Internet Ghosts: Part 111
12/5: Flat-earthers could win $100k, MM upside down is WW, Public vs Private IG Stories, 2025 is all about rage bait, Black Friday got trolled, Boy Throb hit 1M, and more
A bit of the internet:
(Fun)eral Style | The internet is putting the “fun” in funeral with unhinged commemorative-style image posts. Featuring doves, white clouds, blue skies and sunrays, this trend has interns and celebs flying high.
MM → WW | Michelle Yeoh has turned “MM, Madame Morrible, flip it around, WW, Wicked Witch!” into a viral phenomenon. Across red carpets and talk shows, Yeoh repeats the bit with pure delight and hand choreography that spells out MM turning into WW. TikTok instantly clocked it as this tour’s version of Lady Gaga’s “100 people in a room.” Compilations and re-enactments have flooded feeds and even brands like Dr. Seuss and Wendy’s have joined in on the fun.
Y/N x Alpha CEO | People are having the time of their lives poking fun at incredibly corny fanfiction tropes that originated from booktook by making facetious videos from the pov of a side character. As it’s expanded, a lot of artists are participating by illustrating videos that showcase the hilarity of unrealistic tropes in mundane situations.
Say your stupid line | In a new TikTok trend, users are lip syncing the lyrics of “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala and following the prompt “come on superman, say your stupid line,” followed by something they say often. People’s commonly used phrases have included “my stomach hurts,” “I’m cold,” and “are you mad at me?” Celebrities like Hailey Bieber and JoJo Siwa have even hopped on the trend.
Beware the Secret Santa Invite | The latest in recession-core humor: Secret Santa jump scares. People are pairing everyday penny-pinching hacks like adding water to a nearly empty shampoo bottle or surviving on a pasta-only diet with the sudden stress bomb of someone suggesting a Secret Santa.
Public Story vs Private Story | A trend has been making the rounds online, highlighting the split between our “true, most authentic selves” on Close Friends and the polished, meticulously curated versions we present on public Instagram stories. It’s a hilarious peek into what we’re willing to share with the world — and what we keep tucked safely behind the green circle.
What brands are up to:
Skims’ Kimsmas | Kim Kardashian and SKIMS hosted a shoppable TikTok livestream featuring special guests like Snoop Dogg and Love Island’s Nic Vansteenberghe. The digital event, titled “Kimsmas,” took on the style of a classic holiday variety show, similar to the stream-able celebrity holiday specials we’ve seen, like “A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter.” The result was an interactive, festive, and entertaining real-time shopping experience for viewers.
Columbia Sportswear challenges flat-eathers | Calling all conspiracy theorists, your moment has arrived. Columbia Sportswear is challenging flat-earthers with a simple request: “pics or it didn’t happen.” In a new social video, the brand announces that anyone who can capture a photo of Earth’s actual edge, proving their “engineered for everywhere” positioning, could win up to $100K in prizes. Columbia is also joining the conversation on Reddit and YouTube, poking fun at the conspiracy along the way.
Brands wrapped up their year | Spotify Wrapped dropped and while everyone was sharing what age their music taste was, brands were sharing their own version of the trend. To name a few…Cookie Monster shared their top cookies of the year, Mariners shared how many minutes of baseball they played, Ryanair shared how many wing pics they ignored, and Panera Bread shared how many people asked for the potato soup to return.
Cards Against Humanity Trolls Black Friday | As brands flood the feeds with 20% off sales, Cards Against Humanity ran their second-ever “99% Off Everything Sale.” The catch? Items go on sale one at a time. They dropped the price of a new random item every 12 minutes. Sale items ranged from TVs, bulletproof vests, a Birkin bag, an Indiana Jones’ hat, and more.
Collabs of the Week | Highlighting some brand collaborations we saw this week:
Platform News:
Meta Updates:
Threads added a new feature in the post composer that lets you easily access posts you’ve saved or liked, making it simpler to quote post your favorite content.
Instagram now allows you to restyle fonts on Stories by using meta ai. Simply leverage their existing fonts, type something, and then hit restyle to adjust.
X Updates:
X announced that both the Following and For You pages will now be ranked by Grok, the platform’s AI system, rather than defaulting to chronological order when you log in. The algorithm will serve posts based on your interests and interactions, although you can still manually switch back to a chronological view if you want.
Extra Credit Scrolling:
📰 How a Gen Xer Became Timothée Chalamet’s Biggest—and Most Divisive—Fan
📰 Don’t get angry, but the 2025 Oxford Word of the Year is ‘rage bait’
📰 Percy Jackson Season 2 Billboard Has a Waterfall That’ll Get You Wet
