Internet phenomena are social and cultural phenomena specific to the Internet, such as Internet memes, which include popular catchphrases, images, viral videos, and jokes. When such fads and sensations occur online, they tend to grow rapidly and become more widespread because the instant communication facilitates word of mouth transmission.
This list focuses on the Internet phenomena which are accessible regardless of local internet regulations.
Advertising and products
15.aiA free web application launched in 2020 that uses artificial intelligence to generate text-to-speech voices of fictional characters from popular media. The website is credited with popularizing AI voice cloning in memes and content creation. Amazon CoatAn unnamed coat sold on the online store Amazon.com by the Chinese clothing brand Orolay, previously known for its home furnishings. It became a viral phenomenon from the period between December 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Beanie BabiesCited as being the world's first Internet sensation in 1995. Cerveza CristalA Chilean beer company that produced a series of advertisements during a Star Wars original trilogy broadcast in 2003. The commercials, titled The Force is with Cristal Beer, would air seamlessly with the scenes in the trilogy, such as a pair of hands like Obi-Wan Kenobi's opening a chest, revealing the beer. The advertisements were critically acclaimed in the country and became internationally viral on Twitter in March 2024. Cooks Source infringement controversyThis publication drew backlash after it committed copyright infringement by using an online article without permission for commercial purposes. This backlash further increased due to Cooks Source response which showed a misunderstanding of copyright and an increasing agitation to the original writer of the article. Dumb Ways to DieA 2012 Metro Trains Melbourne safety campaign that became popular on the Internet in November 2012. Elf Yourself (2006) and Scrooge Yourself (2007)Interactive websites created by Jason Zada and Evolution Bureau for OfficeMax's holiday season advertising campaign. Elf Yourself allows visitors to upload images of themselves or their friends, see them as dancing elves, and includes options to save or share the video. According to ClickZ, visiting the Elf Yourself site "has become an annual tradition that people look forward to". While not selling any one specific product, the two were created to raise consumer awareness of the sponsoring firm. Flex TapeAn infomercial of the product Flex Tape. It became a meme after YouTuber JonTron made a video reviewing the infomercial. FreeCreditReport.comA series of TV commercials that were posted on the Internet; many spoofs of the commercials were made and posted on YouTube. HeadOnA June 2006 advertisement for a homeopathic product claimed to relieve headaches. Ads featured the tagline, "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead", stated three times in succession, accompanied by a video of a model using the product without ever directly stating the product's purpose. The ads were successively parodied on sites such as YouTube and even rapper Lil Jon made fun of it. Horse ebooks / Pronunciation BookA five-year-long viral marketing alternate reality game for a larger art project developed by Synydyne. "Horse_ebooks" was a Twitter account that seemed to promote e-books, while "Pronunciation Book" was a YouTube channel that provided ways to pronounce English words. Both accounts engaged in non-sequiturs, making some believe that the accounts were run by automated services. Pronunciation Book shifted to pronouncing numerals in a countdown fashion in mid-2013, concluding in late September 2013 revealing the connection to Horse_ebook and identity of Synydyne behind the accounts, and the introduction of their next art project. KerfuśA robot with cat face used as a mascot for Carrefour. The robot became viral in Poland in 2022, where Kerfuś became the main character of many memes and erotic pictures. Little Darth VaderAn advertisement by Volkswagen featuring young Max Page dressed in a Darth Vader costume running around his house trying to use "the Force". It was released on the Internet a few days prior to Super Bowl XLV in 2011, and quickly became popular. As of 2013 it was the most shared ad of all time. LowerMyBills.comBanner ads from this mortgage company feature endless loops of cowboys, women, aliens, and office workers dancing. The Man Your Man Could Smell LikeA television commercial starring Isaiah Mustafa reciting a quick, deadpan monologue while shirtless about how "anything is possible" if men use Old Spice. It eventually led to a popular viral marketing campaign which had Mustafa responding to various Internet comments in short YouTube videos on Old Spice's YouTube channel. "Mac Tonight/Moon Man"A McDonald's commercial made to promote dinner sales. Starting in 2007, the character in the commercial, "Mac Tonight" was used in videos where he is depicted promoting violence against minorities and promoting the KKK with racist parodies of rap songs. The best-known parody, "Notorious KKK" (a parody of "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G.), has accumulated over 119,000 views on YTMND.
Nicole Kidman AMC Theatres commercialIn September 2021, AMC Theatres began airing a commercial starring actress Nicole Kidman in its theaters and on television. The ad, written by screenwriter Billy Ray, was intended to spur theater attendance following the COVID-19 pandemic by highlighting the "magic" of the movie theater experience. The commercial's grand style and the earnest melodrama of Kidman's monologue has led the commercial to be appreciated as an artifact of camp. The commercial has been the subject of internet memes, parodies, merchandise, and audience participation rituals. "Nope, Chuck Testa"A local commercial made for Ojai Valley Taxidermy, owned by Chuck Testa, suggesting that the stuffed creatures were alive until Testa appeared, saying "Nope, Chuck Testa!"; the ad soon went viral. The commercial was created by Rhett & Link for their show Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings. Potato ParcelA web site that allows the user to send anonymous personalized messages on potatoes via the mail. Pepsi MAX & Jeff Gordon Present: Test DriveA short film where NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon poses as an average car buyer to prank a cars salesman. A sequel, Test Drive 2, was released the following year, with Gordon pranking a writer who had branded the original video as fake. "Rivals"A commercial for video game retailer EB Games that promoted Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The commercial drew criticism for its concept and the performances of its actors.
