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Top 10 internet trends of 2022

Internet trends of 2022 were present on different social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and BeReal.
Karin Fowler
Internet trends of 2022 were present on different social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and BeReal.

1. The World in .5

As if the traditional selfie wasn’t popular enough, 2022 saw a rise in the .5 camera selfie. The back lens photo, available on any Apple phone that has a dual or triple camera, adds a wider angle to any selfie. The trend took the internet by storm, becoming a staple in any Instagram post. 

At an event, party, game, concert or any other sort of gathering? Perfect time to whip out that back camera and take a .5

2. What does your money do?

Jiggle jiggle? No it folds. British American journalist Louis Theroux doesn’t strike most as a famous rapper by first impressions, but somehow, that is exactly what he is. The prim and proper sounding British man was filming an episode for his BBC show “Louis’s Weird Weekends.” In the episode, he began to rap as best he could, spitting out the lines, “My money don’t jiggle jiggle, it folds. I’d like to see you wiggle wiggle, fo’sho.” 

Though Theroux’s rap didn’t take off in 2000, like it did recently, in a 2022 episode of his new show “Theroux’s Forbidden America” he reminisces the old episode, and once again raps for audiences. The journalist’s performance went viral when the musical duo Duke and Jones, put a simple beat and track. 

The song flourished across the internet becoming popular with its own dance on TikTok. 

3. Little Miss/Mr. 

British children’s book series Mr. Men was first published in August 1971 by English author Roger Hargreaves. The series featured a series of characters that were colorful, blob-like figures, given fun adjectives to describe their personalities, like “Little Miss Giggles.” The characters once again took off in 2022 with a spin when the descriptions and titles turned into a way to joke and poke fun at one’s own personality. Titles like “Little Miss Procrastinator” or “Little Miss Coffee Obsessed” were plastered on everyone’s Instagram stories. 

On Instagram, the hashtag #littlemiss has over 484,000 posts. 

4. Is it art or is it technology?

Artificial intelligence is yet another way of showing how technology is taking over our world. Fans have become fixated on sharing their own AI creations as a result of apps that produce visuals from written descriptions and photos.  TikTok trends of typing out single words in order to generate a complete image, or paying for AI art to create portraits of oneself in different time periods were also increasingly popular. 

Whether you’re a fan of computer generated art or not, it’s undeniable that this trend was everywhere. 

5. What time is it? It’s time to BeReal

Take a picture of what you are doing right now. The photo-sharing app BeReal was introduced in 2020 by French entrepreneurs Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau with the intention that users would use it the way social media apps were meant to be used: to interact with friends and family without worrying about followers, likes or filters. 

Whether their mission stayed true or not doesn’t take away from the fact the app’s popularity soared in 2022, and continues on into 2023.

6. To the brim

Fridge empty? Need to reorganize your closet? Or just enjoy people filling their laundry detergent back up? Well these are the videos for you. One of the stranger video trends of 2022 highlighted something that most would assume people would find boring: organizing. However, the satisfaction of watching and hearing people tidy up and restock everyday items around their house brought an overwhelming sense of satisfaction to many viewers. TikTok accounts like @richardsalesoffical gained popularity from simply just watching and posting his reaction to these videos, coining the phrase “to the brim” when it came to restocking videos. 

But why such a strange obsession? The Washington Post says that one of the reasons why is it brings motivation to those who typically don’t have interest in cleaning themselves, giving them something to aspire to. 

7. It’s Corn!

Being from Iowa, corn has never been much of an extraordinary creation. However, in 2022, opinions of that worldwide changed. In an episode of “Recess Therapy,” 7-year-old Tariq was interviewed about his opinions on corn. After processing his love and devotion to corn on the internet, and labeled as “Corn Kid”, tik tok artist @schmoyoho  dueted the video adding a track behind it and turning Tariq’s interview into a loving song about corn that took over the world. 

We all still can remember jamming out to the song about our favorite vegetable. 

8. NFTs

Non-fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are typically produced using the same kind of coding as cryptocurrencies. These cryptographic assets are built on blockchain technology, to put it simply. They cannot be traded or exchanged in the same manner as other cryptographic assets. Because NFTs are rare and unique, they cannot be traded or swapped in the same way as other cryptographic assets. 

Due to the fact that some NFTs have been sold for millions of dollars, in 2022, others were interested in finding out how to design their own NFT tokens.

9. Charcuterie Boards

Typically served on a wooden board or stone slab, charcuterie is a type of appetizer that can be eaten directly off the board or portioned onto tableware. It includes a variety of preserved foods, including pâtés or cured meats, cheeses and crackers or bread. In 2022, the food trend took over the internet having people making all sorts of charcuterie boards like dessert, fast food etc. Videos of them being put together also went viral. Either way, the unique design and style of the food trend made us all want to dig into a charcuterie board. 

10. Interviewing random people

The final trend from 2022 to note is TikTok interviews. The trend is a sort of parody of shows like “Billy on the Street”, where someone goes to interview someone by asking them one question about anything. This trend was popular with teenagers interviewing students or teachers asking funny questions like “Who is the funniest teacher in the school?” or “What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” 

Who would’ve thought that answering questions into a tiny headphone microphone would be so popular in 2022.

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About the Contributor
Karin Fowler
Karin Fowler, Sports Editor
Karin Fowler is a senior at Pleasant Valley and serves as co Sports Editor for the Spartan Shield. Throughout high school, Karin has participated in the school's volleyball team and was a part of the 2021 Championship team. She also continues her passion for volleyball by playing and coaching at Iowa Select Volleyball Club in the off-season. This past summer she and her travel team clenched the Quad Cities' first National title for club volleyball. Outside of honors journalism, Karin’s favorite class is American Sign Language or Western Civilization. Once senior year is over Karin plans to attend St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota, to continue her volleyball career and major in psychology with the goal of one day becoming a forensic psychologist. When she’s not in school or on the volleyball court Karin enjoys getting coffee with her friends and watching movies and television shows. Some of her favorites include Star Wars and Gilmore Girls. She is excited to work on the Shield this semester and is ready to serve as your Sports Editor.
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Top 10 internet trends of 2022