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What teens around the world are into right now
Why Taiwan Has More Than Ten Thousand Claw Machine Shops
Walk down a side street in Taiwan and you will hit a shop that is nothing but lit glass boxes with no staff anywhere. There are more than ten thousand of these unstaffed claw machine shops across the island. And every machine has to tell you the amount that guarantees you walk out with something.
'Guess I'll Dance Parapara,' the Line That Started a Meme
RESCENE's Minami started dancing out of nowhere on a beach in Geoje. The line she said in that moment now gets used after a bad exam, before a scary presentation, basically any time things feel like too much. Funny thing is, the dance itself isn't even Korean.
Fifteen Yuan a Badge, 168.9 Billion Yuan a Market
A whole mall floor turning into badge shops. In China those little things are called guzi. One thumbnail-sized badge runs about 15 yuan, and the whole market came to 168.9 billion. What sits between those two numbers?
Thirty Years of Photo Booths, From Tokyo to Daegu and Back
The four-cut booth did not appear out of nowhere. A sticker photo machine that landed in a Tokyo arcade in 1995 traveled through Daegu and came back to Tokyo, and thirty years are folded into that one strip of paper.
Why That Song Won't Leave Your Head
Doo doo doo doo, it just started playing in your head, right? Baby Shark passing 17 billion views and those exam season banned song lists are the same phenomenon. It has a name: the earworm.
Korean Teen Slang 101: From Lucky Vicky to Chugumi
Half the words in your friend's chat look like code? Here are the Korean slang words people actually use, with examples.
Why Personality Tests Are Booming Again: Life After MBTI
The MBTI craze may cool down, but new personality tests keep coming. Here is why we are all so into them.
A Short History of the Ideal-Type World Cup Bracket
Tteokbokki or mala soup, that is the question. Where the bracket-pick format came from, why it never gets old, and how to win it.
Fandom Starter Dictionary: Bias, Home Base and Photocards
If you go quiet when friends talk biases till 2 a.m., this dictionary has you covered. The essential fandom words, one by one.
The Short-Form Challenge Field Guide: Types, Tips and Staying Safe
Open your feed and the challenges pour in. Here is what is out there, what to watch for, and how to have the most fun with it.
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