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The Independent •

Fans point out failed predictions in Kim Kardashian’s letter to her 2025 self

A letter Kim Kardashian wrote to her future self in 2015 has resurfaced, and fans are pointing out that some of her predictions for 2025 missed the mark. A decade-old video for Glamour magazine offers a glimpse into the reality star’s mindset a decade ago and her expectations for her future. Fans have had mixed reactions to the predictions, with some highlighting their accuracy and others reflecting on the failed precdictions, and on the unpredictability of life, even for someone as influential...
The Independent •

TikTok star Beandri Booysen dies at 19 from rare disease that causes rapid aging

South African TikTok star Beandri Booysen has passed away at the age of 19 after succumbing to Progeria, a disease that causes rapid aging in children.On Wednesday (December 18), her mother, Bea Booysen, confirmed the news in a heartfelt Facebook post titled “In Loving Memory of Beandri Booysen.” Shared in the “Beandri, Our Inspiration” group, created by the family 15 years ago, Bea’s message read: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Beandri Booysen, one of South Africa’s mo...
The Independent •

‘Women in male fields’ TikTok trend exposes the realities of modern dating

The “women in male fields” trend on TikTok has gone viral, shedding light on the realities many women face while dating men, and inspiring men to create their own spin-off of the popular trend.Often using Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” among other songs as the soundtrack, women are flipping the narrative on relationship double standards by humorously proclaiming to reenact stereotypically male behaviors themselves in their own dating lives, resulting in a mix of dark humor, and collective catharsis. F...
The Independent •

Student offered vouchers after finding dead gecko in her Cinnamon Toast Crunch

A student found a gecko in her Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and was offered vouchers as compensation. Sharing the ordeal on X (formerly Twitter), the student posted photos of the gecko floating in milk and being retrieved with a spoon, captioning the post: “There’s no f***ing way this happened to me.”“I noticed a lizard in my cereal when I was halfway done,” they added, writing it might’ve crawled in while she was preparing it. “I think it did crawl [because] I left it unattended for like 10min...
The Independent •

Dublin hosts Paul Mescal lookalike contest – and the results are hilarious

A Paul Mescal lookalike contest in Dublin has delivered some hilariously disappointing results.On Thursday (November 7), dozens of young men dressed in the Normal People star’s O’Neills short-shorts, gold chains, and wired headphones flocked to Smithfield Square. Hours later, Mescal himself would arrive at the square for the Gladiator II premiere. The prize for the contest’s winner was three pints, €20, and all the “bragging rights” a Mescal doppelganger could hope for.Several contestants told t...
The Independent •

What is Gay Halloween? Meme takes over social media with obscure pop culture costumes

From niche costumes to obscure pop culture references, the “I hate gay Halloween” trend has exploded on social media, as people show off their most unique and hyper-specific Halloween looks with humor. According to the meme database Know Your Meme, the trend originated in recent years as an ongoing joke among the LGBTQ+ community, as a way to dress up in an obscure costume that would most likely only be understood by another queer person.In line with the trend, many social media posts typically...
The Independent •

What are ‘boo baskets’? Latest Halloween TikTok trend sparks debate among parents

Boo baskets have taken families by storm this Halloween. If you follow any influencers or seasonal content creators, you’ve likely seen these cropping up all over your feeds. The “boo basket” – originally a spooky take on Secret Santa – would consist of a basket or bucket filled with candy and a smattering of plastic trinkets left on a neighbor’s doorstep along with notes that said, “You’ve been BOOed!” In turn, the neighbor would have to “boo” the next person. However, the trend has evolved int...
The Independent •

Gen Z reacts to unexpected payouts from Juul class-action lawsuit

Gen Z was in for a pleasant surprise when Juul’s class action lawsuit payouts were distributed.After many filed claims in a class-action lawsuit against Juul in 2021, some were shocked to have received a lawsuit payment on 21 October. When Drewe Raimi filed as a college student, she said she did it as a joke, but to her surprise years later, she received an unexpected Venmo payment of nearly $3,500 from “Juul Labs, Inc. Settlement Administrator.”To the song “Life Is Worth Living” by Justin Biebe...
The Independent •

