Jump to content

List of Internet phenomena: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Yuri Elite (talk | contribs)
886 edits
Yuri Elite (talk | contribs)
886 edits
Line 37: Line 37:


*'''[[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]]''' — a [[battle royal]] between many notable real and fictitious characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/1108664581.html?dids=1108664581:1108664581&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+26%2C+2006&author=Shauna+Rempel&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=H.3&desc=Copy%2C+paste%2C+animate|title=Copy, paste, animate|publisher=The [[Toronto Star]]}}</ref>
*'''[[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]]''' — a [[battle royal]] between many notable real and fictitious characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/1108664581.html?dids=1108664581:1108664581&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+26%2C+2006&author=Shauna+Rempel&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=H.3&desc=Copy%2C+paste%2C+animate|title=Copy, paste, animate|publisher=The [[Toronto Star]]}}</ref>




== E-mail ==
== E-mail ==

Revision as of 10:55, 2 June 2008

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of phenomena[1] specific to the Internet, such as popular themes and catchphrases, viral videos, amateur celebrities and more. Such fads and sensations grow rapidly on the Internet because its instant communication facilitates word of mouth. The search and rating features of sites like YouTube and Google then amplify this interest.

Advertising

Animals

  • Badger Badger Badger — A hypnotic loop of animal calisthenics set to the chant of "badger, badger, badger".
  • "Dramatic Chipmunk" (or Drama Hog) — Actually a prairie dog turning its head suddenly toward the camera, with a zoom-in on its face. The clip comes from an appearance by J-pop group MiniMoni on the Japanese TV show Hello! Morning.[5][6][7]
  • Hampster Dance — A page filled with hamsters dancing, linking to other animated pages. It spawned a fictional band complete with its own CD album release.[8]

Animation

  • Hey Macaroni! — A spoof of the Macarena featuring a squad of elbow pasta that comes to life for a lively song and dance number.[14][15]

E-mail

  • Bill Gates Beta — an e-mail chain-letter that appeared in 1997 and was still circulating as recently as 2007. The message claims that AOL and Microsoft are conducting a beta test and for each person you forward the e-mail to, you will receive a payment from Gates of more than $200. Pseudo-realistic contact information for a lawyer appears in the message.[19][20]
  • Cookie recipe — an e-mail chain-letter from the mid to late 1990s in which a person tells a story about being ripped off for over $200 for a cookie recipe from Neiman Marcus. The e-mail claims the person is attempting to exact revenge by passing the recipe out for free.[21][22]
  • Goodtimes virus — an infamous, fraudulent virus warning that first appeared in 1994.[23] The e-mail claimed that an e-mail virus with the subject line "Good Times" was spreading, which would "send your CPU into an nth-complexity infinite binary loop", among other dire predictions.[24]
  • Carmen Winstead/Jessica Smith — a chain-letter style posting that first appeared on MySpace and has since spread to other Social Networking sites. The post is about a girl that was murdered by her fellow high-school students by pushing her down a sewer, and informing that recipient that they will be haunted by the ghost of the dead girl if they do not forward the message.[25]

Films

  • The Blair Witch Project — The first film to use the Internet for astroturfing. Its makers spread rumors that the material they shot was authentic and that the three protagonists really disappeared in Burkittsville.[26] Many websites began to feature "stolen" clips of the film, later discovered to be supplied by Artisan and the filmmakers, and planted reviews of the film, which disguised their origin with intentional spelling mistakes and poor design.[27] Other filmmakers accused the producers of creating a fake fan buzz to generate a real one, stating "That was an organized effort. What happened is that they tricked the press."[28]
  • Snakes on a Plane — attracted attention, due to the film's title and premise, a year before its planned release, and before any promotional material was released. Producers of the film responded to the Internet buzz by adding several scenes anticipated by the fans.[31]

Games

  • Leeroy Jenkins — A World Of Warcraft player charges into a high-level dungeon with a distinctive cry of "Leeeeeeeerooooy... Jeeenkins!", ruining the meticulous attack plans of his group and getting them all killed.[33]
  • Line Rider — A Flash game where the player draws lines that act as ramps and hills for a small rider on a sled.[34]

