The rise of social media over the last decade took us to different corners of the world, brought people closer, gave rise to Internet stars and, of course, provided the world with many viral moments. The years between 2010 and 2019 gave us much to delight in, a lot to cry about and a lot to laugh at. From Internet challenges to optical illusions, famous pets to iconic videos, these are the biggest viral moments that defined the decade that was. Here they are in no particular order:
Prince William married Kate Middleton
In April 2011, Britain's Prince William married longtime girlfriend Catherine Middleton in one of the most highly-covered events that year. The televised marriage was viewed by 22.8 million people around the world.
Kim Kardashian's shoot for Paper magazine
In 2014, Kim Kardashian's photoshoot for Paper magazine nearly broke the Internet.
Kony 2012
A short documentary film by non-profit group Invisible Children went unexpectedly viral in March 2012. The video asked people to take action against Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and received millions of hits.
December 21, 2012
Many will remember the doomsday predictions of December 21, 2012. A lot of people believed that the world would end in 2012, as the Mayan calendar apparently said it would. The date came and passed without any incident.
Dhinchak Pooja's 'Selfie' song
Indian YouTuber Dhinchak Pooja went insanely viral for her 'Selfie' song - and the many more that followed.
Gangnam Style
Gangnam Style by Korean popstar PSY became a huge, huge hit in 2012. It remained the most-watched song on YouTube for at least four years.
The Dress
In 2015, a dress - now immortalised as simply 'The Dress' - practically broke the Internet. It had millions of people debating about whether it was black and blue or white and golden.
Salt Bae
"thus"
— Z (@ctrl_zaz) January 11, 2017
"nevertheless"
"furthermore"
"consequently"
"regardless"
"subsequently"
"in addition"
"simultaneously" pic.twitter.com/Fh4KoKEUSl
Dubbed 'Salt Bae' by the Internet, Turkish chef Nusret Gokce won hearts with a viral video.
Prince Harry married Meghan Markle
The second royal wedding of the decade, which took place in 2018, was watched by an estimated 1.9 billion people around the world.
Pokemon Go
Remember that time in 2016 when everyone walked around happy and carefree, looking for pokemon in their neighbourhood? Remember?
Ice Bucket Challenge
The ice bucket challenge, which took social media by storm in 2014, involved participants dousing themselves with ice cold water. The challenge raised awareness about ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Fyre Festival
The festival that wasn't. The disaster that was the much-publicised Fyre Festival made news around the world and even inspired a Netflix documentary.
Harambe
Harambe the gorilla was killed in Cincinnati Zoo in 2016 after a 3-year-old got into his enclosure. This led to an outpouring of tributes for Harambe, along with memes dedicated to him. Harambe was even mock-nominated for the US Presidential elections in 2016.
First-ever photo of a black hole
In April 2019, astronomers unveiled the first photo of a black hole, located 50 million lightyears away in a galaxy known as M87.
Covfefe
Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
In 2017, US President Donald Trump gave the world "covfefe". His tweet has now been deleted, but covfefe lives on in our memories - and millions of Internet jokes.
A coffee cup in Game of Thrones
The final season of a superhit HBO show was dotted with small slip-ups and inconsistencies, but a Starbucks cup on the table was almost too much for fans.
Distracted boyfriend meme
In a decade full of memes, distracted boyfriend holds its position as one of the longest-lasting and best-loved memes.
Grumpy Cat
The perpetually-frowning cat won the Internet this decade.
Mannequin Challenge
In a decade filled with Internet challenges, 2016's Mannequin Challenge stands out for its sheer popularity.
World record egg
An egg beat Kylie Jenner's world record for the most-liked picture on Instagram.
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