Culture
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The digital dark age: will Gen Z leave anything behind?
Gen Z produces culture at unprecedented speed, yet its permanence is increasingly uncertain. As digital content disappears into unstable platforms and algorithmic archives, the conditions for a digital dark age emerge. Set against moments like Black Lives Matter and the removal of statues – where contested histories are actively reconfigured – the paradox deepens: a…
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Re-run culture: Why fashion can’t stop returning to Y2K
Y2K is making a comeback, but this isn’t just another trend cycle. As fashion leans harder into the past, nostalgia is turning into one of the industry’s most profitable tools. At Paris Fashion Week in 2026, the 2000s were not just a reference; in fact it heavily influenced the runway. Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection features…
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Glastonbury is cancelled! Here’s what we think is replacing it this year.
For over five decades, Glastonbury festival has stood the test of time as a defining pillar of British music culture. Described as an annual pilgrimage where music, culture, politics and art converge in the fields of Somerset, its cancellation leaves a huge void in this year’s festival line up, so, what’s taking its place this…
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From Berlin to TikTok: the rise of people who identify as dogs
In September 2023, around 1,000 people gathered at Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz railway station. Some wore canine masks. Others barked, howled, and moved on all fours. Organised as a show of solidarity for those who identify as dogs, the event blurred the line between protest, performance, and identity. For critics, it was spectacle. For participants, it…
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The return of the 2000s digicam
Once a relic of the early 2000s, the compact digital camera has become a defining accessory for Gen Z, shaping how the next generation documents its life. At Goldsmiths, University of London, photography lecturers Ivan Coleman and David Ramkalawon, both practising documentary photographers with over 30 years of experience, have seen this shift up close.…
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Beyond the bass: inside London’s rave culture
For London’s young ravers, the dancefloor is more than a night out, offering a space to connect and step outside the pressures of everyday life. The bass arrives before the music fully takes shape, travelling through the concrete floor of an underground warehouse, rising through the soles of your shoes before the melody properly lands.…
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Who is Niko Omilana?
Niko Omilana is the creator behind the hugely popular YouTube persona “The Niko Defence League”. The 28-year-old London-based YouTuber began posting videos online when he was just 13 years old, originally creating content for fun. Today he has more than eight million subscribers, his own football team and even a sweets brand. But beyond the…
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The disappearing high street
High streets are on an all-time decline, and it’s only beginning to get worse – here is why a range of local shops are vanishing. The high street used to be the hub of towns and cities throughout the United Kingdom, where people went shopping, made friends, and fostered a sense of community. Many of these streets now convey a…
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8 cultural symbols in Bad Bunny’s Superbowl Halftime Show and why they’ve never been more important
Two weeks after Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, the echoes of his star-studded performance continue to polarise social media. In an era of profound political turbulence, his defiant showcase sparked a very necessary conversation. The sugar cane fields featured in the beginning of Bad Bunny’s performance were an ode to Puerto Rico’s agricultural…