Images

  • Bert is Evil — A satirical website stated that Bert of Sesame Street is the root of many evils. A juxtaposition of Bert and Osama Bin Laden subsequently appeared in a real poster in a Bangladesh protest.
  • Lootie — An Associated Press photo taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, under the caption "A looter carries a bucket of beer out of a grocery store in New Orleans." The original photo shows a black man in waist-deep waters carrying a tub full of bottles of beer. This image and the man's face were incorporated into various parody and gag images, using Photoshop.[38][39]
  • The Saugeen Stripper — An 18-year-old female resident of Saugeen-Maitland Hall at the University of Western Ontario performed a striptease at a birthday party, and dozens of digital images of the party ended up on the Internet. The incident briefly attracted widespread media attention and was the subject of articles by a number of Canadian and American media outlets. The controversy sparked a discussion about just how much control that institutions of higher learning have over what goes on in their residences.[40]

Music

People

  • Bus Uncle — A middle-aged man reacted furiously after the young man seated behind him on a Hong Kong bus tapped his shoulder and asked him to lower his voice while speaking on the phone. His outburst spawned catchphrases in Chinese communities around the world.[47]
  • Chris Crocker — Had a growing following for his YouTube and MySpace vlog postings until 2007 when Crocker gained international mainstream media attention after a video he made in support of Britney Spears became viral email and landed him on CNN, Howard Stern, ABC and numerous other shows.[5][48][5]
  • Chuck Norris Facts — archetypal joke, in which the five-times-world champion, eighth degree black belt is portrayed as the ultimate hard man with incredible attributes.[50]
  • Dog poop girl — a Korean refused to clean up after her dog and so was exposed and shamed on the Internet.[53]
  • lonelygirl15 — A popular video blogger whose work turned out to be a professional hoax.[5]
  • Nintendo 64 Kid — Two kids get a Nintendo 64 for Christmas and the boy screams "Nintendo 64, OMG!!!"
  • Ron Paul — US Presidential candidate whose campaign made use of the internet to attract donations and support. His YouTube channel, Facebook page, and so on, are the most heavily subscribed of any candidate.[58]

Videos

  • Boom goes the dynamite — Brian Collins, a nervous sports anchor, fumbles highlights, concluding with this infamous catch phrase.[5][62]


  • Kersal Massive — Three children whose demo was widely parodied.[70]
  • The Last Lecture — a dying professor delivers an upbeat lecture on Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.[71]
  • Music Is My Hot Hot Sex — Used in advertising then reached the top of YouTube's most watched list, due perhaps to a hack.
  • Who Needs a Movie? — A Kelowna couple promote their "video movie" business with a bizarre sample of their own work.[76]

Web sites

These websites play a significant part in the creation of internet phenomena or are a phenomenon in their own right.

  • 2channel — A Japanese Internet forum (the largest in the world). The site has significant influence on Japanese culture and popular opinion.[78]
  • Fark - A community website created by Drew Curtis allowing users to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites.
  • Google — Popular search engine which now hosts other innovative content such as Google Trends.
  • MySpace — One of the most popular worldwide social networking websites.[82][83]
  • Newgrounds: a freeware flash animation webpage in which people and users can upload their own work.
  • Weebl's Stuff - The website of the creator of the Badger Badger Badger video and many other flash animations.
  • Yahoo — Popular portal which now offers a variety of content and features.
  • YouTube — A popular website where people can view videos submitted by users.
  • YTMND - A website which allows users to create their own mini-sites.[85]