What is ‘hoa hoa hoa’ season? How ‘Twilight’ soundtrack evokes cold weather nostalgia

With fall having arrived in full force, many social media users have taken to declare that “hoa hoa hoa season” has arrived. Inspired by the aesthetics of the first movie of the Twilight saga and its soundtrack, particularly “Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation, scoring sweeping shots of foggy pine trees and cold grey skies, vocals singing “hoa hoa hoa” at the beginning of the song have in recent years become emblematic of cold weather nostalgia. This year, social media users are saying goodbye to...
The Independent •

Zoo admits that their pandas are actually ‘painted dogs’

A Chinese zoo has admitted that the pandas in their exhibits were, in fact, “painted dogs.” According to the New York Post, visitors at the Shanwei Zoo realized they were being bamboozled when the so-called pandas began panting and barking. Pandas are native to China and an international symbol of the country. In one visitor’s video, one of the “pandas” was visibly panting while resting on a rock in a fence, while another clip had a panda with a long tail strolling about.“It’s a PANdog,” one vie...
The Independent •

Mother goes viral for emailing teacher to opt son out of homework

A mother has gone viral after emailing her son’s teacher in an effort to opt out of homework. In a viral TikTok video, mother-of-three Cayley (@cayleyxo) shared how her son received a 15 to 20-page, double-sided homework packet on his first day of kindergarten. The packet was meant to encompass all of his homework for August, but when the sight of it stressed her son out, she sent the teacher a “cutesy” email. She started the video, explaining: “I sent my son’s kindergarten teacher a cutesy litt...
The Independent •

Passenger of nine-month cruise says it’s ‘bizarre’ to return to land as trip ends

A passenger of the infamous nine-month cruise said it’ll be “bizarre” to return to land after the trip ends. In a TikTok video, Dr Jenny (@drjennytravels) has been chronicling her entire journey aboard a nine-month cruise around the world, gaining a loyal following in the process. With less than a week left of her trip, the doctor has been reflecting on her experience, noting how “bizarre” it will be to step on land after being at sea for so long. “Look at this,” she said in the video, pointing...
The Independent •

Two passengers lock crying child in airplane bathroom on flight

Two strangers locked a little girl in an airplane bathroom after the child wouldn’t stop crying. According to CNN, the shocking incident occurred on a Juneyao Airlines flight from the southwestern city of Guiyang to Shanghai on 24 August. Video, which went viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, captured two strangers refusing to let out a little girl from the bathroom if she didn’t stop crying. Although the clip has since been deleted from the platform, one of the strangers, a woman, re...
The Independent •

‘She doesn’t live in Paris, she survives’: Influencer shocks viewers with apartment

An influencer’s tiny $530-a-month Paris apartment shocks viewers. In a viral Instagram video, Peruvian communications student Natalia Vega showed off her 97-square-foot apartment in the City of Light’s gorgeous 7th arrondissement. After moving from Peru to Paris in December 2021, she began posting content chronicling her adventures as a student in France. More than 50,000 followers later, Vega gave her followers an insight into the not-so-glamorous side of living in Paris. She took viewers on an...
The Independent •

What is TikTok’s ‘very demure, very mindful’ trend?

The “very demure, very mindful” trend has taken over TikTok. In a viral TikTok video, self-described “fierce diva” and content creator Jools Lebron shared a satirical clip on why women should present themselves conservatively in the workplace. She recommended that women rock looks that are “demure and modest and respectful at the workplace.”“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful,” Lebron said in the video. “I don’t come to work with a green-cut crease. I don’t look like...
The Independent •

Influencer couple say they felt ‘vulnerable’ during their stay in a glass hotel room

An influencer couple have claimed they were left feeling “vulnerable” during their stay in a glass hotel room. In a viral video shared on the popular TikTok account A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour, Margaret Bienert and her husband Corey shared footage from their stay at the Paradiso Hotel a few years ago in Ibiza, Spain. “When I say glass box hotel room, I mean a literal glass box in the lobby of the hotel. We were super unprepared for the experience,” she explained. “All I knew going into this was tha...
The Independent •

