Blah blah blah, what else is new? We all know there’s a whole lot of bad sh*t happening in the world. Everywhere you look, there’s another example of something going wrong. But (and yeah, maybe this is hard to believe), there are all kinds of people out there making the world a better place (it’s true!). So today, we’ve scoured the internet to bring you a whole bunch of wholesome, heart-warming things that are happening right now. Because we could all use a dopamine boost… [Go on! Read about the good stuff now!]

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Meanwhile other brands are going viral every week. Their secret? They're not working harder. They're using a system (and you need one, too).

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Find out exactly how the biggest accounts are blowing up on IG (and how your brand can become one of them) 👇

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I can promise that’s not the case. In reality, I open the computer in the morning and am kind of just… awestruck that this is our current timeline. Unprecedented times indeed. (don’t worry, we’ll get to the good stuff in a minute)

Because what do you mean Meta just put out a patent for simulating dead people… using AI. It don’t get much crazier than that. Except it does. Every day. Yaaaaay. Last week, Business Insider reported on a Meta patent describing a system that would simulate a user’s social media experience after their death. Because who wouldn’t want to chat with a dead friend's insta? With an LLM simulating their posting and chatting behaviour? Uh, no one. No one wants to do that.

“Meta’s patent is big, and might even be a turning point,” Tom Divon, the lead author on Artificially alive: An exploration of AI resurrections and spectral labor modes in a postmortal soc…, told 404 Media in an email. Using tech to “communicate” with the dead is nothing new. But the practise is becoming more common thanks to AI. With no safeguards for governing the intertwining of a person’s data traces and GenAI applications, I wonder how long until memorial becomes exploitation.

Meta and their bag of tricks is getting spooky. Which is why you probably want this app.

It’s called Nearby Glasses. And guess what it does. Tells you when Meta Glasses are nearby. Earlier this month The New York Times reported Meta was working on adding facial recognition to its smart glasses. “Name Tag,” as the feature is called, would let smart glasses wearers identify people and get information about them from Meta’s AI assistant, the report said. So, it’s not wild to see why people would want to be warned about the presence of such a tool. One small step for resistance against surveillance tech, one giant leap for mankind.

Speaking of resistance, Chinese manufacturers are advertising signal blocking weapons…. On TikTok????

A woman stands on an industrial rooftop, wearing a flowing purple dress, in a video on the platform. She is demonstrating how to use a gigantic fkn laser tag gun. “Jamming gun, good,” she adds, flashing a thumbs up. I promise, you can’t make this sh*t up. You can buy basically anything from China on TikTok these days. Industrial chemicals, magic crystals, custom Pilates reformers. And now, drone jammers, and other drone related hardware with clear military applications.

You know what, fine whatever. Go off I guess. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

It's basically the default setting for existing online in 2026.

But guys!!! While we've (I’ve) been collectively spiralling (you’re included now, just play along please), some genuinely wholesome, heart-warming, actually-good things have been happening. And not in a toxic positivity "just look on the bright side!" way.

In a "maybe humanity isn't completely cooked" way.

So let me tell you about Punch the monkey, IKEA's incredible brand moment, a friend who learned to make Iranian pastries, and why sometimes the internet is actually good.

If you've been online at all this week, even for a millisecond, you've seen Punch.

My sweet sweet Punch. I would die for you.

Punch is a baby Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo who was rejected by his mother and clings to an IKEA orangutan plushie for comfort. The videos are heart-breaking and healing in equal measure, watching him try to integrate with the other monkeys while dragging his stuffed friend along.

None of that is news. However, I just read that IKEA's CEO personally visited the zoo and donated 33 additional plushies. I’m crying, y’all, come on.

Stephen Colbert of all people referenced it. Millions are following his progress with the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

And yeah, it's just a monkey. But it's also proof that we still actually give a sh*t. That resilience and belonging resonate across every platform, every niche. That brands can show up with genuine humanity instead of exploitative marketing. And that the internet can rally around something wholesome without immediately cynicism-poisoning it.

