Source: Gregg DeGuire / Getty
We know. You’re probably so tired about hearing about end of decade stuff. But for most millennials, we weren’t fully into adulthood the last time a new decade rolled around.
Which is why saying goodbye to the 2010’s is such a pivotal moment in our lives. Many of us grew up in the 2010’s — some just got older, while others actually matured after taking on life’s lessons head one. Either way, we all have a lot to be thankful for. Just making it to a new year is cool in itself, but surviving a decade of such great changes is just badass.
The 2010s gave us a new wave of entertainment as the Internet grew up with us. Viral moments have taken the place of every sketch show and funny sitcom episode that we once adored. They’re just so funny. So relatable. So Universal. This past decade was chock full of moments that made their rounds around the world in matter of days. Sometimes even hours or minutes.
In honor of the 2010s coming to a close, let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable and viral moments of the decade.
Antoine Dodson- “Bed Intruder Song” (2010)
Youtube Views: 145 Million
Turned an unknown, protective big brother into a world wide media sensation and present day real estate investor.
Beyonce- “Love On Top VMA Performance/ Pregnancy Reveal” (2011)
The world all gasped in unison when the Queen Bey finally confirmed her pregnancy in 2011 with first child Blue. Hundreds of performances and two babies later, this still ranks as one of the Bey’s top performances.
Psy- “Gangnam Style” (2012)
Youtube Views: 3.4 Billion
Before viral dance challenges were a thing, Psy changed the world, and traveled it, performing everyone’s first favorite viral song, “Gangnam Style”. Low key, it was K-pop before K-pop was a thing. These days, Psy is still dropping songs here and there, but nothing has reached the level of success that “Gangnam Style” has.
https://twitter.com/BertIsTheWord14/status/1208798434595086338
Charles Ramsey- “Dead Giveaway” (2013)
Youtube Views: 33 Million
Cleveland resident Charles Ramsey went viral after a an interview of him explaining how he rescued three women (including Amanda Berry, who was kidnapped in 2003 by Ariel Castro) made its rounds on the Internet. Shortly after, the video was remixed and the rest is dead giveaway history.
Since then, Ramsey has written a book and made several television appearances with the women he rescued. His plug of McDonalds in the interview got him free burgers from the chain for over a year. However, Charles says that didn’t last very long.
Ice Bucket Challenge (2014)
The Ice Bucket or ALS Challenges was one of the first viral moments this decade that was actually for a cause — to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and encourage donations to research. The challenge? Dumping of a bucket of ice water over a person’s head and donate $10 to The ALS Association or skip the water and donate $100.
Everyone from Will Smith to Oprah participated and challenged their famous friends to get iced, or pay the price. In the Summer of 2015 alone, the Ice Bucket challenge raised $115 million.
Zola (2015)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4YDRbbH7Fg/
Story time on social media is most likely a thing because of Zola. Back in 2015, the world the lengthy Twitter thread written by Aziah Wells, whose Stripper name is Zola, as she told the story about meeting another sex worker named Jessica at Hooters, taking a trip to Florida, and encountered all types of pimps and abuse. Zola admitted to exaggerating some of the story, but it still doesn’t make the tale less juicy.
Fast forward to 2019, it’s been turned into a film that will premiere at Sundance.
Blue/Black or White/Gold (2015)
Also, we can’t forget the viral photo that had everyone second guessing their vision and friendships. Do you see Blue and Black or White and Gold?
Mannequin Challenge (2016)
2016 was a special time for the Internet and Rae Sremmurd. Little did they know, the third single from their second studio album Sremmlife 2 would be the track to spearhead one of the most viral challenges of the decade. It even made its way to the White House when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship that year. Iconic.
2017
2017 gave us too many viral moments to name, including Beyonce’s epic reveal of her 1 month old Rumi & Sir.. But wait, there’s more:
‘Moonlight’ vs ‘La la Land’ Oscar Mixup
Fyre Festival Screw Up
Prince Harry Marries Meghan Markle (2018)
2018 proved that fairy tales indeed do come true when Meghan Markle and Royal Prince Harry tied the knot. Folks had lots to say about Meghan’s history as an actress, divorcee and American. But their nuptials further proved that love does conquer all, sometimes.
https://twitter.com/morriganxall/status/1206970545377619973
Egg (2019)
Along with celebrities battling each other to see who can kick off a bottle acp with their foot, one of the biggest viral moments of the year was when a photo of a plain brown egg set out to get more “likes” than the most liked photo on IG at the time (18 million likes), which was of course a pic of Kylie Jenner. In just a matter of days, the egg beat KJ’s record, and is now standing at whopping 54 million likes.
Chris Godfrey, the man behind the egg account, said the purpose of the challenge was to raise awareness for mental illness.
Can’t wait to see what the next decade brings.