12 new york | december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020
Select All:The GrandInternet BestiaryDiagramming the characters who
dominated your feed this year.By Brian Feldman➽the internet is a lot like the ocean—there’s
tons of garbage in it, and 90 percent of the species
that inhabit it are undiscovered. Internet archetypes are
much more varied than they were at the start of the
information age, when there was one type of stereotypical
internet user (basement dwelling, unclean, probably
a dude). Now there exists a whole phylum of user types,
each with its own aesthetics and community, building
presences on every type of platform. Here, some you
might have encountered in 2019.intelligencerNearly half of American adults
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SnowfTFrom around? Anskin care, or LuLstarted selling essential oils tooprofArea 51 Raider
find him on: Facebook
with: A detailed plan, to be
executed with military precision,
for “seeing them aliens”
This past summer, the idea of
raiding Nevada’s Area 51 took
hold online. It was hypothetical, but
also ... what if? A Facebook
event called Storm Area 51, They
Can’t Stop All of Us attracted
2 million followers (fewer than
200 people actually went).
Area 51 raiders developed elite
techniques to evade security, like
running in the style of anime
character Naruto Uzumaki (heavily
leaning forward, arms thrust
straight back). A raider is probably
a big fan of 2019’s ultimate
meme song, “Old Town Road.”VSCO Girl
find her on: TikTok
with: A scrunchie, a Hydro Flask
and a vaguely alt attitude
The VSCO Girl is, at her essence,
a teenager who tries very
hard to look like she’s not really
trying. She wears oversize
T-shirts, carries a Hydro
Flask water bottle, ties up her
hair in a messy bun,
rocks a puka-shell necklace,
always has extra scrunchies
on hand, and frequently applies
lip gloss. Her catchphrase is
“And I oop” (taken from
a drag-queen meme) and her
laugh sounds like someone
saying “Sksksksksk.”ADVANCED FORM
TRANSMITTED
________ COPY ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EICAD2619INT_Visual_lay [Print]_36414756.indd 12 12/17/19 3:14 PM12 newyork | december23,2019–january5, 2020
Select All:The GrandInternet BestiaryDiagramming the characters who
dominated your feed this year.By Brian Feldman➽theinternetisa lotlike theocean—there’s
tons of garbage in it, and 90 percent of thespecies
that inhabit it are undiscovered. Internet archetypesare
much more varied than they were at the start of the
information age, when there was one type of stereotypical
internet user (basement dwelling, unclean, probably
a dude). Now there exists a whole phylum of usertypes,
each with its own aesthetics and community, building
presences on every type of platform. Here, some you
might have encountered in 2019.intelligencer
Area 51 Raider
find him on: Facebook
with: A detailed plan, to be
executed with military precision,
for “seeing them aliens”
This past summer, the idea of
raiding Nevada’s Area 51 took
hold online. It was hypothetical, but
also ... what if? A Facebook
event called Storm Area 51, They
Can’t Stop All of Us attracted
2 million followers (fewer than
200 people actually went).
Area 51 raiders developed elite
techniques to evade security, like
running in the style of anime
character Naruto Uzumaki (heavily
leaning forward, arms thrust
straight back). A raider is probably
a big fan of 2019’s ultimate
meme song, “Old Town Road.”VSCO Girl
find her on: TikTok
with: A scrunchie, a Hydro Flask
and a vaguely alt attitude
The VSCO Girl is, at her essence,
a teenager who tries very
hard to look like she’s not really
trying. She wears oversize
T-shirts, carries a Hydro
Flask water bottle, ties up her
hair in a messy bun,
rocks a puka-shell necklace,
always has extra scrunchies
on hand, and frequently applies
lip gloss. Her catchphrase is
“And I oop” (taken from
a drag-queen meme) and her
laugh sounds like someone
saying “Sksksksksk.”