The internet moves fast, and we keep up with it, so you don’t have to. In this list, we sift through the metaphorical cream that rises to the top of the cultural cesspool we call the World Wide Web, recapping the tech flubs, film faves, and charming catchphrases that have defined 2024 so far.
SEE ALSO: The best memes of 2024 (so far)
Challengers
The three leads characters of Challengers — Art, Tashi, and Patrick — in a scene from the movie.
Credit: Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures
The sizzling tensions of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers inspired memes, breathless text posts, and horny fan edits of the three lead characters. Many of these edits used clips from the movie shot surreptitiously on mobile phones in dark theaters nationwide. As Mashable’s Elena Cavender noted, pirated clips are looked down on in some fan circles. Still, the online frenzy around Challengers made them fair game for fan editors who knew the people needed their tennis fantasy fix ASAP.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, The Tortured Poet’s Department, and Travis Kelce
Taylor Swift playing a rhinestoned guitar, mid-concert.
Credit: Shirlaine Forrest/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
For the past year, we’ve seen so much Taylor Swift on our feeds that she has become the moment. Her Eras Tour and relationship with footballer Travis Kelce — both the talk of 2023 — remained top of mind in 2024 as Swift played stadiums worldwide and managed to make it to her beau’s Super Bowl game on time. Then came the release of The Tortured Poet’s Department, a project fans expected would tear into her breakup with long-time partner Joe Alwyn. Instead, it seemed to primarily focus on her subsequent relationships with Matt Healy and Kelce, which sent listeners straight to their keyboards to discuss it all.
Pro-Palestine campus protests
A Columbia University graduate carries a “Ceasefire Now” banner across the stage at graduation.
Credit: Fatih Akta/Anadolu via Getty Images
Across the country, college students protesting the war in Gaza demanded that their universities divest from financial support of Israel. These protests, which included on-campus encampments and demonstrations, drew varied reactions from law enforcement. The Guardian reported that though “fewer than 20” of the 533 campus demonstrations nationwide between April 18 and May 3 resulted in any serious interpersonal violence or property damage, there were at least 70 instances of forceful police intervention. One of those, at Columbia University, led to calls for President Minouche Shafik to step down after she allowed the NYPD to enter the Columbia campus and remove protestors.
“Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear?”
This simple question, first shared on TikTok, opened a dialogue about gender-based sexual and physical violence: If left alone in the woods, would you feel safer being there with a man or a bear? Women answered, overwhelmingly: the bear, adding comments like, “The worst thing the bear can do is kill me.”
Zendaya’s Dune: Part Two red carpet style
Zendaya in a Mugler chrome bodysuit against sand dunes and an orange sky.
Credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Zendaya and her longtime stylist, Law Roach, delivered incredible looks for the Dune: Part Two press tour, including a matching jumpsuit moment with co-star Timothée Chalamet. But the ‘fit that topped them all was a vintage Mugler chrome bodysuit with revealing cutouts.
Tween girls at Sephora
For about a month between January and February of this year, the internet had a lot to say about tween girls shopping at Sephora. TikTok videos purported to show display cases at the makeup store wrecked by overeager young women. However, the larger conversation revolved around whether young girls should be in the store at all — and if the products they love from brands like Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and Charlotte Tilbury are suitable for young skin.
We chatted with actual teens and their parents about the hubbub.
The TikTok “ban”
The TikTok logo on a smashed mobile phone screen, behind it the American flag is visible.
Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
After years of threats by the U.S. government, a TikTok “ban” is finally underway. “Ban” is a bit of a misnomer since the social media app could have up to 12 months to find a buyer before it is no longer distributed in the U.S. App Store. The move could have enormous implications for creators who create primarily for TikTok, and the bill may face a long uphill battle in the U.S. court system.
“Who TF Did I Marry?”
“Who TF Did I Marry?” is an 8-hour video series that made creator Reesa Teesa the talk of the internet throughout February and March. The 52-part saga, posted to TikTok, details Teesa’s marriage to a “pathological liar” and “narcissist” whom she calls Legion. The New York Times dubbed the series a harbinger of “TikTok’s Midlife Crisis Era,” and Mashable’s Tim Marcin noted that people listened to it the same way they would a podcast.
Chappell Roan’s star-making ascent
Chappell Roan, with wild red curly hair, wearing an “EAT ME” shirt and holding a mic on stage at Coachella.
Credit: Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The slow and steady rise of singer Chappell Roan was supercharged this year by her performances at Coachella, where her whimsical outfits, undeniable stage presence, and progressive pop proved to be a powerful combination. Her festival stages boosted her streaming numbers enough to earn her her first entry on the Billboard 100 with “Good Luck, Babe!”
