Tech
Vibes check: I spent a day in Metas infinite slop machine
In one sense, Meta AI's Vibes — an endless scroll of AI-generated videos, submitted by creators and launched on the Meta AI app and website Friday — is the purest expression of what Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wanted to build when he was designing Facebook in the first place.
Still tinkering in his Harvard dorm room, Zuckerberg explained to a potential partner why he wanted to design his social network not for job hunting, but for endless, mindless scrolling. "I kind of want to be the new MTV," he said (according to a 2010 report on Facebook's murky origin story).
One of my first thoughts, when I decided to spend the better part of a day locked in Vibes' endless scroll, was this: so many Vibes look like a 10-second clip from a music video. (As with Instagram Reels, you can choose from a selection of music to accompany your Vibe.) Some are the cheesy '80s kind of music video, others wacky '90s-style Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry joints. The AI-generated pet videos — of which there are many, often with cats snuggled up in cozy settings or dogs running through fields — look like clips from some dystopian alternate universe where MTV and the Hallmark Channel merged.
This isn't an insult, by the way; I've loved watching music videos since childhood, and they're still my favorite way to get hyped up while working out on my rowing machine. But the best ones, often made by hungry directors heading for Hollywood, do what the best movies do: They tell a compelling story. You can have all the cool disassociated images in the world, and your brain will get bored quickly if there's no story connecting them.
And that's the trouble with Vibes: all of these shorts are great eye candy, none of them tell a story. Scrolling for a day, it was easy to see why social media users were settling on the same description of Meta's new service: an "infinite slop machine."
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Is Vibes the future of AI video?
To be fair, there's plenty of interesting AI art out there, stuff that does tell a story and does stick with you. Recently we've highlighted cool stuff like this clever food-based body horror that went viral on Reddit. The question of how much AI infringes on the copyright of other artists is still a hot button topic; one major case is working its way through the system after a judge refused to throw it out.
But as things stand, AI-generated video is the horse that has bolted from the barn. YouTube now lets you add AI video to your shorts; many other services like Imagine and Midjourney are competing to provide you with clips. We're in the AI-generated-video-for-everyone era, like it or not (which is why it's always a good idea to brush up on telltale signs of fakery).
But if Vibes itself is the future of AI video art, I think artists can rest easy. Most artists understand the importance of display and context; a work of art often needs plenty of negative space around it. Vibes jams canvases together like it's a 19th-century gallery with a premium on wall space. (That kind of gallery went out of style for a reason).
The endless series of shorts washed over me after a while, rarely clinging to the inside of my head. There were a few exceptions to this rule, most notably a video of what appeared to be Tom Hanks and Donald Trump running through a cornfield (the same kind that I'd already seen a dozen dogs romp happily through). Hanks looked terrified. Trump, behind him, had long hair flowing in the breeze; it wasn't clear if Trump thought he was chasing or racing. Either way, thanks for the nightmare fuel, Vibes!
Credit: @WeirdMusicVideos on Meta AI
Again, to be fair, Vibes also shows how far AI video has come in a few short years. There were few instances, at least in this curated creator feed, of hands with too many fingers, torsos with too many limbs, and other features we associate with AI slop. There was often something in a video that looked a little wrong if you looked too closely — for example, why are those people vacationing at the beach looking out to sea, rather than at the dinosaurs charging past them a few feet away on the boardwalk?
But in general, the problem here is not the Uncanny Valley. The problem here is empty calories.
Younger kids may enjoy the weird eye candy aspect for hours on end (Vibes could well be the new Baby Einstein). But the more mature a brain gets, the less it thrives on mere novelty. Brains are storytelling machines, which is why Facebook's infinite scroll was once so compelling. We shared stories, and created our own community stories by arguing with each other about them. Vibes is the video version of the AI slop that has already arguably made Zuckerberg's social network less compelling than ever.
So yes, in one sense, Zuckerberg couldn't be closer to his MTV dream. And in another, the storytelling sense that keeps us coming back to find out what happened next, Meta's infinite slop machine couldn't be any further away.
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Brief.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
SHORT
Hurdle Word 2 hint
Prompt.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
SWIFT
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To scrub.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
SCOUR
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Deprived.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
NEEDY
Final Hurdle hint
Waste.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
TRASH
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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The best sexting apps open up a whole new frontier for your sex life. You may think of sex as more of an IRL activity, and rightfully so, but sexting is an exciting new form of digital foreplay. It lets you build anticipation to a fever pitch. It's also a fun way to explore your kinks, role-play, and connect with your partner on a deeper level, especially when you’re not physically together.
Sexting (aka talking dirty, swapping nudes, leaving steamy audio notes, etc.) is a portmanteau of "sex" and "text," and it requires a little more thought than opening up a new text message on your phone. You've also got your and your partner's privacy to consider. Likewise, you can't just open a random dating app, slide into someone's DMs, and start a spicy conversation. You might be able to do that on sites like AdultFriendFinder or Grindr, but it could actually be a huge red flag elsewhere.
So, how do you find a sexting partner, and what are the best apps for sexting in 2025?
We tested dozens of platforms, consulted security experts, and spent a lot of time reading terms of service and privacy policies to answer that exact question.
How we picked the best sexting apps
Privacy and security should always be your highest priority. That's why we always put user safety at the top of our list when trying out new sexting apps. (Speaking of privacy, establishing consent before sexting is a must.)
"If an app is being used to share intimate content, privacy features cannot be optional — they’re essential," says Gary Orenstein, Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden (an open-source password manager). What tops his list? "First and foremost, end-to-end encryption is critical," so only you and your partner see the messages, not even the app company itself.
Orenstein also recommends looking for apps with "built-in controls, such as disappearing messages and self-destructing media [which] help minimize long-term exposure of shared materials" and features like "screenshot detection or alerts [that] can discourage unauthorized saving," though these aren't always foolproof.
Whether you’re in a committed relationship, single and swiping on hookup apps, looking for a regular sexting buddy, or amping up a solo sesh with steamy instructions from an AI companion, we recommend downloading an app for safe sexting. After all, if you believe in safe sex, you should practice safe sexting, too.
Based on hands-on testing, expert opinions, and user reviews, we picked the best sexting apps for you to try in 2025.
Recent updates to this guide:
We regularly test new apps and dating platforms. For our most recent update to this guide on Sept. 27, 2025, we made the following changes:
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Lovesense Remote: We added Lovesense Remote as the app that's "Best for Group Sexting." Lovesense Remote is also a fun way for couples (and polyamorous folks) to incorporate sexting and Bluetooth sex toys to their love life.
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FetLife: We named FetLife "Best for Niche Kinks & Fetishes." This social networking platform is popular in the kinkster community and can be a good way to connect with sexy new friends.
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Confide: We've once again named this the best overall sexting app, replacing Signal as the top pick. We still recommend Signal as the best free secure messaging app. On balance, we think Confide's security and privacy tools give it the edge.
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