith · Apr 8, 2022 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment

“Whenever I have friends who are going back to the office, I’m like, OK, buckle up,” says Abigail Tisch, an investor at RRE Ventures in New York. “The next four weeks are going to suck and then you’ll be glad.” Returning to the office after more than two years away will pose new challenges, from the practical (“What do I do with my quarantine... “Whenever I have friends who are going back to the office, I’m like, OK, buckle up,” says Abigail...

A scene from the 1998 teen flick "Can't Hardly Wait" that probably couldn't happen today. Art by Clark Miller.

‘You’re Grounded’: Home Security Cams and GPS Trackers Are Killing the Teenage House Party

By Zoe Bernard · Mar 25, 2022 11:39am PDT · 2 comments

A scene from the 1998 teen flick "Can't Hardly Wait" that probably couldn't happen today. Art by Clark Miller.

‘You’re Grounded’: Home Security Cams and GPS Trackers Are Killing the Teenage House Party

By Zoe Bernard · Mar 25, 2022 11:39am PDT · 2 comments

It was 10:30 p.m. in San Francisco, and Nick V., 33, noticed a strange notification on his phone. Some 1,700 miles away, the Ring camera outside his Dallas home had captured footage of two shadowy, unfamiliar figures walking out of his front door. Odder still, the Ring camera hadn’t recorded anyone entering the home all night, aside from his... It was 10:30 p.m. in San Francisco, and Nick V., 33, noticed a strange notification on his phone....

Illustration by Danielle Davis.

The Latest Trend in EdTech: Dungeons & Dragons Academies

By Mary Pilon · Feb 12, 2022 5:00am PST · 1 comment

Live from his home dungeon in Orem, Utah, Dax Levine called class into session one recent Wednesday evening. “People pay me to find creative ways to murder them,” he told the 10 students who had logged into Zoom. They were there to engage in the night’s lecture on “Conflict-Driven Characters,” just one of the courses offered at Levine’s... Live from his home dungeon in Orem, Utah, Dax Levine called class into session one recent...

‘Oozing, Dripping, Melting, Stretching’: The Art and Science Behind TikTok’s Viral Food Videos

By Flora Tsapovsky · Feb 4, 2022 12:00pm PST

I’m a food artist and made my eggs into cubes today,” says the robotic British voice-over narrating TikTok sensation David Ma’s recent cooking video. “Let’s look inside!” Over the thrumming beat of Awolnation’s “Sail,” a slicer slowly segments an egg, unveiling—gasp!—a yolk in the shape of a square, a climax befitting a Hitchcock murder mystery... I’m a food artist and made my eggs into cubes today,” says the robotic British voice-over...

Illustration by Josh Brill.

The Shoe Industry Is Hyping Virtual Sneakers for the Metaverse. So Far, Real Sneakerheads Aren’t Buying

By Malique Morris · Jan 21, 2022 12:00pm PST

TJ Keasal has been dressing up her videogame characters in new-release Nikes and Adidas since she was in middle school. Long before Fortnite let players outfit their avatars, Keasal, a 32-year-old Michigan native, would win tokens in games like NBA Live and use them to upgrade her players’ on-court style with whatever was hottest at the time, be... TJ Keasal has been dressing up her videogame characters in new-release Nikes and Adidas since she...

Art by: Haejin Park. Photos courtesy of Kira Vaden, Tega Akinola, Myra Magdalen

Millennials Brought Back Vinyl. Gen-Z Is Reviving the iPod Shuffle and Ethernet Cables

By Annie Goldsmith · Jan 7, 2022 12:00pm PST · 2 comments

Art by: Haejin Park. Photos courtesy of Kira Vaden, Tega Akinola, Myra Magdalen

Millennials Brought Back Vinyl. Gen-Z Is Reviving the iPod Shuffle and Ethernet Cables

By Annie Goldsmith · Jan 7, 2022 12:00pm PST · 2 comments

Kira Vaden was compulsively refreshing eBay, watching prices rise and fall on one specific product: “vintage” iPod Shuffles from the late aughts. Vaden, a 23-year-old Starbucks barista from Peoria, Ill., finally pulled the trigger in December, purchasing a pack of two Shuffles for $11.50. She didn’t know whether the tiny music players worked or... Kira Vaden was compulsively refreshing eBay, watching prices rise and fall on one specific...

Art by Haejin Park.

For Twenty-Somethings, Parties Are Back. Now, How to Send That Invitation?

By Annie Goldsmith · Dec 10, 2021 9:00am PST · 2 comments

Caroline Leopold was bracing herself. Fingers at the ready, the 25-year-old was stationed at her MacBook, preparing to send roughly 200 individual iMessages. For the next tedious hour and a half, Leopold dragged a JPEG with her tastefully designed, block-letter invite into the app’s blinking gray box, shooting a digital flyer for her upcoming... Caroline Leopold was bracing herself. Fingers at the ready, the 25-year-old was stationed at her...

Art by Haejin Park

Redwood Trees and NFTs: Silicon Valley’s Holiday Gifting Arms Race Is Back

By Annie Goldsmith · Dec 3, 2021 3:00pm PST · 2 comments

Each December, a few lucky individuals come home to a hefty package from Laurene Powell Jobs. The sustainable wooden crate, plopped on doorsteps in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, has included honey from the Jobs family beehives, specialized teas, a collection of the Emerson Collective founder’s favorite books (The Overstory by Richard... Each December, a few lucky individuals come home to a hefty package from Laurene Powell Jobs. The...

Screenshots via TikTok. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Celebrity Kids Thought They Found a Safe Space on TikTok—Then the Knives Came Out

By Annie Goldsmith · Nov 19, 2021 11:30am PST

Sam Williams, an education coordinator for London’s Theatre Royal Windsor, joined TikTok as a casual lockdown activity. The 24-year-old posted his first video with his grandmother in late March 2020, filming her making up joke punchlines (“OK, Ma, how do you sell a pig to a deaf farmer?” Williams asks. His grandmother, yelling: “DO YOU WANT TO... Sam Williams, an education coordinator for London’s Theatre Royal Windsor, joined TikTok as a...