Meme – a piece of media or an element of a particular culture, usually something comical, that goes on to be spread quickly via the internet. With the right amount of comedy, embarrassment, and perfectly timed camera opportunities, anyone can create the perfect video or photo. Upload said footage at the precise right time, and you may just find yourself looking at the next viral clip for your 15 minutes of fame! However, some of the photos and videos manage to last a lot longer than the usual lifespan of internet fame, even going down in history as some of the most significant memes in history.
Recently the likes of Chewbacca Mom, the handsome vet, and sad Papaw have all taken over our social media streams with their variants. These photos and videos have given us a lot to giggle at while laying in bed at 3 am when we should be sleeping. However, what happened to some of the greats? You know the ones we’re talking about. The original, funny videos of the internet that still have millions of people talking, as they reminisce the hours they spent watching them. The viral stars we’re talking about knew how to reach new levels of internet fame long before the globalization of the smartphone, so what was their secret?
With YouTube having been released Valentine’s Day 2005 there is now over 300 hours worth of videos uploaded to the site every single day, with more than 5 billion videos being viewed per day. This leaves some stiff competition to get your video famous on the internet nowadays – unless you already have a fan following. However, with the right content, you could be the next biggest star. Most people on this list managed to get their niche just at the right moment. Whether it was on purpose or by accident, where would we be without these incredible internet stars?
[post_page_title]Numa Numa Man[/post_page_title]
In 2004, Gary Brolsma was the man behind the famous lip-syncing video to the song ‘Dragostea Din Tei’ by the band O-Zone. It instantly went viral, as the audience watched Gary throwing his hands in the air to the song, with over 100 million views to date. Gary is now 31 years old and has finally embraced the fame the video has brought him. Gary has continued to feature in remakes of the video online with some other internet famous faces. He also makes his own music on his own as well as working with his band, Nonetheless.
