they are the infectious online trends we
couldn’t get enough of it’s where you
lay like flat on some surface putting
your arms and feet all straight not
doing anything like welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 internet
fads hi I’m a guy since the rise of the
Internet in the 1990s these fans have
been away to both connect with others
around the world and spread information
about current events and trends in our
respective social circles whether it’s
an alaria stop culture phenomenon a
purely entertaining video or an
informational campaign these were the
contagious online movements that always
prompted you to click the share button
because Facebook tells them to number 10
chatroulette
what’s the hanging on Chad root lens oh
come on
created by a 17 year old Russian high
school student in 2009
this Skype style online video chat site
randomly pairs individuals with other
participants to give them the
opportunity to meet other online users
from around the world in cyberspace
growing from 500 users per day to 50,000
in the span of a month
chatroulette did encounter some
controversy due to the prevalence of
sexual content displayed by many of the
video chatters go figure hey man you
better not touch your dick but love it
or hate it
this inventive way of creating a larger
circle helped people meet new friends
from the comfort of their own homes no
one ever takes me seriously and now you
guys are laughing hilariously making
hands with your hearts and hearts with
your hands just like I planned
just like our parts were fanned out in
rapid succession number 9 chain letters
blocked number send this text message to
18 people in your contact list in the
next 4 minutes or if you don’t a killer
will come murder you tonight at 12:20
sincerely the killer original snail mail
versions of this popular trend popped up
at least as early as the 1930s but with
the invention of the internet things
escalated to a whole new level beginning
back in the earliest days of the World
Wide Web with such examples as the Bill
Gates email beta test these online
letters often left us scared to open our
email inboxes frequently beginning with
an urban legend style story or a curse
of bad luck if you didn’t send them
along to everyone in your address book
these online messages played on
superstition hoaxes get-rich-quick
schemes and emotional manipulation for
the sole purpose of getting them to
spread as quickly as possible well it’s
12 21 and no one’s ever showed up so
number 8
planking hiking is a very stupid and
dangerous trend basically you lie like a
plank in weird places
that’s it sometimes you get run over
welcome to the Internet started
originally as the aptly named lying down
game at some point in the 90s this
unusual and relatively banal social
media fad consists of participants lying
face down with their hands at their
sides resembling a two-by-four the trick
is to snap a pic of yourself planking in
a strange or humorous location
and then share it online beginning as a
real online trend in 2009 some of the
photos left us both puzzled and
entertained at the phenomenon but
there’s no denying we all wanted to hop
on the bandwagon and look for creative
new places to plank our way to internet
infamy linking is one of those things
where hey you either got it or you don’t
I don’t but I am so excited to be a part
of it
number seven Harlem shake
these viral comedy videos took the world
by storm
in 2013 with thousands of new versions
of the meme uploaded to YouTube daily at
the height of its popularity
set to the song Harlem shake by baauer
the video see characters engaging in
boring everyday activities until the
bass drops then it cuts to a wild dance
party featuring wacky characters crazy
dancing and general silliness with many
varieties of videos available to view
much of the appeal of this trend was not
only the ridiculousness of its content
and shortness of the videos but also the
sheer joy expressed by the people
dancing in the video the temptation to
grab your friends and create a video of
your very own was almost too great
number six Kony 2012
oh he’s are we going to stay a Latino a
fuchsia he told me more about his
brother and what he would say to him if
he were still alive I love you this
viral campaign and its accompanying film
about Ugandan guerrilla group leader
Joseph Kony spread like wildfire across
social media sites receiving millions of
shares and views worldwide because that
promise is not just about Jacob or me
it’s also about you and this year 2012
is the year that we can finally fulfill
it Kony’s use of children as both sex
slaves and soldiers in his army inspired
filmmakers to create a documentary about
his actions as well as an online
campaign calling for the arrest of the
rebel leader for his international
crimes show this movie to as many people
