Your favorite WIRED Culture Stories of 2020

PLUS: 'Tiger King', social media terrorism, and how to avoid Covid anxiety spirals. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 01.03.21   THE INFLUENCER The Rise of a Hindu Vigilante in the Age of WhatsApp and Modi BY MOHAMMAD ALI India, the world's largest democracy, has also become the world's largest experiment in social-media-fueled terror.   TV 'Tiger King' Is Cruel and Appalling—Why Are We All Watching It? BY KATE KNIBBS The Netflix docuseries is extremely popular. It's also appalling. Why are people flocking to such a feel-bad show?   BUYING GUIDE The 19 Best Nintendo Switch Games for Every Kind of Player BY WIRED STAFF From Hyrule to Hallownest, these are our absolute favorite videogame escapes for the Switch and Switch Lite.   DIGITAL CULTURE Is It OK to Make Coronavirus Memes and Jokes? BY EMMA GREY ELLIS Humor can relieve anxiety; it can also stoke racial tensions or spread misinformation. So, the answer isn't simple. GET WIRED New year, new ideas. Get WIRED for $10 $5. Last chance to get 1 year of access for 50% off. Plus get free stickers! Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Subscribe now.   DIGITAL CULTURE Doomscrolling Is Slowly Eroding Your Mental Health BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER Checking your phone for an extra two hours every night won't stop the apocalypse—but it could stop you from being psychologically prepared for it.   SELF CARE How to Stop a Coronavirus Anxiety Spiral BY LOUISE MATSAKIS Here's what you can do to relieve your worries, while still keeping you and your family safe.   TV Why 'The Queen's Gambit' Is the No. 1 Netflix Show Right Now BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER The new miniseries, based on the book by Walter Tevis, revels in the joy of watching someone else play a game beautifully—and our obsession with genius.   MODERN LOVE How to Not Completely Hate the People You're Quarantined With BY EMMA GREY ELLIS Take it from experts who study isolation: It's hard, it takes teamwork, and it may cause excessive staring into nothingness.   SOCIAL MEDIA The True Story of the Antifa Invasion of Forks, Washington BY LAUREN SMILEY A false report on Twitter exploded into a call to arms. Then a bus, carrying a family and two dogs, rolled into a remote Northwestern town.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions