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The most famous dog on the internet

User Mag · Taylor Lorenz · last updated

As Elon Musk’s influence has grown, so has his rampant egomania. Faiz Siddiqui is a former colleague of mine at The Washington Post and he’s the author of the new book Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk. He joined my podcast Power User this week to break down exactly how Musk’s narcissism has evolved throughout his career, and the key moments that reveal just how deeply Elon’s self-obsession has shaped his life and the future he claims to build. Watch on YouTube!

 

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Is internet culture reporting dead?

Journalist Kate Lindsey put this question in a group chat of a bunch of online culture reporters yesterday. First of all: online culture reporting is far from dead. It’s more relevant than ever as our entire political system becomes more and more intertwined with online culture and shaped by platform dynamics. But, mainstream media orgs don’t seem to be hiring anyone to cover this beat in the way they were a decade ago when there were internet culture reporters at almost every major digital media outlet.

Kate wrote up a piece talking to several of us about why that is. (TLDR all of legacy media is crumbling!!!). The MSM has done a great job focusing on covering a lot of the Silicon Valley elite currently taking over our government, but as Kate writes: The issue is not that publications are reporting on the tech elite pulling strings in our government, but that fewer and fewer reporters are assigned to covering the people living with the consequences of those power moves—for instance, the U.S. State Department’s expansion of “social media vetting” for student visa applicants or Meta’s censorship of content about Palestine.”

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(Below we have a guest post from Prattay, an up and coming journalist who will hopefully be contributing more to User Mag!)

The King Charles dog Reels cinematic universe lore explained

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The dog you are seeing in the above pictures is the most famous dog in the world right now. King Charles, a shaggy white-haired dog nicknamed Changmao, or “long hair” by Chinese internet users, initially went viral on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and lives in a small dog shelter in China.

People are obsessed with King Charles because he is the perceived “alpha” of the animal rescue center. He’s able to calm other dogs, assert his dominance, and overall seems to run the show. People began adding voiceovers, ascribing full narratives to the dog’s behavior and calling him king and the other dogs his loyal subjects. For instance, when his subjects fought, King Charles would calmly walk over, identify the troublemaker, and then put them in their place, most of the time with his signature move of walking over their body.

People were shocked that dogs nearly twice his size would cower and bow in the presence of King Charles. They decided that he had unfathomable “aura.” TikTok edits started flooding the platform and people began breaking down things like King Charles’ Top Five Aura Moments and making fan accounts. YouTubers began to do deep dive investigations into the interpersonal dynamics of the dogs at the rescue center. Even Facebook slop pages are posting about King Charles.

Young people have also been recreating the group scenes between dogs. One group of students rendition of King Charles dog pack dynamics has reached over 12.5 million views on TikTok. Recently a new character has entered the dog shelter named Tyrant (a labrador who is equally dominating and many say he will dethrone Charles, which threw the dogarchy into absolute chaos).

The King Charles dog universe is similar to the rise of Italian Brain Rot or the Tim Cheese vs John Pork lore. People online crave immersive, participatory storytelling intertwined with irony and absurdist humor. The internet rewards users who can ride the edge of the absurd, creating personas or content that are both mockery and celebration.

More broadly, accounts like this reflect a post-authenticity moment online, where the line between parody and genuine expression is intentionally blurred. The King Charles meme isn’t just funny but is a reflection of how Gen Z and younger millennials experience authority, masculinity, and fame in a world where nothing stays sacred and everything can be content. Also, you know what? It’s kinda refreshing that this one’s actually real and not some AI-generated fever dream.

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What I’m reading

Days-Long ‘Dark Retreats’ Are the Newest Spiritual Conquest for Tech Elites

A crypto founder and celebrities like Aaron Rodgers and Tiffany Haddish have tried the pitch-black retreats, described as “meditation on steroids.” Some see terrifying hallucinations. — WIRED

Reality TV Has a New Recipe for Success: Trauma

Bravo shows used to give us frothy gossip and drunken squabbles. Now they’re toying with unsettling new dramatic engines: abuse, assault and victimization. — NY Times

In the age of slop, craft is rebellion

A conversation about craft, code, and creative freedom with indie game artisan Neal Agarwal, creator of Neal.fun. – Working Theorys

Feudalism Is Our Future

What the next Dark Ages could look like. – The Atlantic

Nathan Fielder on ‘The Rehearsal’ Finale, His Failed Communications With Sully and How Often He’s Flying Today

The comedian broke down some of the biggest moments from season two during a FYC conversation with Jack Black. – The Hollywood Reporter

Silicon Valley wants to help me make a superbaby. Should I let it?

High-powered couples are turning to genetic-testing startups to help “design” their offspring. I decided to take the first steps myself. – The San Francisco Standard

Hollywood Has Left Los Angeles

For years, studios found it cheaper to shoot elsewhere. And now that the industry has collapsed, elsewhere is the only place they’ll shoot. – Vulture

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