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Rocket Fuel - Issue 07

The Internet Issue

If you only read one thing...

Is the Internet Making Writing Better?

The appeal of internet-speech for me is not unlike that of schadenfreude, a German word without English translation that most nearly describes the sense of joy you might feel at someone else's suffering. In the throes of the internet, capitalization, misspellings, fonts, GIFs, images, emojis, and "keyboard smashing" all combine to convey meaning that plain English is incapable of. What's more, like schadenfreude, they're hyper-specific in what they express; whether that be in tone, feeling, or emotion. Internet-speech is honestly extraordinary and it says something that a publication like The New Yorker (fuddy-duddy enough to still insist on hyphenating "teen-ager") has finally chosen to acknowledge its power.

Acknowledge the power

Toiletpaper Magazine

Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, the creators of Toiletpaper magazine, provided the photo-illustrations in the internet-themed issue of the New York Times Magazine. Bold, bizarre, and bordering on senseless, the artwork featured on this website is nevertheless evocative and well worth exploring. Scroll through their Instagram to see some of their milder content: a beautiful model against a vivid green background, half her hair in curlers... made of hot dogs. Toiletpaper is weird. But its absurdity makes it the perfect pairing to accompany a dissection of the internet.

Roll on

 

Documents Show How Russia’s Troll Army Hit America

In 2014 the idea that a "troll army" could be unleashed by the Russian government to attack and shape public opinion in the US was about as unheard of as Buzzfeed abandoning listicles for real-life journalism. Nevertheless, the two came together to prove to the mainstream media that goofy, wackadoodle internet culture was capable of real political impact. Names of Russia's troll accounts on social media included such gems as "The Ghost of Marius the Giraffe," "Gay Turtle," and "Ass." These accounts were used to incendiary opinions and falsehoods across news sites. At the time, Russia's main goal appeared to be changing the perception of its invasion of Ukraine. Flash forward five years later, though, to today's crisis of misinformation. The internet, fabled information superhighway, now threatens the very things it ought to have cultivated: fact and reason. It's worth revisiting the Ghost of Marius the Giraffe and their cohorts, if only to remind ourselves how absurd news (real and fake) can be.

Unleash the trolls

Astrology in the Age of Uncertainty

If you don't understand the importance of astrology apps to millennials, this is for you. "What's your sign?" is now a given first-date question, especially if you haven't already put the emoji for yours in your Instagram bio. "LITERALLY ME" is the only proper response when you receive a Co-Star meme. And anything that goes wrong while Mercury is in retrograde isn't your fault, it's the stars'.

What's my sign?

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