SEE ALSO: Why is the internet fighting over Chappell Roan?
The rise (and fail) of AI
The meteoric rise of OpenAI in 2023 has upended content across the web in 2024. We’re seeing the application of artificial intelligence across almost every major platform to varying degrees of effectiveness. In April, a screenshot of Google’s AI tool recommending readers put “glue on pizza” raised eyebrows and set tongues wagging on X. It was one of the most powerful indications that AI may not be ready for primetime and may misinform users across the internet.
The Willy Wonka Experience
An event in Glasgow billed as an immersive, experiential walk through Willy Wonka’s factory for families turned out to be more weird than wonderful. Customers paying more than $40 a ticket were treated to one bouncy castle, no chocolate, a single oompa loompa, and the “The Unknown,” a creepy new villain who “lives in the walls.” Guests were reimbursed, but the event’s fallout played out online as sleuths delighted in its sloppy, AI-generated marketing and actors hired by the production shared their takes on the disaster.
Stanley cups and the dangers of overconsumption
A shelf of Stanley tumblers in pastel colors.
Credit: Matt Fowler KC via Shutterstock
The Stanley tumbler, a 40-ounce reusable stainless steel cup, is portable and durable and should reduce reliance on single-use plastics. Instead, it became a symbol of overconsumption earlier this year when people began sharing their enormous Stanley Cup collections, and videos surfaced of Stanley-seekers outrunning each other to nab a limited-edition Valentine’s Day colorway.
Mashable’s Christianna Silva broke down the FOMO, opining that “the frenzy for the tumblers points to a sensation becoming all too popular on TikTok: The app makes us feel insecure and uncertain of ourselves, and those very insecurities and uncertainties are being exploited for spending power.”
Jett and Pookie
Jett Puckett has a special nickname for his wife, Campbell. To him, she is “Pookie,” and she always looks “absolutely fire.” The couple’s TikTok content, featuring their date-night outfits and weekend outings, delighted viewers who especially loved listening to Jett wax poetic about Pookie’s appearance. Mashable’s Tim Marcin summed up the duo’s simple appeal: “Pookie is dressed up, and Jett compliments Pookie.”
Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud
Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre perform onstage during The Pop Out
Credit: Timothy Norris/Getty Images for pgLang, Amazon Music, & Free Lunch
Hip-hop feuds rarely reach the stratospheric drama of Tupac vs. Biggie or Jay-Z vs. Nas, but in 2024, Kendrick Lamar and Drake gifted the internet with some jaw-dropping accusations — which proved to be big business for livestreamers.
What started as Kendrick dismissing the idea of a “Big 3” — the long-standing rap triumvirate of him, Drake, and J. Cole — ended with the Toronto rapper accusing Lamar of being a domestic abuser and not being the father of his kid. This then got flipped on Drake, with the Compton rapper alleging that Drake was a predator and a sex trafficker.
For weeks, it felt like the entire world had front-row seats to a rap beef that had jumped from a full-blown cultural phenomenon to something disturbingly personal. And despite some valid criticism about the escalation of this feud, you can’t lie it was one of the wildest internet spectacles of the year, the likes of which can’t be replicated.
Internet consensus is that Kendrick won the battle, and if you disagree, well, one of them is booked for the Super Bowl and the other is hanging out with controversial Twitch streamers saying he didn’t lose.
brat summer
Musical guest Charli XCX performs “360”
Credit: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
Charli XCX catapulted into the pop culture stratosphere with her seventh studio album, brat, a record that defined a movement as much as it dominated playlists. The album cover — minimalist lime green with “brat” scrawled in stark black— became an instant viral meme, a symbol of cheeky rebellion. Its cultural power only grew when the Harris campaign co-opted it during the 2024 presidential election, turning a pop aesthetic into a political statement.
Fueled by high-energy dance-pop and unapologetic lyrics, brat resonated as a battle cry for rebellious womanhood in a time of turmoil, with attacks on women’s bodily autonomy front and center in global discourse. What started as a musical era quickly became an aesthetic, embraced across social media and the streets, embodying defiance, femininity, and fun when it was most needed.
Raygun breaks the Paris Olympics
B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia looks on before competing in the B-Girls Round Robi
Credit: Rene Nijhuis/BSR Agency/Getty Images
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris delivered its fair share of viral moments, but none dominated the internet quite like Australian breakdancer Raygun — though not for the reasons anyone hoped. Breaking made its long-anticipated Olympic debut, showcasing elite b-boys and b-girls from around the globe. Among them was 36-year-old Rachael Gunn, an Australian professor competing under the name Raygun, who quickly became the talk of the event.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t her skills that captured attention. Gunn failed to score a single point in her three one-on-one battles, delivering a performance so bizarrely offbeat that it became an instant meme. Clips of her routines flooded social media, sparking endless parodies and making her the unwitting face of Olympic failure.
