Why it went viral: The perfect storm of quarantine boredom and the human need for collective harmonization. The Discussion: Musicologists debated whether this was a "revival" or a "meme." More importantly, the discussion centered on digital collaboration . Brands rushed to make "shanty versions" of their ads, leading to a backlash about corporate co-opting of folk culture. Platform: Twitter/YouTube | Views: 30M+
Though originating from Spider-Man 2 (2004), 2021 saw a renaissance of this specific line. This was largely due to the hype around Spider-Man: No Way Home . Users created deepfake video loops of Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn saying the line in response to absurd pseudoscience. top 10 mallu indian mms scandalssrg 2021
Why it went viral: Linguistic efficiency + Drag culture entering the mainstream. The Discussion: Purists on social media argued that this was "lazy English" destroying the language. Linguistics Twitter argued that this is how language evolves (dropping the complement "the energy of"). The battle lines were drawn. By December 2021, even The Washington Post ran a column on why "It's giving" is the phrase of the year. Looking back, the viral videos of 2021 moved away from simple "fail compilations" and toward participatory culture . You weren't just watching the Corn Kid; you were dancing to his voice. You weren't just observing the Sea Shanty; you were adding a harmony. Why it went viral: The perfect storm of
A single video showing a student walking out of a school bathroom holding a soap dispenser sparked a national crisis. "Devious Lick" encouraged students to steal school property for likes (soap dispensers, exit signs, even a sink). Why it went viral: Linguistic efficiency + Drag
Why it went viral: Gen Z openly declared war on Millennial aesthetics. The Discussion: This wasn't a funny cat video; it was a sociological grenade. Thousands of response videos argued whether being "Cheugy" was misogynistic (since it mostly mocked women's interests) or just accurate. The discussion dominated r/GenZ and Twitter for two solid weeks. Platform: TikTok | Views: 350M+