The Most Impactful Moments of 2023

• Hamlin Strong

The day that Bills Mafia was forever changed: January 2nd, 2023. The Buffalo Bills were playing the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football at Paycor Stadium. It was 1st and 10 with 5 minutes and 58 seconds left in the first quarter. Damar Hamlin was hit hard on the play and was able to stand back up, but he quickly fell back down. He did not get up. As time passed, he was attended to by medical professionals and surrounded by players praying for his health. After being rushed to the hospital, they found out that he was in cardiac arrest and stayed in the hospital for days. Thankfully, he is healthy and just recently played in the game against the Bengals at the same stadium where the event had happened about a year ago. The NFL community came together in a way never seen before to show support for Damar Hamlin and his family.

• Barbenheimer

Two of the biggest and arguably greatest movies of all time: Barbie and Oppenheimer. Both were released on July 21st, 2023. Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan is a movie about the secret Manhattan Project in the 1940’s during World War II. It made $953.8 million at the Box Office and was produced by Universal Pictures. Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, who also directed Little Women and Lady Bird, is a movie about the impact of the Barbie doll over the past 5+ decades and the influence it has had on women and girls all over the world. It made $1.446 billion at the Box Office and was made by Warner Brothers. Both of these movies have done extremely well and continue to impact people of all ages.

• 2023 (Taylor’s Version)

Miss Taylor Alison Swift: Two re-recorded albums, 10 BMA’s, Time’s Person of the Year, and numerous other awards. In addition to those accomplishments, she also started her 6th tour, The Eras Tour which will be starting the international leg on the 7th of February in Tokyo, Japan. She also has two anticipated albums, Taylor Swift (Debut) and Reputation Taylor’s Version. She will continue her Eras Tour until the end of 2024. She also released The Eras Tour Movie on the 13th of October. Taylor Swift had a very impactful year, leaving the Swifties ready to see what is in store for 2024. 

• Actors Strikes

Spanning from the 14th of July to the 9th of November the SAG-AFTRA strike took place. The writing of scripts for TV shows and movies stopped and actors could not discuss or develop any productions. There was a lot of picketing, and many well-anticipated films were completely shut down for the time being.

• The Rise of AI

ChatGPT: Some love it and some hate it.  Launched November 30, 2022, via OpenAI, this artificial intelligence software program has produced literally anything imaginable. Examples include answers to math questions, responses to basic knowledge questions, speeches recited from famous political figures and so much more. This specific form of AI, ChatGPT, was formed in conjunction with DALL. E 2, a digital model that is used to form pictures, and Whisper, which is a speech transcription model. All over the world, this incredible tool is used to help, teach, and enlighten people.

• Roman Empire Trend

The Roman Empire trend took over all of our lives in August of 2023 after a history enthusiast named Gaius Flavius asked the famous question in one of his Instagram reels. People from all over have weighed in about their “Roman Empire.” The question “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” has transitioned into the question of “What is your Roman Empire?”  Many respond to this trend saying that their Roman Empire is a specific memory that is always on their mind. What’s your Roman Empire?

• Red, Green, and Beige Flags

Another very popular trend was the red, beige, and green flags. Many podcasters and social media influencers have shared their hot takes about what they deem to be a red or a green flag, most commonly in different types of relationships. Although this flag trend has been circulating for some time now, its popularity rose in 2023 when many websites began to list red and green flags for their family members over the holidays. A red flag symbolizes someone's fault or something they do that is a turn-off, a beige flag is something that is neither good nor bad but is partially weird or abnormal, and a green flag is something positive and intriguing that someone does.

• Celebrity Relationships

2023 was definitely a year of interesting relationships. Tom Holland and Zendaya, Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini, Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were only some of the hottest couples this year. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce took everyone by surprise when they were first spotted back in September of ‘23 at one of Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs games. Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were also recently spotted together at the Golden Globes. Hopefully we will see a whole new group of celeb couples in the new year…and maybe some weddings!!

• The Film Industry

A wide variety of new films were released in 2023. First up we’ve got Oppenheimer which was released on the same day as Barbie and both of them did very well in their respective categories. Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell is a rom-com based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Wonka, the prequel to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory stars Timothée Chalamet is about young Willy and his dreams to open his own shop in the city. The Hunger Games: Balled of Songbirds & Snakes starts the storyline of the 4-part movie series by introducing the people of Panem when the very first Hunger Games were starting. This movie features many new actors and actresses such as Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, and  Josh Andrés Rivera. Overall, it has been a great year to head to your local theatre, grab some popcorn, and watch a great movie.

• People

2023 brought many new people into the spotlight, but also kept many other celebs sitting on their high horse. Of course, Taylor Swift and Beyonce were some of the top-level celebrities this year with each of their highly-grossing tours. Jacob Elordi also rose to the top with both Priscilla and Saltburn. Pedro Pascal also gained popularity with The Last of Us and his upcoming movie Gladiator 2. Margot Robbie also skyrocketed in influentialness with her new movie Barbie. Fans have had a great time watching their favorite celebrities in their new films.

Overall, 2023 contained many new faces, old faces, unique trends, and interesting gossip. Leading into 2024, I hope that there will be more fun-filled drama and different aspects of culture that we haven't seen before.