Ernika Rabiei once mentioned to her friend Sean Nguyen that she missed a piece of her home: shirini danmarki, Iranian pastries she hadn’t had since 2022.

Well over a year later, Nguyen decided he would teach himself to make them. This meant finding recipes in Farsi, translating them, practising until he got it right, and then surprising her.

"I felt like a little girl in Iran eating shirini danmarki again," she said. "I felt incredibly at home."

Comments flooded in: "Another day crying for strangers on the internet,” (same) "perfect example of being a friend who listens and cares," and "can you imagine being this woman's family, knowing someone cares enough to do this for her?"

In an era where connection feels increasingly transactional and everything is content, here's proof that genuine care still exists and paying attention will always matter. Making someone feel seen and at home is worth the effort. And sometimes, we need a little reminder of what it means to be a good friend.

The UK just passed a law requiring tech companies to remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours. This is a MASSIVE shift in how platforms handle image-based abuse and potentially life-changing protection for survivors.

Currently making its way through the House of Lords, the amendment means survivors only need to flag offensive content once, instead of enduring the trauma of chasing their images across every platform separately.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it ending the "whack-a-mole" survivors currently face. Janaya Walker from the End Violence Against Women Coalition said it "sends a powerful message that women and girls' rights and freedoms matter and should not be threatened by image-based abuse."

It’s protection and dignity, with tech companies finally being forced to act, rather than survivors bearing the burden of their own abuse.

Hopefully this is the beginning of digital harm being taken seriously, and the beginning of real protection for victims, not just fkn thoughts and prayers.

Outside of digital culture, renewables will be cheaper than gas by 2028. Children born in Bangladeshi brothels are now receiving birth certificates, giving them access to education and protection from trafficking.

The eastern imperial eagle, down to ONE breeding pair in Serbia in 2017, now has 19. The capercaillie in Scotland has grown by 50%. Scientists discovered a way to store data in glass that could last basically forever. Psychedelic drugs are showing real promise for treatment-resistant depression.

These are just a few examples of humans doing actual work to make the world a little better each day.

This isn't a "just focus on the positive!" think piece. Toxic positivity is still toxic.

But doomerism is easy. It's the path of least resistance when you're constantly bombarded with bad news and existential dread.

It's also corrosive.

Like, it’s okay to be moved by a monkey with a plushie. It’s okay to cry with strangers on the internet (no really I do it all the time).

You’re allowed to feel like progress, however incremental, is still progress.

The world will always be hard, but it's also full of people trying to make it better. This is your (and mine) reminder to pay attention to both. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Look, we've all been lying to ourselves. Every single one of us thinks we're the main character with that "I'm different" energy, when really we're all just background extras with slightly different outfits. Today's trend is a carousel, which makes it super easy to execute. It uses the song "Here (Hoodtrap / Mylancore)" by Kryd and finally forces people to confess what we already knew - you're not special, babe. 

The format is brutal: people write "In a world full of ___" describing some group or behaviour, then pulls out those LinkedIn-core motivational images. You know the ones - the lone wolf, the black sheep, the one person walking away while everyone else follows the crowd. Except instead of pretending they're the chosen one, they circle themselves buried deep in the masses where they actually belong. Finally, some honesty on this app.

My fav examples include:

Use the Capcut template and sound. Write "In a world full of ___" and brutally call yourself out for whatever basic behaviour you pretend you're above.

A few ideas to get you started:

-abdel khalil, brand & marketing exec

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: The family will be telling this story for years
✨Daily inspo: Denzel is the GOAT
😊Soooo satisfying: i ❤ woodworking videos
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Honey Garlic Chicken

Hey Joe!

Yes, that's a lot of accounts to manage by yourself. So instead of trying to be everywhere all the time, pick the ONE account that needs attention most urgently and focus all your energy there. Once you’ve got that account humming with an easily repeatable series and you’re comfortable (which could take months), then you can add the next one. 

Trying to manage three accounts when you’re a one-person team is just setting yourself up to do everything poorly instead of one thing really well. You're better off getting one account to 100K followers and consistent millions of views first. The other accounts will still be there when you’re ready. 

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