as possible in such a way that we can’t
be ignored
inciting massive amounts of media
attention this internet fad was
criticized for various reasons but it
undoubtedly set the precedent for using
social media as a tool for awareness of
world issues we built a community around
the idea that where you live shouldn’t
determine whether you live we were
committed to stop Kony and rebuild what
he had destroyed and because we couldn’t
wait for institutions or governments to
step in we did it ourselves
number 5 viral videos characterized by
the infectious online sharing of videos
through social media this trend has been
popular since the 90s and the early days
of the internet my
but the term itself was not widely used
until the mid to late 2000s when videos
like the heavily circulated evolution of
dance Chocolate Rain and David after
dentist became online sensations it’s
okay but it’s just from the medicine
okay oh no it won’t be forever with the
launch of YouTube in 2005 both creating
your own videos and sharing others
became easier and more commonplace the
result of this was overnight internet
celebrities and the incentive to gather
as many hits as possible but seriously
doesn’t love seeing a dancing baby
number 4 Gangnam style Gangnam style
this 2012 Korean dance-pop hit was a
surprising success for kpop artist psy
whose humorous look and dance moves
inspired parodies and imitations
everywhere
John in the judges incidentally the term
Gangnam style describes an affluent
Korean swag lifestyle but American
audiences barely cared and often
misheard the lyrics with such notable
misinterpretations as condom style or
Gundam style
resulting in thousands of response
videos to the original and even a
spin-off video by psy himself this
unlikely internet sensation remains one
of the most infectious internet fads in
recent history with two billion YouTube
views and Counting open condom style
open condom style number three the ice
bucket challenge oh oh oh boy oh that
was cold
oh but it was all worth it to raise
awareness for ALS this online trend was
not for the faint of heart or the cold
of feet
participants were asked to dump a bucket
of ice water on their heads while being
filmed as incentive to promote awareness
of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis better
known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease
they must then nominate others in their
social circles to do the same within 24
hours and I challenge Stephen Harper the
Prime Minister of Canada that would
originally had nothing to do with ALS
the ice bucket challenge got an
overwhelming response from around the
world during the summer of 2014
proving to be a popular way to cool off
while heightening awareness of a good
cause
number two rickrolling getting excited
this is the internet video haven’t seen
who can resist a little bait-and-switch
as of 2007 rickrolling became a way to
click your way to hilarity by providing
a disguised length to Rick Astley’s 1987
song never going to give you up as a
response in online forums like 4chan
gala volume can touch the button oh you
son
no no I refuse why did I say anything
even used by YouTube as an April Fool’s
joke back in 2008 this was one way to
show Internet rollers you always had a
sense of humor inspiring parody flash
mobs and even a live appearance by
Ashley himself at the 2008 Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade this online fad
swept the world and left us with a
comical joke we’re never gonna give up
before we reveal our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions hey
shout out to my girl uh Nick nominate
Jesse pignataro and Justin pits and all
oh my god is that what gets you guys
excited
suemungousaur is that I guys care about
boobs
I like booty too hey Lisa hey what does
it mean when a guy pokes you on Facebook
nothing really it’s just a stupid
internet thing number one
means hashtag is it Friday yet hey check
out I braised some cookies
hashtag homemade hashtag oatmeal raisin
hashtag show me the cookie this trends
origins can be traced back to Richard
Dawkins 1976 book The Selfish Gene
before the internet had even become
widespread but it cannot be denied that
it’s become an even larger phenomenon
thanks to the instantaneous nature of
the worldwide web
sure you could categorize pretty much
every entry on this list as a meme as
they all spread through culture like mad
from hashtags to photo puns to
pop-culture references like all your
base are belong to us memes continue to
transmit ideas of contemporary cultural
relevance in real-time offering us all
an up-to-date social commentary of
trends in cyberspace
hashtag shut up do you agree with our
list which internet trends have you
participated in for more entertaining
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com Internet is a
cool thing
you
