Culture Taskforce's Top 5 Trends of 2023
Well, we did it folks! We made it through another year full of craziness on Al Gore's internet. To celebrate the new year, we're looking back at all of our favorite memes and trend moments of 2023. Sit back and enjoy the listicle like it’s BuzzFeed circa 2016.
1. The Rise of Girlhood 🎀
From girl math to girl dinner, this was truly a year for the girls. Between artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce helping to stabilize the economy, to Barbie being the first female directed film to gross over $1 billion in the box office; culture AND commerce moved in a girlier direction this year and we’re here for it. The rise of Girlhood has women embracing femininity as a power rather than a weakness.
2. Breaking News with Raunchy Copypastas 😈
Risqué copypasta chains are nothing new, and have been circulated on holidays for years. But this year, the chains have started being used to break any and all news stories trending online. The chains are often marked by Gen Z’s signature irony and political nihilism, and have been used to break news like George Santos being expelled from congress and the death of Henry Kissinger.
3. Roman Empire 🏛️
This year, a TikTok user brought to light how much men think about the Roman Empire. The consensus was they think about it a lot, sometimes daily. People all over the world started asking the men in their life how often they thought about this historical event and it became a cultural phenomenon. Since then, Internet users have started to refer to things that occupy their mind constantly as their “Roman Empire.”
4. Barbenheimer 🩷🖤
The cinematic event of the summer had our feeds absolutely dominated by Barbenheimer memes. The trend was struck by the release of the films Oppenheimer and the Barbie movie on the same day. The pink and black imagery contrast of the two films became a meme in itself, as well as countless other elements from this unlikely pairing.
5. Grimace Shake 🟣
Sometimes meme trends get a little dark! The Grimace shake trend entailed Gen Z kids trying the new Grimace shake from McDonald’s, and then pretending that the shake killed them. This sparked cross-platform jokes and even a smart acknowledgement from McDonald’s in a brand safe way.
Well that’s all folks! We hope you enjoyed following culture with us this year. Same time, same place in 2024? 👀 ttylxox <3
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