What I wrote in 2014
Almost exactly a year ago I quit my job at a British millionaire’s gossip website and became a freelance writer. Those first few weeks were heaven. I floated over the sidewalk between my apartment and the local coffee shop in a daze. Freedom! Then my first two big pieces were killed, back to back. That really sucked. But I kept going, and eventually I wrote some articles that got published. Here are some of the pieces I wrote last year that I’m happy with:
The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your Facebook Feed (WIRED)
I went to the Philippines and interviewed the moderators who screen social media for terrible content, members of a huge invisible pool of human labor who keep our Facebook feeds of snuff films and exotic pornography. I won the November Sidney Award from the Sidney Hillman Foundation for this story. I also did a follow-up interview with Sarah Roberts, a very smart media scholar who studies this stuff.
The Troll Hunters (MIT Technology Review)
I went to Stockholm and profiled a group of researchers who have been doing some really incredible work unmasking racists and online harassers. I have obvious personal interest in this kind of work and the ethical issues people like to bring up about this. Someday I hope there will be an American version of Troll Hunter. Maybe I will host it.
The Truth About Anonymous’s Activism (The Nation)
I’ve had a lot of problems with the hacktivist collective Anonymous for a while. I’m grateful to Sarah Leonard for letting me put them all in one place, in this review of Gabriella Coleman’s Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy.
The Outlaw Instagrammers of New York City (New York)
I profiled the subculture of teenage photographers who treat the bridges and skyscrapers of New York City as a playground. Humza Deas, the main character of my story, just shot an amazing cover for New York’s annual Reasons to Love New York issue.
Ryder Ripps: An Artist of the Internet (New York Times)
I was happy to write about Ryder Ripps, a person whose weird internet shit I’d admired for a while. Ripps just announced his first solo show, consisting of distorted paintings of the photographs from the Instagram account of the model Adrianne Ho.
Gamergate Supporters Partied at a Strip Club This Weekend (New York)
A lot of my stories come about as a result of me getting way too obsessed about something dumb that happens on the internet. So it was with #GamerGate. One Friday afternoon I happened to be reading the Twitter feed of the message board 8chan, an important force in #GamerGate, when I saw they were holding a birthday party at an 18+ strip club in Queens that very evening. Obviously I had to go. Thankfully, #GamerGate is now dead.
Is Livestreaming the Future of Media or the Future of Activism? (New York)
After watching hours of livestreams from Ferguson this fall I decided to go there and learn how they are made.
How to Get Into the Writer’s Room (Slate)
I reviewed Mike Sacks’ book of interviews with comedy writers and wrote a bit about my own stint as a comedy writer for the Onion News Network.
Reborn In The USA (Matter)
Somehow I have managed to time my two periods of unemployment perfectly to the last two World Cups. Thus I have watched a lot of soccer. I wrote this about why I love watching The World Cup.
IRL Club
I also helped organize two really fun IRL Club events, which featured live performances from people who do cool stuff on the internet, including: The Kid Mero, Desus Nice, Ayesha Siddiqi, Rob Dubbin, Emily Spivack, Leon Chang, Mark Slutsky (Sad Youtube) Catherine Frazier (Animated Text) and Daniel Kolitz (Printed Internet.)
There will be more IRL Club events in 2015, I promise.
