Another year gone with the blink of an eye.
2018 has been a year of mixed emotions. Some things cracked us up while some showed us the uglier side of social media. While at one side we were striving for equal rights, on the other there were fashion brands/influencers making us wish we had better bodies.
Amidst of the cyberbullying on Twitter, the usual memes on Facebook, and weight loss tea ads on Instagram, a few things did leave a mark on us.
Here’s a list of the 20 most iconic moments on social media that defined 2018. It’s a mix of memes, challenges, and scandals — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Youtube
1. Youtube Rewind 2018
It’s Rewind Time! Or maybe not.
Youtube Rewind stands now as the most disliked video ever on Youtube. That’s a tall task for a creator – but no biggie for the platform itself 🙂 .This has a lot to do with the inclusion of pseudo YouTubers such as Will Smith, Trevor Noah and the likes vs actual ones like PewDiePie, Shane Dawson. Originally started in 2011 – Rewind was supposed to be a highlight for the top youtube stories by creators has now become more of a magnet for advertisers & brands.
Video – Youtube Rewind 2018
2. Logan Paul ‘Suicide Forest’ Scandal
Draw a line, Paul!
Youtube star Logan Paul hit an all-time low after uploading a rather insensitive vlog about his trip to the ‘Suicide Forest’ in Japan. He actually filmed a person who had hanged himself from a tree and then posted the footage on Youtube. The platform not only pulled down the video but also broke ties with the online star. Millions broke into an outrage across Twitter and other platforms and the story blew up like anything. Post this Logan has apologized and tried to work on a correction path by creating a documentary on suicide.
3. The Yodelling kid at Walmart – Mason Ramsey
The Lil’ Hank Williams
In March 2018, 11-year-old Mason Ramsey, from Illinois, was caught on camera singing “Lovesick Blues” in a Walmart store. Within a few days, videos of his performance collectively garnered over 25 million views, and he became a viral sensation overnight. The kid yodelled his way to the Opry, Coachella and the charts with his debut single “Famous” entering at number 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100. But is he just a passing trend or the next ‘Country Beiber’? Only 2019 will tell.
Video – Ramsey at the Ellen Show
4. Pewdiepie V/S T-series
The race to be on the top!
Bollywood record label, T-Series is on its way to become the world’s most popular YouTube channel and is facing a fight from devoted fans of the reigning holder, PewdiePie. With 77 million subscribers, PewDiePie holds a slim margin over T-Series and is urging his legions of followers to keep him as the platform’s most-subscribed channel – an honour he has held since 2013.
5. Eminem v/s Machine Gun Kelly
The Epic Rap Battle!
2018 was a year of intense beef flare-ups. The latest and the most popular being the feud between Eminem and MGK. The feud dates as far back as 2012, but recently things got scaled up when Eminem fired shots at MGK with “Not Alike,” from his surprise album, Kamikaze. This led to a rap battle between both of them, with MGK releasing Rap Devil, while Eminem countered it with his “Killshot” that broke YouTube’s record for most plays in its first 24 hours, gaining 38.1 million views. At the end of the day, it was the fans of hip-hop/rap who got the most out of this online rap battle.
1. Falling Stars Challenge
The new crazy way to flaunt your wealth.
This challenge involved “the rich & wealthy ” posting photos of themselves lying down on the ground in front of their luxury vehicle – whether a car or a private jet — surrounded with their expensive personal items, as if they were carrying all of their purchases at once and dropped all of them when they fell.
Companies like DJI even used this trend for their social media promotions. In their version, someone trips over a rig and manages to spill the contents of his case into a clear layout of the company’s new gear.
2. In my Feelings Challenge.
KIKI do you love me?
Getting out of a moving vehicle to dance on the road doesn’t sound like a great idea. But for the thousands around the world dancing to Drake’s “In My Feelings” song was just another internet challenge they had to be a part of.
Started by The Shiggy Show on June 2018, the challenge spread like wildfire and everyone from Will Smith to Sterling K. Brown dancing to it.
Source – Will Smith on Instagram
3.Laurel and Yanny
Audio illusion that fractured the internet.
Like the dress that’s either gold and white or blue and black, these two seemingly unrelated words “Yanny” and “Laurel” split the internet in half over the question “What do you hear?”
First posted on Reddit, the polarising audio clip spread to Instagram dividing people into Team Yanny and Team Laurel. Soon everyone from regular Joes to celebs like Ellen DeGeneres got talking about it.
Source – Ellen Tube
4.What the Fluff Challenge
Where did my hooman go?
What the Fluff Challenge was the purest thing on the internet in 2018. It had pet owners confuse their pets by holding up a blanket to hide, dropping it and then running away to hide. The pets were left wondering “what the fluff?” as they stared at the space their owners once stood.
