Social conditions and trends

How a Dostoevsky novella took TikTok by storm

The “solitary dreamer” in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s White Nights is resonating with Gen Z readers, like 27-year-old TikTok user Marcelo Nogueira.

Friend-for-hire services gain traction in Thailand

Reasons for the rise in hired companions include more people living alone and the influence of social media.

Housing, jobs, rebuilding family ties: 17 projects to be piloted to help rough sleepers in S’pore

Eleven of the projects supported by PATH will pilot new approaches to supporting rough sleepers.

Field Notes from Tokyo

How innovation is saving Japan’s vending machine empire

An employee stocks an empty vending machine in Tokyo on July 22.

‘Baby Shark Boy’ grows up: YouTube sensation to make K-pop debut

Baby Shark Dance, featuring Park Geon-roung, has been viewed 17.2 billion times since it first appeared on YouTube in 2016.

Olive Young’s $3 shopping bag becomes unlikely South Korea souvenir

The bag is currently sold at around 150 Olive Young stores, including locations in tourist-heavy areas.

Is Instagram’s and TikTok’s latest travel trend a disaster waiting to happen?

Social media has popularised travel videos that track ambitious cross-continental voyages and garner thousands, if not millions, of views.

Prayers, parties and the changing face of Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang has been Kuala Lumpur’s tourism and entertainment heart for decades, embodying both the glamour and grit of Malaysia’s capital.

Proteinmaxxing: From coffee to Pop-Tarts, here’s how food companies are cashing in

Packaged food companies such as PepsiCo and General Mills are adding protein-enhanced varieties of their top sellers, including Doritos and Cheerios.

‘Leg hair harassment’: Tokyo’s ‘Cool Biz’ campaign runs into hairy problem

The Tokyo metropolitan government has been encouraging workers to replace suits and ties with T-shirts, trainers and shorts to beat the brutal summer heat.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.