Shake WeightInfomercial clips of the modified dumbbell went viral as a result of the product's sexually suggestive nature. Three Wolf MoonA t-shirt with many ironic reviews on Amazon. Vans (2016)Featured in the "Damn Daniel" viral internet meme. What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?A slogan at the end of commercials advertising the ice cream sandwich Klondike bar. People on YouTube and Facebook began posting videos depicting people in dangerous and absurdist situations attempting to reach a Klondike Bar in response to the slogan. "Whopper Whopper"A song by American restaurant fast-food chain Burger King which serves as a jingle for the restaurant's signature burger, the Whopper. Will It Blend?The blender product Blendtec, claimed by its creator Tom Dickson to be the most powerful blender, is featured in a series of YouTube videos, Will It Blend? where numerous food and non-food items are used within the blender. XtranormalA website allowing users to create videos by scripting the dialog and choosing from a menu of camera angles and predesigned CGI characters and scenes. Though originally designed to be used to ease storyboard development for filmmakers, the site quickly became popular after videos made with the tool, including "iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo", became viral.
Animals
100 men versus a gorillaA hypothetical situation in which 100, usually unarmed, men are to fight a single silverback gorilla. The outcome of such a fight is the main topic of debate, with no moral, ethical, or legal way to test it. April the GiraffeA reticulated giraffe who had two of her live births streamed on the Internet to much fanfare. Cats on the InternetImages of cats are very popular on the Internet, and have seen extensive use in internet memes, as well as some cats becoming Internet celebrities. Grumpy CatA cat named Tardar Sauce that appears to have a permanent scowl on her face due to feline dwarfism, according to its owner. Pictures of the cat circulated the Internet, leading it to win the 2013 Webby for Meme of the Year, and her popularity has led her to star in a feature film. Tardar Sauce died on 14 May 2019. ConradA raccoon found dead on a downtown Toronto street and later memorialized with a heritage plaque. Dicks out for HarambeA slogan that was popularized months after the death of Harambe, a gorilla in a Cincinnati zoo, which could be interpreted as telling individuals to expose their penises in public in honor of the gorilla (although the word "dicks" here is slang for guns). The line was notably uttered by actor Danny Trejo. FloppaA collection of images either portraying caracals or a specific caracal by the name of Goshe, Shlepa, Pumba or more commonly Big Floppa. The collection of images do not portray to a specific theme per se, but always hold Floppa as a centerpoint or personification of something. Gabe the DogGabe was a miniature American Eskimo dog owned by YouTube user . In January 2013, uploaded a short video of Gabe barking. The footage itself never went viral though it was used in dozens of song remixes, some of which accrued up to half a million views. Homophobic dogA series of images of a white dachshund accompanied by homophobic captions, such as "not too fond of gay people" and "let's hope it's just a phase". According to the dog's owners, a gay couple, most of those memes were made and shared by members of the LGBTQ community to mock homophobic people. A fake Washington Post headline describing the dog as "the new face of online homophobia" was criticized by Christina Pushaw, press secretary of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, unaware that it was not a real article. Hurricane Shark or Street Shark, a recurring hoax circulated after a variety of natural disasters, appearing to show a shark swimming in a flooded urban area, usually after a hurricane. Several images have been used, most often one of a freeway that first appeared during Hurricane Irene in 2011. However, a 2022 video of a shark or other large fish swimming in Hurricane Ian's floodwaters in Fort Myers, Florida, proved to be real, itself becoming part of the phenomenon and leading to phrases like "Hurricane Shark is real". JimothyA raccoon living in Seattle, Washington, he gained popularity in 2026 for his appearance, having a condition dubbed "short-spine syndrome", causing him to have a short neck and very short tail. OolongPhotos featured on a popular Japanese website of a rabbit that is famous for its ability to balance a variety of objects on its head. Punch the MonkeyA juvenile Japanese Macaque who gained popularity after appearing to be bullied by other monkeys, holding an IKEA stuffed orangutan for comfort.
Animation and comics AnimutationsEarly Adobe Flash-based animations, pioneered by Neil Cicierega in 2001, typically featuring foreign language songs (primarily Japanese, such as "Yatta"), set to random pop-culture images. The form is said to have launched the use of Flash for inexpensive animations that are now more common on the Internet. Ate my ballsOne of the earliest examples of an internet meme, which involved web pages depicting a particular celebrity, fictional character, or other subject's relish for eating testicles.