Are you ‘doomscrolling’? New study reveals its negative impacts

Scientists have found evidence proving that “doomscrolling” is bad for your brain. In a recent study published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior Reports, a team of researchers found there was a connection between doomscrolling and feelings of existential anxiety, despair, distrust, and suspicion of others after surveying over 800 university students from the US and Iran.According to Flinders University researcher Reza Shabahang, who is the study’s lead author, constant exposure to ne...
The Independent •

TikTokers react to ‘Sweet Valley High’ author Francine Pascal’s death

An outpour of heartbroken reactions have emerged on TikTok upon news of author Francine Pascal’s death. On Sunday, 28 July, the 92-year-old former soap opera scriptwriter and best-selling author of the Sweet Valley High young adult series died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital from lymphoma. The news of her death was confirmed by her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal. In one video shared to TikTok after the news, a user named Shonda expressed her shock and grief, addressing her fellow Gen X young adul...
The Independent •

What is ‘rejection therapy’? New TikTok trend pushes people to combat social anxiety

TikTok’s latest mental health trend, called “rejection therapy,” is offering one way to combat social anxiety. With the “rejection therapy” tag garnering more than 63 million views on TikTok, many people have increasingly documented their trials and tribulations as they place themselves in scenarios where they could be socially rejected. From giving a stranger their number to asking someone to buy them food, users are embracing discomfort as a way to overcome their fears and build their confiden...
The Independent •

The cringey internet trend so many are guilty of: What is Sadfishing?

Anyone who uses social media will recognize that one chronic oversharer who posts cryptic quotes about self-worth on their Instagram Stories or vague captions hinting that karma will be coming for some unsuspecting someone.

Academic researchers have called this attention-seeking behavior “sadfishing” – the act of posting on social media for sympathetic comments and reactions.

The term was first coined by journalist Rebecca Reid in 2019 when it turned out that Kendall Jenner‘s vulnerable tale o
The Independent •

Controversial TikTok personality Kyle Marisa Roth dead at 36

In an announcement on Instagram on 15 April, Roth’s sister Lindsay shared with fans that the TikTokker died from unknown causes. “As a family we are still processing and deciding how to properly celebrate and honor her life,” Lindsay wrote. “We don’t know [what] happened yet.”

“So many people with her humor, intelligence, beauty, gossip activism, athleticism and more,” she continued. “She had so many gifts. if anyone wants to connect about Kyle, I'm here to talk and share memories.”

She promis
The Independent •

Logan Paul and model Nina Agdal are expecting first child together

The 29-year-old YouTuber and the model announced their pregnancy by debuting her baby bump on Instagram with a series of sweet snaps of the pair kissing and proudly showing off ultrasound pictures of their unborn child. They captioned the carousel of photos, writing: “Another Paul coming this Fall.”

According to a March interview with the Daily Mail, Agdal revealed that the pair got engaged in Lake Como, Italy, in July 2023, just two months after celebrating their one-year anniversary. She expl
The Independent •

What are carefluencers? How influencers are inspiring a generation of caregivers

Carefluencers are highlighting what it’s like to take care of elderly relatives by sharing their day-to-day on the internet.

Grandchildren are increasingly making content on social media showing their grandparents enjoying their old age and going about their lives. Francesca Falzarano - an assistant professor at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology - told The New York Times that her researchers have coined a term for people who are giving a behind-the-scenes
The Independent •

Porsche pokes fun at Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Beauty phone cases with April Fools’ ad

In honour of April Fools’ Day, luxury car brand, Porsche, hopped on the trend poking fun at Hailey Bieber’s polarising Rhode Beauty phone cases with their own version in a recent Instagram reel.

Bearing a similar grey colour, the Porsche version has its logo emblazoned on the case as well as a similar compartment to hold things. However, instead of holding Bieber’s popular lip balm, the case carries a set of car keys.

In the video’s caption, the brand wrote: “Phone, wallet, keys? Not anymore!
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