Everything That We Fell For On The Internet In 2024

These viral gems captured the collective mood of the internet, whether it was making us laugh at life’s absurdities or providing us with new words/trendy phrases to use in our conversations. Here is a roundup of the moments and events that made it all worth the screen time in 2024.

Moo Deng

After the zoo in Thailand started sharing videos of a baby pygmy hippopotamus, the animal swiftly gained international attention on the internet. Social media is overflowing with pictures of Moo Deng, who is only two months old. The Utah Jazz even featured the hippo in a post for their home opener. Sephora Thailand shared a social media post about how to ‘wear your blush like a baby hippo’ in celebration of Moo Deng's fame.

Brain Rot

The feeling you get after scrolling aimlessly for too long has a name, and Oxford University Press (OUP) has selected it as 2024’s word of the year. In a vote with over 37,000 participants, ‘brain rot’ emerged as the winner, followed by public commentary and an examination of OUP's linguistic statistics. The term ‘brain rot’ refers to ‘the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (presently especially online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.’

Very Demure, Very Mindful

It's not only you. These days, the term ‘demure’ is used to characterise almost everything on the internet. It all began when Jools Lebron, a TikTok producer, uploaded a video that quickly went viral on social media. The hair and makeup she’s sporting for work? Very demure. And paired with the scent of vanilla perfume? How mindful. For the TikToker herself, the soaring popularity of Lebron's ‘very mindful, very demure’ impact is equally significant. Lebron, who identifies as a transgender, stated that she can now finance the remaining costs of her transition. Lebron's phrases have emerged as the newest lexicon defining the internet. Several well-known people have joined the trend on social media platforms, in addition to her own viral content that continues to use adjectives like ‘demure,’ ‘mindful,’ and ‘cutesy’ to describe a variety of daily actions that are undoubtedly modest.

Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso Dance

Espresso Dance by Sabrina Carpenter landed the second spot and gave TikTok a caffeine-infused boost in May 2024. With 2.4 million Instagram clips and 1.2 million TikToks, the VMA-winning song became the global soundtrack. With a score of 76.32, it has gone viral, demonstrating Carpenter's increasing impact in pop culture.

South Korea’s Kim Yeji and Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç

In videos of her and her teammate locking up the top two shooting scores in Paris, South Korea’s Kim Yeji, 31, appeared almost unnaturally composed while sporting a baseball hat, wire-rimmed shooting glasses, and her black South Korea uniform, which was zipped up to her neck. Following her victory, a 27-second video of Kim taking aim, firing her weapon, and checking her record-breaking score in the same incredibly composed manner went viral.

Yusuf Dikec, a Turkish Olympic shooting medallist is unaffected by his newfound notoriety after becoming an overnight online phenomenon for his laid-back look, which included no headgear and a hand in his pocket. While participating in the mixed team 10-metre (10.9-yard) air pistol competition, Dikec and partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan lost to Serbia in the gold medal match but took home silver. However, Dikec's stance attracted more attention than the outcome. The marksman had his left hand casually tucked into his pocket, donned a team T-shirt, and wore regular spectacles. He noticeably lacked the specialised gear that athletes in the hyperprecise sport require, such as a cap, special lenses, or headphones, apart from his weapon.

Image source: USA Today, Indian Express, The Star