John Herrman

December 29, 2020

Life Without Amazon (Well, Almost)

<!– –> At Home Watch: Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Celebrate: Parenting Victories Socialize: Outdoors Relax With: White Noise Advertisement Continue reading the main story Supported by Continue reading […]
October 14, 2020

Gadgets Were on the Way Out. Then 2020 Happened.

Gadgets were supposed to be over. Smartphones, tablets and smartwatches cannibalized the weaker devices around them, including cameras, music players, navigation units, fitness trackers and gaming […]
September 22, 2020

TikTok and WeChat: What They Tell Us About the Global Internet

On Sunday, millions of phones across the United States buzzed with a peculiar notification: “TikTok is here to stay!” The alert led to a video post […]
July 11, 2020

Who Gets the Banhammer Now?

In a typical year, a good way for a company to handle an announcement it hoped to bury is to schedule it before a nice long […]
June 18, 2020

How to Buy a Bike

It’s the summer of Covid, and bikes are everywhere — in parks, at protests, speeding across bridges and locked up outside. Every day, more people seem […]
April 15, 2020

The Buy-Nothing Work From Home Setup

At its most luxurious, the home office is a subsidiary of leisure space: a sun-drenched room in a second home from which the boss can check in […]
March 25, 2020

Nextdoor Pivots to Neighborliness

“I’m 84 years old, so staying confined to the house for protection,” wrote Marcia Savin, a children’s book author and teacher who lives alone in the […]
February 22, 2020

Vine Made the Internet Fall in Love With Short Videos

Vine, the short-form video app introduced in 2012, died as it lived: confusing people who didn’t use it, even as evidence of its influence surrounded them. […]
February 11, 2020

All Your Favorite Brands, From BSTOEM to ZGGCD

Maybe it’s cold, and you need some winter gloves. You know the brand of your favorite coat and remember who made your warmest sweater. Gloves, however, […]
January 19, 2020

The Policing of the American Porch

There’s always something happening on the porch. In Massachusetts, a young man waits for his date at her doorstep while her father grills him. “Bye,” the […]