Top Social Media Moments of 2015

he+white+and+gold+or+blue+and+black%2C+or+combination+of+those+colors%2C+dress.+Photo+from+CNN

he white and gold or blue and black, or combination of those colors, dress. Photo from CNN

2015 was a big year in all things Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, Snapchat, etc. From epic fails to epic achievements, this year had its ups and downs. Here were the Top 8 biggest trends on Social Media in 2015.

 

8. Jurassic World – June 2015

This Jurassic Park sequel was everything everyone needed: amazing effects, realistic dinosaurs, and Chris Pratt. He stole the show with his ripped muscles and his ability to train Velociraptors (everything you want in a perfect man). This movie was trending on twitter for so long (mostly because of Chris Pratt). The iconic picture of Pratt training 3 Velociraptors was made into many different memes.

 

7. Shia LaBeouf “Just Do It” – August

Shia Labeouf’s motivational speech. Photo from Youtube
Shia Labeouf’s motivational speech. Photo from Youtube

Shia LaBeouf just keeps getting crazier, but in a good way. In August, he released a YouTube video of him in front of a green screen, saying motivational words. Well, he was really yelling these motivational words. They included the title, “just do it” and “yesterday, you said tomorrow.” This one minute motivational speech went completely viral. And of course, the green screen allowed people to make as many edits on the video as they wanted. This video was remade so many times and repeated everywhere; it’s a wonder why Nike hasn’t paid him for advertising yet.

 

6. Kanye West for President – August

At the MTV VMAs, Kanye West’s speech was the most memorable. After a 15-minute rant on many things (none of them too relevant), he announced that he was running for president in 2020. No one knows if he was serious or not, but at least he’ll be a better candidate than Trump. And, hey, maybe having Yeezus in the White House might be good for us.

 

5. Katy Perry Super Bowl – February

Katy Perry performs at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Photo from Business Insider
Katy Perry performs at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Photo from Business Insider

Katy Perry performed many of her hit songs at the Super Bowl Half Time show, and even brought out special guest Missy Elliot. But it wasn’t just the fun performance that made this so memorable. Her back-up dancers, primarily the guys in the shark costumes, stole the show. The left shark especially got attention because of his lack of enthusiasm and rhythm, compared to the other dancers. But just remember the next time you tweet about these sharks – fish are friends, not food.

 

4. “Netflix and Chill” – all year

This phrase has been gaining popularity all year, like a snowball rolling down a hill. The real meaning of “Netflix and Chill” is…not important in this context. This phrase alone racked up millions of usages on Twitter, Instagram, and Vine. People began using it ironically and it somehow turned into one giant meme. The most popular use is “20 minutes into Netflix and chill, and they give you this look…” accompanied by a picture. The use of this phrase peaked heavily in October 2015.

 

3. Caitlyn Jenner – April

Caitlyn Jenner appears on the cover of Vanity Fair. Photo from CNN
Caitlyn Jenner appears on the cover of Vanity Fair. Photo from CNN

Caitlyn Jenner, formally known as Bruce Jenner, sat down with Diane Sawyer for the last interview she would give before transitioning into a woman. She started the transition in June and publically began using feminine pronouns. She appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair’s June issue looking happier and more stunning than ever. Caitlyn Jenner is now the positive face of transgender people, and a huge step towards a more understanding and accepting society.

 

2. Love Wins – June

On June 26, the Supreme Court came to a long-awaited decision of marriage equality. Since that date, same-sex couples are allowed to get married in the United States. This is great news for people all across the country, and another major step in acceptance and equality. This memorable date will go down in history – with many hashtags to accompany it. This was one of the most trending things on twitter this whole year.

 

1. The Dress – February

Is it white and gold or blue and black? This will go down as one of the biggest debates in social media history. This infamous picture of what appears to be a simple dress messed with everyone’s vision. Some people saw it as one color, and others saw it a different way. Many people saw it both ways. It was finally concluded that the dress is blue and black, but the lighting in the photo is so strange, that it oddly exposes the picture to make it look white and gold. And here I thought it was magic changing the colors. This certainly was the most viral trend of 2015 and deserves #1 on Top Social Media Moments.