Looking back now, when our feeds are a perpetual washing machine of sponcon, paid partnerships, and videos hashtagged #ad, the digital world of 2014 feels like a relic. Over the past decade, social media has waffled into a multitentacled corporate entity, becoming not just a factor but often a key player in our politics, interpersonal connections, and self-perceptions. Yet much of this was incubated in 2014, the year of Gamergate, the Ice Bucket Challenge, and that one inescapable Oscars selfie. It was the first year that showed us the power viral moments have to fuel awareness, hate-fueled harassment, and star power alike. And for some random people on the internet, it was the moment they began to realize that they weren’t just one-off viral hits—they were on the precipice of something greater.
Read more:
Cao, S. (2024, May 1). All Internet Roads Lead Back to 2014. The Ringer. https://www.theringer.com/tech/2024/5/1/24144418/modern-internet-2014-anniversary