Remember These? These Crazy, Stupid & Funny Internet Trends Will Haunt Us Forever
My little sister is in middle school, which means that I have insider knowledge on all of the newest and dumbest internet trends. While I might see a few while scrolling through TikTok, it’s hilarious to hear the stories directly from the source. My mom receives emails on the monthly warning parents about internet trends like the “devious lick” challenge that encouraged kids to vandalize… but all of this made me think back to the stupid challenges we were a part of when we were in middle school and high school. Here are some of the funniest, and dumbest internet trends we have lived through.
Gangnam style
Dance trends were all the rage when we were kids – and they still are. TikTok dances have taken over the world, but remember the days when everyone, and I mean everyone, was listening to this song? I even had it on my iPod nano.
Ice bucket challenge
Nothing says caring about a cause like pouring a bucket of ice water on your head. Right? Right? I remember the days of hoping you didn’t get tagged in one, and then when you did… it was a whole family affair. I had to ask my parents for their help and we all stood out in the front yard for my challenge. Looking back, it was pretty ridiculous.
Flash mobs
Again with the dancing… I’m so glad that flash mobs are a thing of the past. I distinctly remember my friends discussing when and where we would perform a flash mob, like in the mall. Something about bursting into choreographed dance made us feel like we were in a High School Musical movie.
Mannequin challenge
This challenge, while it was much like the other dance challenges, was all about standing as still as you could. And don’t tell me you forgot about the song. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get that song out of my head.
Slenderman
While this trend ended very badly, it was fun while it lasted. My friends and I were obsessed with Slenderman and loved to play the scary game on the computer. Something about a man in a suit… with tentacles… made us go crazy. Anyway, who doesn’t love a creepypasta?
Creepypasta
Honestly, creepypasta is a trend on its own. The amount of stories that came from this website that will forever live on in my brain is endless. Russian sleep experiment? Squidward’s suicide? Candle Cove? These stories will live on for millenniums as folklore, I promise you.
Salad fingers
We have to admit, our generation was obsessed with anything creepy and weird. That’s why this video of this ugly green guy was so popular. I can’t be the only one who remembers watching this because it was so WEIRD and creepy and a bunch of thirteen-year-olds did not need to be watching it.
Don’t hug me I’m scared
This falls into the same category as the last one. Green is not a creative color! How did we find these videos? Why were they ever made? Why do I have them forever etched into my memory? Too many questions to answer.
Email chains
I’m throwing it back even further with this one. In the beginning days of email, these email chains were everywhere. “If you don’t send this to 5 friends, you’re going to fall in front of everyone at school and have 1 million years of bad luck.” Obviously, you have to send it on. Who wants to chance that? Sometimes, very rarely, I’ll still get an email chain and it warms my heart.
Jump Scares
Remember Scary Maze Game? And how if you hit the edge a horribly scary face would jump at you? Or that video where the car goes around the hill and disappears? Until another scary face jumps at you? Jump scares were one of my least favorite trends, and I’m glad we’ve strayed away from them.
Did I miss any internet trends from our past? Comment them down below and maybe I’ll do a part 2!