As the year 2014 quickly approaches, another memorable year full of incredible news and remarkable people comes to an end. I have tracked down the 13 most viral things of 2013 and I'm bringing them to you via, surprise, surprise, the internet! May this go viral too!
1. Wrecking Ball
Okay, so everyone has seen Miley Cyrus's music video for Wrecking Ball (and if you haven't, please click here before the general population finds out that you haven't and exiles you to the land of no return) However in this day and age, just having your video go viral is not enough. You are not a true star until your video goes viral and so does a parody version. Case and point, Steve Kardynal, possibly the only star of video chat website Chatroulette, has made his own version of the U.S. star's video, featuring a scantily-clad and sometimes naked Steve writhing around and swinging about on a large ball as he lip-syncs to the song (truly priceless).
2. What Does The Fox Say?
If we ever had any questions about what sounds various animals make, our curiosities were answered with the overplayed song "What Does the Fox Say?" The video got more than 275 million YouTube hits.
3. Worst Twerk Fail EVER -Girl Catches On Fire
As if Miley Cyrus Twerking on Robin Thick was not enough of a viral video, Jimmy Kimmel stepped up his game with the "Worst Twerk Fail EVER -Girl Catches On Fire" video that received over 9 million views in under a week.
4. Vine
Twitter launched mobile video app Vine on January 24. The app allows users to make a 6-second looping video clip. Short, easily shareable and embeddable on the web, it aimed to become the tool of reference for bite-size viral videos and it's doing a pretty good job.
5. Marina's Dancing Resignation Video
What does a viral-video-editor do when she or he wants to quit her or his job? Make a viral video about it. The video, of Marina dancing to the tune of Kanye West's "Gone" with subtitles explaining exactly how un-happy she was and why, went viral and has now reached 17 million views. To top the whole thing off, a few days later, her former employers created a response video that got just as much hype.
6. Selfies At A Funeral
The "selfie" of three world leaders during South Africa's farewell to Nelson Mandela went spastic viral! And really, who doesn't take photos at a funeral? Sitting patiently and respectively at a funeral is so 2012.
7. Beyonce Becomes A Meme
The spotlight was on Beyoncé and her fellow Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams at the half time show
during 2013's Super Bowl, but not for very long. In true fashion, just as we love putting our favorite stars on unreachable pedestals, we'd much rather push them off those pedestal and watch them fall. After the amazing performance, the hype revolving Beyoncé's muscular physic was all anyone could talk about. Unflattering photos were circulating social media platforms like a plague taking over a small village.
8. Kristen Stewart Cheats On Robert Pattinson
We love to follow famous stars through their wedding plans, we wait eagerly for the photos from the wedding, and even more so to see the unflattering pics of them on a beach somewhere for their honeymoon with, dare I say it, cellulite. But believe it or not, there is actually something we love even more...cheating. Forget the Middle East, the news of Kristen Stewart cheating on Robert Pattisnson was the biggest news from the summer of 2013.
9. Amanda Bynes On Twitter
Celebrities on Twitter are always a good time. However this year we got a little extra entertainment watching the self-destruction of yet another child star. These crazy Tweets pretty much made our lives. No amount of rehab will ever make those Tweets go away. Once a tweet, always a tweet.
10. What's Your Excuse?
Maria Kang, AKA "Fit Mom," posted a controversial photo on her Facebook page in September, showing her toned abs, with her three young kids by her side. The mother created a firestorm of attention by asking, "What's your excuse?" Many moms worldwide, like Australian mom, Taryn Brumfitt, struck back with their own viral videos and pictures explaining that looking like Maria Kang after three kids is nearly impossible...but is it?
11. "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white."
Justine Sacco, who worked for IAC - a leading media company, caused an internet storm after tweeting: "Going to Africa. Hope I don't
get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white." She posted the extremely offensive tweet as she boarded a flight to South Africa. Needless to say she was fired faster then she tweeted the tweet, as for the coverage of the incident dying down, now that will take much longer. To read more about this particular viral incident and how social media has influenced our society read Ayelete Noff's latest blog post by clicking here.
12. Celebrity And Royal Births
(Please read the following while listening to the song, "Mad World" by Gary Jules) As the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy progressed, everyone was consumed with how Kate's maternity fashion compared with that of another high-profile mom-to-be, Kim Kardashian. We followed every single move these two pregnant ladies made this year. From what they were eating, where they were working out, what they were wearing, where they were shopping for baby items, to when/how/where they were giving birth. You can actually watch a video showing Kate leaving the hospital with her little bundle of joy, if you're like the rest of the world, instead of being fascinated with the baby, you're more likely to be obsessed with what she was wearing, how her hair was done, and how flat her stomach was (30 hours after giving birth to a human!)
13. #Hashtagging With Jimmy Fallon And Justin Timberlake
Please confirm that you are not #hashtagging in your everyday speech. We are all for things going viral and for social media to expand, however even we cannot advocate this behavior. A sketch showcasing this unfortunate trend by Fallon and JT was the greatest way to prove that this is not and will not ever be OK.
If you have any viral things that went viral in 2013 and you think they should be added to this list, please let me know. #wecantstop #wewontstop