“Very demure, very mindful”
It’s not every day that a 17-second TikTok transforms someone into a viral sensation, but that’s exactly what happened to Jools Lebron, now known as “TikTok’s resident fierce diva.” Their quick-hit videos on how to be “very demure” and “very mindful” at work, in life, and even in Las Vegas casinos struck a chord, blending humor and sass into an instant cultural moment.
The catchphrase exploded, becoming a go-to reference for celebrities, brands, and overly enthusiastic social media managers alike. At the time of writing, Lebron’s original video has racked up over 54 million views on TikTok, solidifying its status as a viral phenomenon — and its creator as a bona fide internet icon.
SEE ALSO: Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year is very mindful, very cutesy
Moo Deng mania
Moo Deng walks through her enclosure at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo
Credit: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
One of late 2024’s biggest celebrities isn’t a pop star or actor — it’s Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus stealing hearts at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi, Thailand. This tiny queen rocketed to fame when the zoo posted a video of her waddling and splashing on Facebook, and the internet collectively lost its mind.
SEE ALSO: From Moo Deng to Pesto the Penguin, here are the cutest animals taking over our feeds
There’s not much more to say except, all hail Moo Deng. With her adorable chubby cheeks and playful antics, she became an instant viral sensation, cementing her status.
P Diddy’s allegations and arrest
Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center
Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
The downfall of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs became one of the internet’s biggest moments of 2024, overshadowed only by the severity of the allegations against him. As shocking accusations surfaced against the Bad Boy Records founder, social media did what it does best: turned serious matters into viral chaos.
From tweets about Diddy’s infamous “all white” parties to TikToks riffing on the bizarrely excessive amounts of baby oil reportedly found in his mansion, the internet turned the scandal into an endless stream of memes. While the crimes alleged were far from funny, the digital response was a reminder of how unserious the internet can get.
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance joined the growing wave of films about women behaving badly, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in a darkly satirical tale of body horror. The story follows an aging A-lister who turns to a black-market drug to create a younger version of herself, offering a not-so-subtle critique of society’s — and men’s — obsession with punishing women for aging.
Its outrageous premise and over-the-top execution struck a chord online, earning the film a burst of quasi-virality in late September. Memes emanating from the movie didn’t overstay their welcome either, thankfully respecting the balance unlike some.
Elon’s Big November
Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk raises his hands as he takes the stage during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
It was a banner month for the internet’s (least) favorite billionaire, Elon Musk. The Tesla and X owner made waves by dropping $200 million in a PAC to help fund Donald Trump’s successful bid for a second non-consecutive term as president. Musk’s investment paid off in the form of a controversial reward: he was named co-chair of the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
The name, a cheeky nod to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, belied the group’s actual role — a powerless federal advisory body with zero authority to implement budget cuts. However, Musk’s new role came with a tangled web of ethical questions. Tesla and SpaceX rely heavily on federal contracts, creating a murky conflict of interest now that Musk has seemingly paid his way into being Trump’s “First Buddy.”
Because of this, a lot of the underbelly of what made early Twitter what it is today have flocked to Bluesky — a decentralized social media initially funded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest
Dempsey Bobbitt, 18, attends during a Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York
Credit: Jeenah Moon for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Hosting spontaneous events in Central Park has become the latest trend. Remember the Cheeseball Man? He doesn’t hold a candle to the thousands who gathered to see which skinny white boy would be crowned the ultimate “Timothée Chalamet lookalike.”
This unlikely event inspired several other lookalike contests, such as the Dev Patel event in San Francisco and the Jeremy Allen White contest in Chicago. However, unlike those copycats, the Chalamet lookalike contest was actually attended by its namesake.
Wicked
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande attend the European Premiere of “Wicked: Part One”
Credit: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage
To close out this year’s roundup of the best internet moments, we held some space for a film that truly soared: Wicked. The long-awaited movie adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, finally hit theaters, and it’s already claiming its rightful place in the internet limelight.
SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about those showstopping ‘Wicked’ cameos
From memes about “holding space” to heated debates over the ethics of singing along in theaters (seriously, don’t), Wicked has delivered not just rave reviews but an endless stream of hilarious online content. It’s safe to say the film is “casting a spell” on the internet.
Want more of the best of 2024? Join Mashable as we look back at all the internet slang, TikTok songs, movies, memes, dating trends, hyped up hardware, scientific discoveries, social media apps, and more that have delighted and amazed us this year.
