Between ever-changing TikTok trends, Twitter battles filled with self-referential hashtags, prank accounts, and irreverent memes, it can sometimes be hard to make sense of what we’ll conveniently call “web culture.” How can we understand this language that blurs the line between reality and fiction, satire and kindness, mockery and advocacy? Here are some key points and references.
A few years ago, one of the flagship podcasts of American storytelling, Reply All, featured a delightful segment called “Yes Yes No.” At the end of each episode, the show’s host would explain a viral tweet, breaking down all the layers of references within it.
In Quebec, the new podcast Café Snake aims to carry on this tradition. Launched in July, this podcast, hosted by Daphné B (poet and columnist for La Presse) and Mounir Kaddouri (Mayor of Laval), seeks to dissect and analyze recent highlights from web culture. For example, the surprising rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar (episode 2), or the RushTok phenomenon and “micromoves” (episode 6).
Long before that, in 2022, another web culture enthusiast, Alexandra Pelletier, set out to explain the codes and latest trends of the internet through a newsletter called Pot-pourri digital. According to the author, the newsletter “has gained momentum in recent months.”
“My publishing frequency is much more consistent and faster (especially when it comes to covering trends),” she explained by email. “Subscribers range from journalists covering web news, to digital consultants, artists, college and university professors, and anyone interested in pop and digital culture.”
Alexandra Pelletier has been involved in the early days of the web.
“I’ve been interested in digital culture since I created a MySpace profile at age 14. My past studies [in communications], my job [digital communications consultant], and my personal interests are closely tied to digital changes, so I naturally keep up with it,” she explains.
To stay on top of the latest trends, Alexandra Pelletier has her own go-to reading list, drawing inspiration and understanding of the web from newsletters and podcasts by Taylor Lorenz (Power User) and Centennial World (Infinite Scroll), which she considers “must-reads/listens!”
No more single epicenter today
At one time, Twitter and Facebook were the central hubs for creating and spreading web phenomena. Is that still the case? With the rise of TikTok and the arrival of the newest platform, Threads, we asked her what she thinks is today’s epicenter of web culture.
“It’s a loaded question!” she replies spontaneously. “First, it’s impossible to separate web culture from the social, political, and technological context it exists in. Algorithms and moderation policies can amplify certain voices and erase others (this is why you often see algo-speak, content that tries to bypass platform censorship).”
She also points out that web culture can bleed into “real life.” It creates “mass” trends that are adopted by politicians, celebrities, and companies (think of the recent “Very demure, very mindful” or the Brat aesthetic of Charli XCX adopted by Kamala Harris).
“We are essentially witnessing a fragmentation of trends depending on the platforms where communities of interest or individuals participate. So, there’s no single epicenter, but rather a crossing of multiple epicenters that vary by age, interest, platform, etc.”
However, the author of Pot-pourri digital notes that, due to its algorithm, TikTok has widely proliferated content that has been picked up by the media in recent years, citing an example from Rolling Stone to illustrate her point.
Be selective with references
Looking back, one may wonder if it’s really necessary to understand all the layers of web culture, which is often very American and self-referential.
“If you’re a community manager or digital consultant, you don’t need to master every web reference, but you do need to show discernment and not get swept away by the trend of the moment if it doesn’t serve your brand’s mission or strategy. You need to keep in mind the objectives driving your online presence and choose content (memes or otherwise) that aligns with and highlights your goals. Trends should be approached with caution!”
This advice takes away the pressure to follow and understand everything!