5.Radhika Apte is Everywhere!
Find someone who loves you like Netflix India loves Radhika Apte.
Radhika Apte featured in 3 Netflix India series or films( The Lust Stories, Ghoul and Sacred Games) in 2018, and the internet lost it. Memes and GIFs flooded Instagram comparing the chemistry and love between Radhika Apte and Netflix.
Seeing the crazy reaction online, Netflix India also came back with a sassy reply and acknowledged their love for her. They changed their Instagram page’s description to “Just another @radhikaapte fan account” with several love-notes written to her. They also shared a spoof video saying how Radhika Apte is omnipresent, and Netflix wouldn’t have it any other way.
Facebook
1. Zuckerberg’s Congress Testimony
Mark is that you?
Mark Zuckerberg’s evident discomfort as he tolerated a 10-hour grilling from members in both houses of Congress became an online spectacle. It had it all — light grilling, plenty of apologising, promises to do better, and more than a few explanations of how Facebook works.
The internet loved it. People had a field day online with hilarious reactions to how traumatised Mark looked, and the people who grilled him were the ones who didn’t have much idea on how the internet works.
Source – http://time.com
2.Google Selfie App
Is your Portrait in a Museum?
In 2018 the internet got flooded with art enthusiasts and social media users creating and posting their Google Arts & Culture app results. The app allowed users to upload their selfies to Google’s cloud to find a piece of art that it believed most accurately matches the face. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it really, really didn’t.
This led to a plethora of memes and trolls on Facebook that went viral.
3.The Royal Wedding
Royal Wedding. Royal Memes.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally tied the knot in 2018 in a fairytale wedding that was watched by millions across the world. And while some were busy gawking over Meghan’s uber-minimal gown or were emotional over the subtle tributes to Princess Diana, others were making memes. Both ways it was one of the most trending topics of social media in 2018.
1. BTS does #InMyFeelings
J-Hope from BTS took twitter by storm when he posted his KIKI Challenge video in July. It became the most liked tweet of 2018 and BTS_twt became the most tweeted account.
#InMyFeelingsChallenge #HopeOnTheStreet pic.twitter.com/Bm8bxtKsFq
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) July 23, 2018
Source – Twitter
2. Limonada 2.0
In September, YouTube gamer Elrubius announced a challenge called “Limonada 2.0.” He asked his fans to retweet the post for a chance to win prizes, making it the most retweeted with 1,795,365 retweets, and counting.
LIMONADA 2.0 🗿
— elrubius (@Rubiu5) September 29, 2018
Source – Twitter
3. Obama’s Mic Drop
The most-quoted tweet of 2018 was a GIF of the former president, Barack Obama dropping his mic during his final White House dinner – “quote this with your unpopular opinion.”
Quote this with your unpopular opinion: pic.twitter.com/Bgx9OdKTCr
— Summer Jeanne (@SummerCansler) June 14, 2017
Source – Twitter
Snapchat
1. Lens Challenge
Snapchat launched theLens Challenges, and they are exactly what they sound like: themed challenges with a special Snapchat Lens, that get featured on the app’s community. The first challenge is in line with the holiday season where users sing a version of “Jingle Bells” performed by Gwen Stefani.
2.Snap Specs
After an unsuccessful stint in 2016, Snapchat re-launched their Spectacles with a new model V2. These glasses have a camera lens and are capable of recording short videos, syncing it to the smartphone and then upload to the user’s online account. Now people don’t have to worry about missing on recording their favourite moments.
Source – Spectacles
3.Amazon Visual Search
See. Snap. Buy.
In a one of a kind partnership with Amazon, Snapchat rolled out a new visual product search feature.
People used Snapchat’s camera to scan a physical object or barcode, which brought up a card showing that item and similar ones along with their title, price, thumbnail image, average review score, and availability. When they tapped on one, they were sent to Amazon’s app or site to buy it.
Source – Snapchat
1. Healthy meets Tasty
Diet Friendly frying, soups, Coffee, Lean Plant proteins and mocktails were the most sought-after pictures on Pinterest. In 2018 people pulled out their smartphones to plan meals and make healthier food choices.
Source – Pinterest
2. Fearless Fashion
Larger than life fashion trends dominated Pinterest this year. Layers, slits, statement earrings, brand iconography, were the most searched pins in fashion.
Source – Pinterest
3. A twist on Tradition
From Balloon Bouquets to Boho Baby Showers, people searched for new twists on the traditions, for both everyday celebrations and significant milestones.
Source – Pinterest
******
2018 was definitely meme/news-worthy in its own manner. It showed us the ugly side of the internet but also taught us how to combat it. It gave us memes to laugh on, gifs to share across and stories that made us cry.
Here’s hoping to an awe-inspiring 2019.
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