See also

References

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2008. A very notable or extraordinary thing; a highly exceptional or unaccountable fact or occurrence; (colloq.) a thing, person, or animal remarkable for some unusual quality; a prodigy.
  2. ^ Stone, Brad. "Don’t Like the Dancing Cowboys? Results Say You Do", The New York Times, January 18, 2007. Accessed May 16, 2007.
  3. ^ Gomes, Lee. "As Web Ads Grow, Sites Get Trickier About Targeting You", The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2007. Accessed May 16, 2007. "Advertisers say the biggest thing in online ads these days is "rich media," a catchall phrase for those ads whose contents shimmy and shake. LowerMyBills.com is notorious for its endless loops of silhouetted dancers and surprised office workers. Other ads come alive when you move the mouse over them, ballooning to claim even more screen real estate to sell cars, movies, laundry soap and more."
  4. ^ Stuart Elliott (September 21, 2005). "It's a Game. No, It's an Ad. No, It's Advergame". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sullivan, Mark (27 November 2007). "Greatest hits of viral video".
  6. ^ "BREAKING: Dramatic Chipmunk - From Japanese TV Show Hello! Morning". 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
  7. ^ Langdon Alger (2007-06-24). "Origin of the "Chipmunk" Clip". Retrieved 2007-07-04.
  8. ^ a b c Wood, Molly (2005-07-15). "Top 10 Web Fads". CNET. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  9. ^ Craig Wood (2007-06-11). "Anatomy of a Viral Web Phenomenon". CraigsBlog.com. Retrieved 2007-06-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Lolcats' demented captions create a new Web language", Tamara Ikenberg, The News Journal, 9 July 2007
  11. ^ "Iz not cats everywhere? Online trend spreads across campus". The Daily Pennsylvanian.
  12. ^ James Silver, "The goat news story that just won't die", The Guardian
  13. ^ "Nobody Puts YouTube Stars in the Corner". 6 November 2007.
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ [2]
  16. ^ Werman, Marco (2006-08-18). "Global Hit" (radio). The World. Public Radio International. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
  17. ^ Ermann, Jeff (2006-05-11). "New Chorus Lines; As Old-Time Chatter Disappears, Centennial Creates Its Own". The Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Copy, paste, animate". The Toronto Star.
  19. ^ "Microsoft/AOL Giveaway." Snopes.com [3]
  20. ^ Crabb, Don. "Bill Gates: An Urban Legend in His Own Time." Chicago Sun-Times February 15, 2998
  21. ^ "(Costs) a fortune cookie." Snopes.com. [4]
  22. ^ de Vos, G. Tales, Rumors and Gossip. (Libraries Unlimited, 1996) ISBN-1-56308-190-3
  23. ^ Good Times Virus Hoax FAQ, dated December 12, 1998, last retrieved on 19 April 2007
  24. ^ "Virus Hoaxes & Realities." Snopes.com [5]
  25. ^ "Urban Legends Reference Pages: MySpace Ghost of Murdered Teen" [6]
  26. ^ "The Blair Witch Project - Marketing and method".
  27. ^ "Blair Witch hits the UK". BBC.
  28. ^ "Did "The Blair Witch Project" fake its online fan base?". Salon.com. 1999-07-16.
  29. ^ Heffernan, Virginia, CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Brokeback Spoofs: Tough Guys Unmasked, retrieved 2007-05-24
  30. ^ "Has 'Cloverfield' Jumped the Shark?". Yahoo!. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  31. ^ "'Snakes on a Plane': Phenomenon on the Net". NPR. 2006-03-26. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  32. ^ Benner, Jeffrey (2001-02-23). "When Gamer Humor Attacks". Retrieved 2006-05-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Pearson, Craig (August 2005). "The Ballad of Leeroy Jenkins". PC Gamer UK.
  34. ^ Ressner, Jeffrey, The Newest Time Waster: Line Rider, retrieved 2006-04-30
  35. ^ Stewart Kirkpatrick (2004-06-09). "Lazy Guide to Net Culture: NSFW". Scotsman.com News. Retrieved 2007-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Clifford Coonan (November 16 2006). "The new cultural revolution: How Little Fatty made it big". the Independent. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Jane Macartney (November 22 2006). "A fat chance of saving face". the Times online. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Randall, Vernellia R. "The Racism of "Lootie"". Retrieved 2007-07-05.
  39. ^ David P. Mikkelson (September 19, 2005). "Heineken Beer". Snopes. Retrieved 2007-05-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  40. ^ "Western Stripteaser On Internet". A-Channel News. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
  41. ^ Heffernan, Virginia, Web Guitar Wizard Revealed at Last, retrieved 2007-05-24
  42. ^ Scotsman.com, It's only baroque'n'roll... a star is born on the web, retrieved 2007-07-07
