What Internet Fandoms and Communities Can Tell Us About 2025

Inevitably, more of these situations will emerge during the Trump administration, and I wonder if any of Musk’s supporters will jump ship.

Senders

The act of shipping by third-party sellers who fulfill retail orders gained popularity in the late 2010s and has become a staple of online hustle culture. Presented by TikTok Shopdrop-shipping has entered a renaissance of sorts, with more and more people using it fast money that can scale.

Imposing tough tariffs on Chinese imports was one of Trump’s biggest economic promises this election cycle. If TikTok is not banned next month, the Chinese tariffs could hurt the app’s shipping profitability, as most product manufacturing is done overseas. What happens to senders? Where do they go next?

New Jersey Drone Hunters

Without much guidance or information from the government, conspiracy theories surroundings mysterious drones supposedly those moving on the east coast are out of control. Just this week, Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel published one A series of Instagram videos who claimed to have a confidential source in the Pentagon who told him that the drones were looking for nuclear material.

Now, I don’t claim to know the truth about drones, but I can see what it does to people on the internet. For the past few weeks, I’ve been following one of the largest Facebook pages dedicated to solving the mystery, and what started as a place for people to share strange sightings has turned into hysteria. Members accuse mods of working for the Feds to hide the “truth” (whatever that is) and encourage others to invest in iodine pills, gas masks, and of course, toilet paper.

It’s too early to tell, but I’d wager that these groups introduce already emotional and agitated people to theories they wouldn’t otherwise believe. Is this what the alien and UAP communities have been waiting for? Maybe! In any case, don’t expect believers to believe what the government says unless someone puts an alien corpse in front of the photographers.

Chat room

Last week we made a few predictions for the podcast about what the new year will bring. What do you think will happen next year in terms of technology and its impact on politics? Send your thoughts to mail@wired.com.

WIRED Reads

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What else are we reading?

🔗 FTC issues rules requiring hotels, ticket vendors to disclose ‘garbage fees’: There’s at least one political victory we can all celebrate this holiday season. This week, the Federal Trade Commission issued new rules that prohibit hotels and ticketing services from hiding surcharges or “junk fees.” (The Washington Post)

🔗 ‘It’s going to be brutal’: Inside Trump’s planned war on leaks and the press: The Trump administration is reportedly developing new plans to go after the media, including more lawsuits and threats of subpoenas. (Rolling Stone)

🔗 Elon Musk and SpaceX Face Federal Investigations After Violation of Safety Reporting Rules: The US government is investigating whether Elon Musk and SpaceX repeatedly flouted disclosure protocols protecting state secrets, such as withholding information about meetings with foreign leaders. (The New York Times)

Download

The last episode of WIRED when the newsletter came out last week Policy Lab the podcast had not gone up. If you didn’t catch my conversation with Tim Marchman and David Gilbert, I recommend listening to it. here.

After the election, I’m rethinking how the ballot can best serve you all. Let me know if you have any ideas or requests. Otherwise, I’ll be spending the holidays completely logged out, so you won’t see me hitting your inboxes again until January 9th.

I hope you find time to relax, read and spend time with your loved ones. I’ll see you in the new year. 💞

That’s it for today – thanks again for subscribing. You can contact me via e-mail, Instagram, Xand signal in makenakelly.32.