Trendy Today, Forgotten Tomorrow: The Rise and Fall of Viral Hypes

In today’s digital world, trends start dying almost as quickly as they rise. Social media platforms like TikTok, X, and Instagram send an unending flow of viral content to their users. While as a trends, it rise & fall as quickly as it be. It could be fashion trends, gaming fads, or meme explosions, they buzz for an ephemeral period. So, let’s start with some recent examples that used to be viral all over the internet, you’re not too old for this.

1. Skibidi Toilet (2023)

Skibidi Toilet is this super-weird and funny thing (kids find it funny, but not us!) that took over the internet. It started out as a crazily animated series that people found on YouTube. They are animated characters engage in nonsensical, chaotic interactions with toilets and heads. All the way silly but able to capture the attention as it seems meme-worthy.

That, of course, gives rise to the fun bits of people creating their own memes out of it, creating videos of themselves as though they were in the Skibidi universe, pretending to fight with toilets or just generally like the toilets were performing the weirdest of dances. Random & weird that’s make everyone everywhere busy copying it.

2. NPC Streaming (2023)

The NPC streaming trend is a fairly recent phenomenon, arising since the inception of the live streams, especially on Twitch and TikTok. Simply put, a streamer or influencer pretends to be an NPC, mimicking bland and robotic behavior that one encounters among gaming characters lacking will or thought of their own. They means to perform something like repeating the scripts, act glitching or repeating the same dialogs (as rpg gamers know this when keep interacting with same characters repeatly). In some new form, streamers even interact with audiences, and even respond to it. Such engagement usually will lead to chaotic environment, introducing randomness and unpredictability.

3. The Grimace Shake (2023)

When Grimace Shake was launched in a limited-time promotion by McDonald’s, no one thought it rise up to become a meme. TikTokers started some overly dramatic video after having the shake, just like some mysterious life-changing effects. The fusion of humor with the absurdity of the shake’s purple hue carried it to viral status, though the fad died even before it began, as McDonald’s unceremoniously withdrew the product from stores, allowing the Grimace Shake to join the ranks of other short-lived viral sensations.

4. Get Over It (2017)

Still remember this game? a man stuck on a large pot with pickaxe? Yes, it’s a climbing game where you ascend a series of increasingly difficult obstacles, used to be very popular among the Twitch streamers due to its rage-inducing nature (fall? start again!). As for it difficulty, streamers would become visibly frustrated which ended up with hilarious dramatic reaction, this in turn drove it popularity. This game setting a very example of how frustration could turn into entertainment.

5. The Bottlecap Challenge (2019)

Farabi Davood, posted himself knocking off cap of a bottle by spinning kick in 2019. The video started gaining attention as a challenge, where various people, including those famous persons taking part of this so called “The Bottlecap Challenge”. Some with their own way which might more difficult or creative. One of the most memorable one came from Donnie Yen, the Ip Man himself, performed the bottle cap kick while blindfolded. His video gained alot of attention, putting a viral challenge even more. However, like most viral trends, the bottle cap challenge eventually faded out, as most already attempted it and moved on to another challenges.

6. Kiki Challenge (2018)

Remember the trend where people dance alongside a moving car? Yes, that’s the Kiki Challenge which go viral after the comedian Shiggy started it by dancing to Drake’s song, In My Feelings. This quickly caught everyone attention, making people around the world trying to recreate it. The challenge soon evolve to it very form, where people start jumping out the moving car to dance alongside it, with car door open and still moving. Sure it become more exciting to watch but also lead to many accidents and injuries. This trend die down when authorities around the world started warning people against this dangerous challenge.

Why Do These Trends Die So Fast?

As of of viral trends, there will be rise & fall of it. While some may still going strong. Here some of the factors of it:

• Saturation: When something overexposed, the magic lost. It just feels like not really that unique anymore when everybody start doing it.
• Novelty Wears Off: The internet thrives on novelty. Love for something fresh or never been seen. When the things doesn’t feel new anymore, it lose popularity along it.
• FOMO vs. Boredom: People chase viral trends to avoid missing out (FOMO), but once they’re everywhere, they lose their appeal, leading to boredom and an inevitable move to the next trend.

Blink and You’ll Miss It

Viral trends may be the most definitional part of Internet culture. Still, due to the ephemeral nature of viruses, they keep changing. From gaming phenomena to strange memes and fashion trends, these come and go, shine brightly for a while, and vanish before we fully comprehend their true significance. Such is the character of the digital age: chasing after the next viral craze-and so the cycle continues. So as trends change, one thing’s for certain-a new viral moment will always be around the corner.