Embedded Files
In this article, Melanie discusses the chaos that was last year's social media scene.
Brat Year in review: A take on last year's trends
Brat Year in review: A take on last year's trends
By: Melanie Campbell
By: Melanie Campbell
*Warning* This article may contain sensitive topics, such as recent assassination attempts on Donald Trump and the New York CEO murder.
*Warning* This article may contain sensitive topics, such as recent assassination attempts on Donald Trump and the New York CEO murder.
What is up, my guy? Is it really already Feb. 2025?! Guess it’s time for that overdue 2024 trend recap. So, grab an espresso and GRWM to review last year's major events.
The year kicked off with a bunch of 10-year-olds running wild through Sephora. Off to a solid start, right? Also, the Super Bowl grew in popularity, thanks to Taylor Swift's relationship with Chiefs player Travis Kelce. This spring, tons of new music dropped. According to The Billboard, this included Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department, Billie Eilish’s Birds of a Feather, and even JoJo Siwa’s “Karma”. Yep, you read that right: JoJo Siwa invented gay pop (sorry, Freddie Mercury and Lady Gaga). The spring wrapped up with an epic internet beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but Kendrick totally won with his viral diss track “Not Like Us.”
As stated by The Guardian, our iconic queen, Charli XCX, shattered pop culture with her album BRAT, featuring viral tracks like “Apple” and “360”. This album was supported by the hugely popular Roblox game Dress To Impress, and that’s how Brat Summer was born. But Charli wasn’t the only one going viral. Chappell Roan finally got the recognition she deserved last summer, with “HOT TO GO” going viral overnight. And, of course, another former Disney star, Sabrina Carpenter, rose to fame, earning the title of "pop princess" (do you get Déjà vu?). As Brat Summer came to a close, its impact on pop culture and teens’ Roblox screen time was undeniable.
Dress To Impress BRAT Update. Image credit to IGN
Meanwhile, Jake Paul, the influencer turned boxer, faced off against the legendary Mike Tyson. After months of training, Jake won. Though, as NBC pointed out, Tyson wasn’t exactly in his prime. He’s in his late 50s. We wrapped up the year with Ariana Grande’s popular performance in Wicked, a musical movie that broke records and went viral, especially with the constant TikTok posts featuring “Popular” and “Defying Gravity”.
Photo of Kamala Harris. Image credit to NBC News
Of course, social media had its fair share of controversial opinions. A big one was the man-vs-bear debate, where women argued whether they would rather encounter a man or a bear alone in the woods. The results were almost unanimously bear, sparking a wave of angry posts, mostly from offended men. Another political moment that went viral was Kamala Harris’s presidential run. As Forbes reported, her comment “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” was taken out of context and blasted across social media. Posts about her were often paired with Chappell Roan’s “Feminonimon” which matched her feminine and confident vibe.
Speaking of politics, Donald Trump’s two assassination attempts stirred social media, with many speculating they were staged, especially the first one. On an even darker note, a twenty-six-year-old allegedly shot a CEO on the streets of New York, according to CBS News. The incident became an internet sensation, with Luigi Mangione getting romanticized on social media. (I’m not hearing you out on that one... sorry.)
Brainrot was just as atrocious as ever in 2024. Mr. Beast dropped an overpriced Lunchables knockoff called Lunchly, which quickly became a running joke online. Meanwhile, the term “Very Demure” from a TikTok makeup video took off, with teens endlessly repeating “Very demure, very mindful.” And yes, “Skibidi” and “Sigma” are still being thrown around, with the meanings being a mystery.
Image credit to Beautylish.com
The wildest part? This isn’t even everything that happened online last year. The social media world had a major year (though, I hear the baby oil industry seemed to thrive, too). No one will be able to say 2024 was boring or forgettable. That’s for sure. I hope you all had an epic year, and that 2025 brings even more chaos. That’s all for now. Goodbye, skibidis!
Sources:
Sources:
The Billboard; Looking Ahead: A Release Calendar of Upcoming Albums in 2024
The Guardian; Brat summer: is the long era of clean living finally over?
NBC; How Old is Mike Tyson?
CBS News; What We Know About Luigi Mangione
Page updated
Report abuse