As 2019 comes to a close, this is not only the end of the year, but the end of the decade as well. Yes, it IS the end of the decade. No matter what Carl from receiving says. Anyway, I thought we could take a look back at some of the best viral moments of the 2010s.
First up, Double Rainbow Guy (2010):
This happened 8 days into the new decade and became a viral sensation almost immediately.
Antoine Dodson, Hide Yo Kids Hide Yo Wife (2010):
Antoine Dodson became an immediate internet celebrity following a candid 2010 interview telling a local news outlet of an attacker who attempted to rape his sister in a Huntsville, Alabama housing project.
Honey Badger Don’t Care (2011):
What happens when you add a New York accented narrator to everyday footage of an otherwise mundane animal? A video that lead to the creation of calendars, mouse pads and t-shirts.
The Harlem Shake (2013):
Possibly the first ‘viral challenge’ to appear online. It starts off simple enough, with a single person inside a group of people dancing to an excerpt of the ‘Harlem Shake’, usually wearing something out of the ordinary. Nobody in this group of people acknowledge them, until the bass drops and everyone in the room suddenly transforms into flailing, dancing machines.
What Does The Fox Say (2013):
While songs that were geared towards children have been around for a while, the 2010s really helped a lot of them take off thanks to Youtube becoming available on your phone and TV. One of them that took off, was intended to be a failure. With over 900 million views, it was anything but.
The Ice Bucket Challenge (2014):
In the Summer of 2014, the online community suddenly became inundated with videos of people dumping ice water on themselves. What was intended to be a fundraiser for ALS Research suddenly became the first REAL online challenge as people were challenging each other to either donate to ALS research, or take the icy bath.
The Great Dress Debate (2015):
I still remember where I was when this truly took off. My wife and I were leaving an event at my old radio station in Florida when she pulled up this picture on her phone and asked if I had seen it. I replied, “Yes, but I don’t know what the big deal is about a white and gold dress”. She looked at me dead in the face and said, “You are messing with me. You see it as blue and black.” She almost threw her phone she got so mad at me. To this day, I still see only white and gold.
From this day on, the world will be divided into two people. Blue & black, or white & gold. http://t.co/xJeR7GldwP pic.twitter.com/i6BwVzPzSZ
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) February 27, 2015
Several others have tried to create the same level of online fame but none have come close.
The Baby Hitler Debate (2015):
In 2015 the New York Times Magazine put out a poll asking whether or not you would go back and kill baby Hitler if given the chance. The results raised quite the moral dilemma. Could you kill a baby, even if you know it would grow up to be something sinister and terrible?
We asked @nytmag readers: If you could go back and kill Hitler as a baby, would you do it? (What's your response?) pic.twitter.com/daatm12NZC
— NYT Magazine (@NYTmag) October 23, 2015
Chewbacca Mom (2016):
2016 was quite a divisive year when it came to the election, but one thing that could all bring us a moment of joy was this video of a mom who bought a mask of Chewbacca and tried it on in the parking lot of the store. Her laugh was infectious and just what the world needed.
Her name was Candace Payne and she released a few videos since then, but none garnered her quite the level of internet attention that this did.
Baby Shark (2019):
Wrapping up the decade, another song that took over every parent’s life, and soon the whole world was a repetitive ear worm that every kid was singing and became so popular that it even became the theme for the World Series.
There were so many other viral moments from the 2010s like the great Yanny or Laurel Debate, Left Shark at the Super Bowl, Grumpy Cat, Gangnam Style and more. What will the ‘Roarin’ 20s’ bring us?