couldn’t get enough of it’s where you
lay like flat on some surface putting
your arms and feet all straight not
doing anything like welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 internet
fads hi I’m a guy since the rise of the
Internet in the 1990s these fans have
been away to both connect with others
around the world and spread information
about current events and trends in our
respective social circles whether it’s
an alaria stop culture phenomenon a
purely entertaining video or an
informational campaign these were the
contagious online movements that always
prompted you to click the share button
because Facebook tells them to number 10
chatroulette
what’s the hanging on Chad root lens oh
come on
created by a 17 year old Russian high
school student in 2009
this Skype style online video chat site
randomly pairs individuals with other
participants to give them the
opportunity to meet other online users
from around the world in cyberspace
growing from 500 users per day to 50,000
in the span of a month
chatroulette did encounter some
controversy due to the prevalence of
sexual content displayed by many of the
video chatters go figure hey man you
better not touch your dick but love it
or hate it
this inventive way of creating a larger
circle helped people meet new friends
from the comfort of their own homes no
one ever takes me seriously and now you
guys are laughing hilariously making
hands with your hearts and hearts with
your hands just like I planned
just like our parts were fanned out in
rapid succession number 9 chain letters
blocked number send this text message to
18 people in your contact list in the
next 4 minutes or if you don’t a killer
will come murder you tonight at 12:20
sincerely the killer original snail mail
versions of this popular trend popped up
at least as early as the 1930s but with
the invention of the internet things
escalated to a whole new level beginning
back in the earliest days of the World
Wide Web with such examples as the Bill
Gates email beta test these online
letters often left us scared to open our
email inboxes frequently beginning with
an urban legend style story or a curse
of bad luck if you didn’t send them
along to everyone in your address book
these online messages played on
superstition hoaxes get-rich-quick
schemes and emotional manipulation for
the sole purpose of getting them to
spread as quickly as possible well it’s
12 21 and no one’s ever showed up so
number 8
planking hiking is a very stupid and
dangerous trend basically you lie like a
plank in weird places
that’s it sometimes you get run over
welcome to the Internet started
originally as the aptly named lying down
game at some point in the 90s this
unusual and relatively banal social
media fad consists of participants lying
face down with their hands at their
sides resembling a two-by-four the trick
is to snap a pic of yourself planking in
a strange or humorous location
and then share it online beginning as a
real online trend in 2009 some of the
photos left us both puzzled and
entertained at the phenomenon but
there’s no denying we all wanted to hop
on the bandwagon and look for creative
new places to plank our way to internet
infamy linking is one of those things
where hey you either got it or you don’t
I don’t but I am so excited to be a part
of it
number seven Harlem shake
these viral comedy videos took the world
by storm
in 2013 with thousands of new versions
of the meme uploaded to YouTube daily at
the height of its popularity
set to the song Harlem shake by baauer
the video see characters engaging in
boring everyday activities until the
bass drops then it cuts to a wild dance
party featuring wacky characters crazy
dancing and general silliness with many
varieties of videos available to view
much of the appeal of this trend was not
only the ridiculousness of its content
and shortness of the videos but also the
sheer joy expressed by the people
dancing in the video the temptation to
grab your friends and create a video of
your very own was almost too great
number six Kony 2012
oh he’s are we going to stay a Latino a
fuchsia he told me more about his
brother and what he would say to him if
he were still alive I love you this
viral campaign and its accompanying film
about Ugandan guerrilla group leader
Joseph Kony spread like wildfire across
social media sites receiving millions of
shares and views worldwide because that
promise is not just about Jacob or me
it’s also about you and this year 2012
is the year that we can finally fulfill
it Kony’s use of children as both sex
slaves and soldiers in his army inspired
filmmakers to create a documentary about
his actions as well as an online
campaign calling for the arrest of the
rebel leader for his international
crimes show this movie to as many people
as possible in such a way that we can’t
be ignored
