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The Daily Dot

Susan is a freelance writer following humanity one UGC at a time.

Susan LaMarca

Culture

Here’s why “achievement cakes” are popping up as the latest self-validation trend

Lindsey is a Seattle area writer interested in all things society, including internet culture, politics, and mental health. Outside of the Daily Dot, her work can be found in publications such as The Mary Sue, Truthout, and YES! Magazine.

Lindsey Weedston

Left: Logo for social media app X- white on black. Right: Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., speaks during the Atreju convention in Rome.

“This is actually worse”: Grok limits its disturbing “undressing” feature to paying users

Left: Tweet reading "When I learned about "lowkirkenuinely" I had to just sit with it and process it for about two days." Yellow background of repeating "thug life" meme black glasses pixel art. Right: Man with dreadlocks looking into the camera underneath text reading "lowkirkenuinely."

“Lowkirkenuinely” is the latest example of meme language going too far

Left: TikTok screenshot of a 2026 punch card. Text overlay reads, "How I made my 2026 punch cards" above a card reading "self date." Middle: Text reading "2026 punch cards" above a woman holding little cards reading, one of which reads "consistence @ gym." Right: Punch card reading "Drink 2 water bottles."

Forget bingo cards—2026 punch cards are how TikTok is tracking goals now

Anna is a freelance writer with far too much time on her hands. When she&#8217;s not writing about memes and internet slang, she can be found running TTRPGs online.

Anna Good

blackface samoan woman tiktok controversy

A video falsely accused a woman of “blackface,” highlighting misunderstandings about Polynesian identity

Binary code digital background in blue. Screenshot of an interaction between a man and an AI chatbot, he writes "it is insane" and she responds "If being a feminist is a deal-breaker for you, then I guess there's nothing more to discuss here. Thank you for your honesty, Hicht.""

Conservative says his AI girlfriend dumped him after he berated her for being a “feminist”

Left: Two young teens with their heads in their hands on a beach, feigning disappointment. Text overlay reads, "POV air space is closed and we're stuck in St Barths." Right: Woman in a white bathrobe and large hotel room on the phone, text overlay reads, "Trying to extract billionaires from St. Barths after all flights are grounded following Trump capturing the Venezuelan president."

“People died”: Rich vacationers are “trapped” in St. Barths after Venezuelan airspace shuts down and the internet is unmoved

Active dad and his young son playing soccer in the backyard of a house. Tweet overlay reads, "My feelings of love toward them are perfectly strong, but if I have to watch them or entertain them for more than about 10 minutes my blood starts to boil."

“Am I just a monster?”: Dad admits, unprompted, that his “blood starts to boil” if he has to spend over 10 minutes with his kids

“Technically true”: 16 brave adults reveal what’s questionable about their resumes

Left: meme of dog looking shocked and scared looking at a phone, tweet text overlay reads, "this is genuinely the worst advice i have ever read in my entire life. this guy is 100% a virgin." Right: Screenshot of marriage advice from a manosphere influencer.

“Divorce speedrun”: Comically terrible marriage advice turns manosphere “coach” into a laughingstock

Charlotte is a regular Daily Dot contributor with bylines in Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. She holds a Masters&#8217;s degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.

Charlotte Colombo

Why TikTok won’t stop debating whether or not Ethan Slater is going to be “Pete Davidsoned”

Left: Two shirtless men, father and son, text over older man's head reads "Dad 41," text over younger man's head reads "Son 18." Right: Father and son walking through a parking lot, lifting their shirts up.

“Please be kind”: OnlyFans dad defends his decision to collaborate with his son

best dating questions to reveal someones true personality

These 17 first date “vibe check” questions help reveal someone’s real personality

Left: Surgeon wearing makeup and scrubs, looking into the camera, text overlay reads, "Asking ChatGPT what the most ridiculous question I asked this year was." Right: ChatGPT screenshot showing the LLM answering a surgeon's "most ridiculous question" of 2025.