For three and a half years, from 2008 to 2011, Urlesque was the definitive site covering the internet as its own culture. Then AOL shut it down and erased it from the web.

The rise and fall of Urlesque, the site that wanted to take memes mainstream

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Kira Deshler is a former assistant newsletter editor at the Daily Dot. Kira received a Master&#8217;s in Media Studies from UT Austin and has previously written for sites like Slash Film and Looper. She runs her own Substack newsletter, Paging Dr. Lesbian, and is a member of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

Kira Deshler

Gwenpool, Gwen Stacy mashup has Marvel fans rolling their eyes

Neil Gaiman fans reevaluate identity, fandom following harrowing exposé

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‘Arcane’s’ CaitVi relationship has fans cheering for more

‘Agatha All Along’ divides MCU purists and queer fans

The band Twenty One Pilots surrounded by fan art. There is text in a Daily Dot newsletter web_crawlr font that says 'Decoding Fandom' in the bottom right corner.

For Twenty One Pilots fans, fan art is a means of expression, community-building

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Rachel Kiley is a writer who sometimes writes things and sometimes is based in L.A., but is definitely always on Twitter @rachelkiley.

Rachel Kiley

goth chicks in alabama now local news anchor

“They got goth chick news in Alabama now”: Local news anchor goes viral over tattoos and piercing

Jamie Jirak has been working as an entertainment journalist since 2017. In addition to The Daily Dot, you can find her latest work at SlashFilm and That Hashtag Show. Jamie resides in Los Angeles and co-hosts two podcasts, Phase Hero and Love in the Time of Hydra. She loves moderating panels and has done so for Marvel, Disney, Netflix, and more. Follow her on Letterboxd: @JamieJirak.

Jamie Jirak

Entertainment

After his role as JFK Jr. in “Love Story,” Batman fans want Paul Anthony Kelly to play Bruce Wayne next

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

Susan LaMarca

Left: Blonde woman in front of a loft apartment, text overlay reads, "This person is trying to rent out the condo I own and currently live in?" Right: Text exchange.

“Her responses are FRYING ME”: Woman calls out scammer trying to rent out her loft. Their reply has people gagged

Left: A screenshot of Hello Kitty Island Adventure gameplay; Right: A blue pizza with star-shaped cheese

Creative fans attempted to bake the pizza recipes from “Hello Kitty Island Adventure”

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

L: Eileen Gu at the Olympics; R: JD Vance on Fox News

Viral Politics

JD Vance says he would “prefer” Eileen Gu represent the U.S. instead of China, sparking a fresh wave of backlash towards the athlete

Rebecca Leib

Left: Front of a Cheesecake Factory restaurant against a blue sky. Right: TikTok screenshot of a Cheesecake Factory kitchen in the aftermath of Valentine's Day, 2026, dishes piled high. Text overlay reads, "Happy Valentine's Day."

“It is 1:17 in the morning”: Video of Cheesecake Factory kitchen on Valentine’s Day is making people rethink eating there

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Katy Perry on helicopter holding light against close up of her. There is text that says Decoding Fandom in the bottom left corner.

The Katy Perry fandom can’t save her from flopping

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