inciting massive amounts of media
attention this internet fad was
criticized for various reasons but it
undoubtedly set the precedent for using
social media as a tool for awareness of
world issues we built a community around
the idea that where you live shouldn’t
determine whether you live we were
committed to stop Kony and rebuild what
he had destroyed and because we couldn’t
wait for institutions or governments to
step in we did it ourselves
number 5 viral videos characterized by
the infectious online sharing of videos
through social media this trend has been
popular since the 90s and the early days
of the internet my
but the term itself was not widely used
until the mid to late 2000s when videos
like the heavily circulated evolution of
dance Chocolate Rain and David after
dentist became online sensations it’s
okay but it’s just from the medicine
okay oh no it won’t be forever with the
launch of YouTube in 2005 both creating
your own videos and sharing others
became easier and more commonplace the
result of this was overnight internet
celebrities and the incentive to gather
as many hits as possible but seriously
doesn’t love seeing a dancing baby
number 4 Gangnam style Gangnam style
this 2012 Korean dance-pop hit was a
surprising success for kpop artist psy
whose humorous look and dance moves
inspired parodies and imitations
everywhere
John in the judges incidentally the term
Gangnam style describes an affluent
Korean swag lifestyle but American
audiences barely cared and often
misheard the lyrics with such notable
misinterpretations as condom style or
Gundam style
resulting in thousands of response
videos to the original and even a
spin-off video by psy himself this
unlikely internet sensation remains one
of the most infectious internet fads in
recent history with two billion YouTube
views and Counting open condom style
open condom style number three the ice
bucket challenge oh oh oh boy oh that
was cold
oh but it was all worth it to raise
awareness for ALS this online trend was
not for the faint of heart or the cold
of feet
participants were asked to dump a bucket
of ice water on their heads while being
filmed as incentive to promote awareness
of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis better
known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease
they must then nominate others in their
social circles to do the same within 24
hours and I challenge Stephen Harper the
Prime Minister of Canada that would
originally had nothing to do with ALS
the ice bucket challenge got an
overwhelming response from around the
world during the summer of 2014
proving to be a popular way to cool off
while heightening awareness of a good
cause
number two rickrolling getting excited
this is the internet video haven’t seen
who can resist a little bait-and-switch
as of 2007 rickrolling became a way to
click your way to hilarity by providing
a disguised length to Rick Astley’s 1987
song never going to give you up as a
response in online forums like 4chan
gala volume can touch the button oh you
son
no no I refuse why did I say anything
even used by YouTube as an April Fool’s
joke back in 2008 this was one way to
show Internet rollers you always had a
sense of humor inspiring parody flash
mobs and even a live appearance by
Ashley himself at the 2008 Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade this online fad
swept the world and left us with a
comical joke we’re never gonna give up
before we reveal our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions hey
shout out to my girl uh Nick nominate
Jesse pignataro and Justin pits and all
oh my god is that what gets you guys
excited
suemungousaur is that I guys care about
boobs
I like booty too hey Lisa hey what does
it mean when a guy pokes you on Facebook
nothing really it’s just a stupid
internet thing number one
means hashtag is it Friday yet hey check
out I braised some cookies
hashtag homemade hashtag oatmeal raisin
hashtag show me the cookie this trends
origins can be traced back to Richard
Dawkins 1976 book The Selfish Gene
before the internet had even become
widespread but it cannot be denied that
it’s become an even larger phenomenon
thanks to the instantaneous nature of
the worldwide web
sure you could categorize pretty much
every entry on this list as a meme as
they all spread through culture like mad
from hashtags to photo puns to
pop-culture references like all your
base are belong to us memes continue to
transmit ideas of contemporary cultural
relevance in real-time offering us all
an up-to-date social commentary of
trends in cyberspace
hashtag shut up do you agree with our
list which internet trends have you
participated in for more entertaining
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com Internet is a
cool thing
you
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