Blasts and baes and wtfs

Has the Internet killed "proper" English? That depends whom you ask. My high-school English teacher would probably say yes ... but some academics would put her on blast. They're finding that the Internet and Internet slang actually make for really savvy English-speakers: People who intuitively know when to bust out the blasts and baes and wtfs ... and when to be on their best behavior.

1. When a parent's grief goes viral. Instagram's home to a bunch of groups that are, essentially, fan clubs for dead kids: The parents document their grief; the fans watch and share and tattoo it. Sometimes it's cathartic. Often, it's bizarre. But who are we to say what the proper forms of grieving are?

2. A close look at the first-person industrial complex. The Internet loves a personal essay -- maybe a little too much! Look around your social feeds: We're drowning in stories that are shameless, half-baked and/or totally out of touch.

3. How the middle-finger emoji finally came to life. It's a long, technical saga -- but Unicode and Apple have both seen the light.

Is this sport related to curling, or ...?

Pocketable: The Guardian just published this five-part series on my two favorite things: food (mm) and technology. (Lotsa words/not too many minutes)

Postscripts: Pet smartphones. The Elements of Swiping. Add this essay on podcast addiction, and you have three links that should not be real things. The trouble with digitization. The best way to reclaim your privacy. Donald Trump has no opinion on Pavement, because he doesn't even send his own tweets. The poetry of Craigslist missed connections; an actual poem about the Internet. 13 dating apps in 30 days? This guy must be a real masochist.

See ya tomorrow!
@caitlindewey

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