  43. ^ Classical music: Funnier than you think., 16-Nov-2007, retrieved 26-Nov-2007 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)
  44. ^ Maney, Kevin, Blend of old, new media launched OK Go, retrieved 2007-05-24
  45. ^ Reinartz, Joe, What Up, Torpedo?, retrieved 2007-05-24
  46. ^ Salon.com, All hail Neil Cicierega, April 26 2001
  47. ^ "Grumpy man on a bus becomes star of the internet". Guardian Unlimited. 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ "Tear-stained video plea makes YouTube vlogger an Internet rock star". MSNBC. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ Christopher Walken for president! |Tech news blog
  50. ^ Paul Farhi (2006-01-02). "Tough Love: Norris Fans Board the Chuck Wagon". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ Maureen Tkacik (July 30, 2006), Interns, the Founts of Youth, New York Times
  52. ^ Unlikely Celebrities Are Stars On YouTube, CBS
  53. ^ Jonathan Krim (Thursday, July 7, 2005). "Subway Fracas Escalates Into Test Of the Internet's Power to Shame". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ Template:Zh icon Xie, Zhengyi (2007-12-29). "Hottest Video Producers of 2007". Jiefang Daily.
  55. ^ Template:Es icon Broto, Antonio (2007-11-23). "Red Foreigner Is The New Internet Phenomenon in China (El 'extranjero rojo' es el nuevo fenómeno de Internet en China)". El Mundo (Spain).
  56. ^ Template:Zh icon Li, Chunxiao (2007-12-27). "Honglaowai Attracts More than 5 Million Viewers (紅老外自演自拍MTV吸引逾五百萬人次觀賞)". World Journal.
  57. ^ DeGregory, Lane (August 7, 2001). "On the Never-Never Net". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  58. ^ ""Flush with donations, Paul has a sudden political windfall"". USA Today. 8-Nov-2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  59. ^ "Muslim 'Rage Boy' says he's really angry". AFP. 04 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  60. ^ "Star Wars Kid is top viral video". BBC News. 2006-11-27. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  61. ^ Sullivan, Mark (27 November 2007). "Greatest hits of viral video".
  62. ^ CBS Broadcasting Inc, Boom Goes The Dynamite, retrieved 2007-05-24
  63. ^ Lowe, David, Web crooner with 3m fans, retrieved 2007-08-07
  64. ^ "Mentos + soda + video + blog = Cha-ching!". 23 February 2007.
  65. ^ Stirland, Sarah Lai, "Don't Tase Me, Bro!" Jolts the Web, retrieved 2007-10-09
  66. ^ Alex Zane (15 February 2008), Rude Tube, Channel 4
  67. ^ Ben McGrath (October 23 2006). "Aleksey the Great". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  68. ^ Staff, Nine/MSN, Bulgarian butchers Mariah Carey classic, retrieved 2007-03-30
  69. ^ http://www.big.bg/modules/news02/article.php?storyid=25388 in Bulgarian
  70. ^ Marshall, Ben (December 6, 2006). "Mini-rappers cause internet stink". The Guardian Unlimited arts blog. Retrieved 2007-11-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  71. ^ Associated Press (27 Nov 2007), Book Deal for Dying Professor, Motley Fool
  72. ^ Keith Olbermann (Oct. 2, 2006). "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Sept. 29". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  73. ^ Tucker Carlson (Sept. 29, 2006). "'Tucker' for Sept. 28". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  74. ^ "Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for a Dancer of the Numa Numa". The New York Times. 2005-02-26. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  75. ^ "Cebu inmates going for another YouTube hit". GMA NEWS.TV. 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  76. ^ "Comedy Central Insider". 11 March 2008.
  77. ^ Huff, Steve (2007-11-29). "2 Girls, 1 Former Attorney General". Radar.
  78. ^ Katayama, Lisa (2007-04-19). "2-Channel Gives Japan's Famously Quiet People a Mighty Voice". Wired News. Retrieved 2007-04-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  79. ^ "Australian arrested for shooting hoax". News Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  80. ^ "The Year in Review: Technology", The Independent, December 27, 2007, Facebook is the internet phenomenon of the past 12 months
  81. ^ Pope, Justin (16 November 2007). "Pasta Monster Gets Academic Attention". Associated Press.
  82. ^ Silverstein, Jonathon (2006-02-22). "Is MySpace.com Really That Popular?". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-06-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  83. ^ Willard, Nancy E. "The "MySpace Phenomenon"". Gale Schools. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  84. ^ St.John, Warren (April 16, 2006), Dude, Here's My Book, New York Times
  85. ^ "Tiny Slice, Big Market". Wired. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Internet_phenomena&oldid=216599446"