It has been one year since the coronavirus halted air travel, temporarily emptied popular stores, increased toilet paper use, and brought an immense amount of tragedy. Though our physical world had stopped, it pushed us to grieve and collectively bond through social media. From entertaining dance challenges to charming discourse over trending topics.
Dear Netflix, thank you for Tiger King
The first memorable moment that set social media ablaze was Netflix sensation, “Tiger King.” This oddly appealing true-crime series explored the world of big cat breeding and introduced us to two eccentric supervillains, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Twitter erupted in comedic memes and transformed Houston’s own Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” into a theme song about Baskin allegedly murdering her missing husband.
Tik Tok and its infectious hold over music challenges
Tik Tok introduced many people to new artists and their upcoming projects, especially those who released music at the beginning of the pandemic. Tik Tok’s booming craze created several viral dance challenges perfect for millennials and baby boomers. “Savage” and remixed versions featuring Beyoncé took the media world by storm, being used in almost 30 million different videos on the platform, increasing the musician to stardom.
Self-care reminders
With COVID diminishing in-person interaction and increasing unhealthy habits, social media and news outlets constantly reminded us of the importance of self-care. By educating one another on ways to beautify, such a disheartening time, we created safe and lighthearted spaces online to refer to for years to come.
