Online Culture

How Gaming is Reviving Classical Music

By Jenny O'Connor | October 11, 2024
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When you think of gaming soundtracks, you might recall nostalgic 8-bit melodies, thumping EDM, or symphonic scores backing epic fantasy scenes. But today, there’s a quieter, unexpected phenomenon happening in the gaming world—players are rediscovering classical music, and it’s not just in the background anymore. From rhythm games to grand story arcs, the symphonies of Beethoven, Mozart, and even Wagner are gaining new audiences, turning gaming into an unlikely conduit for introducing players to the world of classical music.

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How Gaming is Rewriting the Rules of Makeup

By Jenny O'Connor | October 8, 2024
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The collision of gaming culture and beauty is redefining the makeup landscape, moving away from traditional glam into something far more digital, sleek, and surreal. As social media continues to serve as a breeding ground for trends, beauty influencers are transforming makeup into a futuristic art form that borrows heavily from gaming’s hyperreal worlds and aesthetics like Frutiger Aero. This resurgence, sparked by a fascination with the gloss and glow of early 2000s tech, speaks to a broader cultural desire for escapism, immersion, and self-expression.

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The Bell Tree Forums and Forum Culture

By Jenny O'Connor | September 19, 2024
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In the fast-paced world of social media, The Bell Tree Forums offer a slice of internet nostalgia where Animal Crossing fans still find their digital home. Long before Twitter wars and TikTok trends, there were forums—a simpler, slower-paced corner of the internet where people gathered to discuss their passions in depth. Among these early digital…

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Fantage: A Glittering Digital Ghost Town

By Jenny O'Connor | August 27, 2024
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Ah, Fantage—a flashback to the days when the internet felt like a freshly discovered galaxy. Imagine it: 2008, an era where the internet was less algorithmic and more anarchic, where the hottest trend wasn’t about who had the most followers, but who had the most neon-clad avatar in an online game designed for kids. Fantage was the digital utopia for the tweenage crowd, a place where your biggest dilemma was whether to splurge your hard-earned Stars on a new virtual outfit or save up for a more exclusive hairdo. It was a pixelated paradise, until it wasn’t.

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Vapourwave: The Aesthetic of Digital Dystopia

By Jenny O'Connor | August 26, 2024

Exploring the Dreamlike Nostalgia of an Internet-Born Subculture The 2010s saw the birth of countless digital subcultures, but none have lingered in our collective consciousness quite like Vapourwave. What started as a niche internet movement has become a defining aesthetic for a generation that’s both obsessed with and critical of the past. Dismissed by some…

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So… Why Are Trinkets Now Cool?

By Jenny O'Connor | August 22, 2024

The trend of collecting things obsessively, from tiny figurines to trading cards, isn’t just a fleeting fad—it’s a deep-seated part of our culture, one that has been constantly evolving yet ever-present. Whether it’s Sonny Angels, Pokémon cards, or even vintage annuals, there’s something magnetic about the act of collecting that resonates across generations.

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How “Very Mindful, Very Demure” Became the Internet’s Latest Phrase

By Jenny O'Connor | August 19, 2024

Because nothing says “I’m totally unbothered” like meticulously curated restraint. The internet, a wild and unpredictable beast, never fails to surprise with the phrases it decides to bless—or curse—us with. This time, it’s the delightful “very mindful, very demure,” a phrase that’s somehow managed to infiltrate our collective consciousness, especially on TikTok, turning everything from…

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Charli XCX’s Brat Era Takes Over Dress to Impress

By Jenny O'Connor | August 18, 2024
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This Might Be the Best Brat Collab Yet Just when we thought our favourite digital dress-up game, Dress to Impress (DTI), had reached its peak, they’ve gone and outdone themselves. If you read our recent piece, “The New Era of Digital Dress-Up: How Roblox’s Dress to Impress Captivates a Generation”, you’ll know we’re completely besotted…

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City Pop: The Soundtrack and Aesthetic of 1980s Japan

By Jenny O'Connor | August 13, 2024
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Exploring the vibrant music and visual culture that captured the essence of Japan’s urban lifestyle during its economic boom, and its resurgence in the digital age. You’re walking through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo at night. The city is alive with the hum of life, from the buzzing sounds of arcades to the chatter of…

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The New Era of Digital Dress-Up: How Roblox’s “Dress to Impress” Captivates a Generation

By Team G.URL | August 12, 2024
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Once shaped by nostalgic browser games, Gen Z are now finding fashion-forward fun and creativity in Roblox’s latest hit, “Dress to Impress.” Written by Ore Adeyoola In recent years, many female gamers have reminisced on their childhood memories of sites like GirlsGoGames and Disney’s Pixie Hollows, which have long passed their peak popularity and, in…

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