Kyle Chayka
Kyle Chayka is a staff writer for The New Yorker covering technology and culture on the Internet. His work has also appeared in The New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, and Harper’s, among other publications. His reporting on tourism in Iceland was included in “The Best American Travel Writing 2020.” Chayka’s first nonfiction book, “The Longing for Less,” a history of minimalism, was published in 2020. His second book, "Filterworld," which explores the impact of digital algorithms on culture, was published in 2024.
Apple Is Bringing A.I. to Your Personal Life, Like It or Not
The iPhone maker’s introduction of Apple Intelligence marks a step into a new technological era—call it the domestication of generative A.I.
Is Google S.E.O. Gaslighting the Internet?
Leaked documents provide a glimpse into the inner workings of Google Search—and contradict the company’s public claims.
What Doge Taught Me About the Internet
The death of the Shiba Inu behind one of the silliest memes of the twenty-tens is a reminder of how much digital culture has changed.
The New Generation of Online Culture Curators
In a digital landscape overrun by algorithms and A.I., we need human guides to help us decide what’s worth paying attention to.
Faux ScarJo and the Descent of the A.I. Vultures
OpenAI’s snafu over its “Her”-like voice assistant might be funny if it didn’t portend a larger crisis in the integrity of digital information.
Who Wins and Who Loses When We Share a Meme
Two new books by art-world authors explore online shareability and come to different conclusions about what creators stand to gain.
A TikTok Ban Won’t Fix Social Media
You can take the platform away from American users, but it is far too late to contain the habits that it has unleashed.
The Revenge of the Home Page
As social networks become less reliable distributors of the news, consumers of digital journalism are seeking out an older form of online real estate.
The Dada Era of Internet Memes
How the viral TikToks of a Chinese glycine factory elucidate our increasingly chaotic digital environment.
The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher
Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.
The Dumbphone Boom Is Real
A burgeoning cottage industry caters to beleaguered smartphone users desperate to escape their screens.
Trump’s Social-Media Potemkin Village
After an I.P.O. last week, Truth Social is confronting the gaping incongruity between its valuation and the paltry reality of its product.
A Dutch Architect’s Vision of Cities That Float on Water
What if building on the water could be safer and sturdier than building on flood-prone land?
“Argylle” Is the I.P. Ouroboros That Hollywood Hath Wrought
Intentionally or not, the new spy movie suggests the extreme convolutions that a production must undergo to justify its existence as an original story.
America’s Paranoid Taylor Swift Super Bowl MAGA Fever Dream
The fate of everything from the N.F.L. to American democracy has been sucked up in the Swiftularity.
Coming of Age at the Dawn of the Social Internet
Online platforms allowed me to cultivate a freer version of myself. Then the digital world began to close off.
The Terrible Twenties? The Assholocene? What to Call Our Chaotic Era
There is something paradoxical about pinning a name on an age characterized by extreme uncertainty. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying.
Elon Musk’s Poisoned Platform
Users and advertisers are fleeing X after Musk’s message supporting an antisemitic conspiracy theory. But the platform seems destined to die a slow death.
Your A.I. Companion Will Support You No Matter What
New chatbots offer friendship, intimacy, and unconditional encouragement. Do they mitigate isolation or exacerbate it?
Apple Is Bringing A.I. to Your Personal Life, Like It or Not
The iPhone maker’s introduction of Apple Intelligence marks a step into a new technological era—call it the domestication of generative A.I.
Is Google S.E.O. Gaslighting the Internet?
Leaked documents provide a glimpse into the inner workings of Google Search—and contradict the company’s public claims.
What Doge Taught Me About the Internet
The death of the Shiba Inu behind one of the silliest memes of the twenty-tens is a reminder of how much digital culture has changed.
The New Generation of Online Culture Curators
In a digital landscape overrun by algorithms and A.I., we need human guides to help us decide what’s worth paying attention to.
Faux ScarJo and the Descent of the A.I. Vultures
OpenAI’s snafu over its “Her”-like voice assistant might be funny if it didn’t portend a larger crisis in the integrity of digital information.
Who Wins and Who Loses When We Share a Meme
Two new books by art-world authors explore online shareability and come to different conclusions about what creators stand to gain.
A TikTok Ban Won’t Fix Social Media
You can take the platform away from American users, but it is far too late to contain the habits that it has unleashed.
The Revenge of the Home Page
As social networks become less reliable distributors of the news, consumers of digital journalism are seeking out an older form of online real estate.
The Dada Era of Internet Memes
How the viral TikToks of a Chinese glycine factory elucidate our increasingly chaotic digital environment.
The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher
Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.
The Dumbphone Boom Is Real
A burgeoning cottage industry caters to beleaguered smartphone users desperate to escape their screens.
Trump’s Social-Media Potemkin Village
After an I.P.O. last week, Truth Social is confronting the gaping incongruity between its valuation and the paltry reality of its product.
A Dutch Architect’s Vision of Cities That Float on Water
What if building on the water could be safer and sturdier than building on flood-prone land?
“Argylle” Is the I.P. Ouroboros That Hollywood Hath Wrought
Intentionally or not, the new spy movie suggests the extreme convolutions that a production must undergo to justify its existence as an original story.
America’s Paranoid Taylor Swift Super Bowl MAGA Fever Dream
The fate of everything from the N.F.L. to American democracy has been sucked up in the Swiftularity.
Coming of Age at the Dawn of the Social Internet
Online platforms allowed me to cultivate a freer version of myself. Then the digital world began to close off.
The Terrible Twenties? The Assholocene? What to Call Our Chaotic Era
There is something paradoxical about pinning a name on an age characterized by extreme uncertainty. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying.
Elon Musk’s Poisoned Platform
Users and advertisers are fleeing X after Musk’s message supporting an antisemitic conspiracy theory. But the platform seems destined to die a slow death.
Your A.I. Companion Will Support You No Matter What
New chatbots offer friendship, intimacy, and unconditional encouragement. Do they mitigate isolation or exacerbate it?