‘Meme depression,’ Ghibli-gate, 6-7: An internet-culture roundup for 2025

For the chronically online, 2025 was the year of “brain rot”, AI slop, and “rage bait,” a time of consuming Labubu matcha Dubai chocolate to the sound of “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” and “six-seven,” on repeat, as a form of torture. 

Here, ​​we take a look back at the biggest internet-culture moments that brought us all together even as the country is more divided than ever. 

The TikTok ban that never happened

If I told you the supposed TikTok ban was this year, would you believe me? In January, users panicked over the looming threat of the apps impending disappearance, flocking to alternatives like the Chinese-owned RedNote and making last-ditch confessions on the doomed app—only for the ban to never materialize. 

American woman in Pakistan

American Onijah Andrew Robinson went viral in February after claiming she flew to Pakistan to marry a 19-year-old she met online, only to be rejected. Instead of returning home, she became a minor celebrity in Pakistan, holding press conferences in Karachi, demanding money, and announcing plans to “rebuild” the country, earning the moniker “American woman in Pakistan.”

The lone anglerfish

Usually found 6,500 feet under the sea, this black seadevil was filmed by marine researchers in Tenerife swimming toward the water’s surface. Tragically, the fish died just hours after being spotted, sparking an emotional outpouring on social media for this six-inch fish. RIP.

Tesla Cybertrucks

If one good thing came out of 2025, it’s the unanimous cancellation of Cybertrucks. The ostentatiously hideous vehicles became everyone’s favorite punching bag in 2025 as a result of anti-Elon Musk backlash. 

A group of TikTokers known as the Cybertruck Hunters roamed the streets, hunting Tesla Cybertrucks in the wild. People posted their Tesla trade-ins on TikTok accompanied by the hashtag “ByeTesla” and scored to Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” Die-hard owners eventually retreated to Facebook support groups and demanded harassment of Tesla drivers be labeled a hate crime (if so, owning one should also be considered one).

Great Meme Depression

The panic around the lack of memes as we entered the third month of the year began on March 10, when user @goofangel posted a video titled “TikTok Great Depression March 2025.” He says, “Nine days into March and we haven’t had a single original meme.” The Great Meme Depression soon became a meme itself, later triggering talk of The Great Meme Reset of 2026. Stay tuned for updates. 

OpenAI Studio-Ghibli-gate

After “Images for ChatGPT” launched in March, users transformed selfies and family photos into Studio Ghibli-style “portraits.” What started as a lighthearted trend quickly took a darker turn as ethical questions and copyright issues began to surface. In a resurfaced clip from a 2016 documentary, Hayao Miyazaki, the founder of Studio Ghibli, called AI “an insult to life itself.” Some food for thought for 2026. 

Chicken Jockey

If you took a trip to the cinema in April to watch A Minecraft Movie, based on the popular game, you would likely have been subjected to a teen-filled audience yelling “Chicken jockey!” at the top of their lungs, flashing phone lights, and launching popcorn and drinks at the screen. (To which I say: Why were you watching A Minecraft Movie in the first place?) 

Conclave

In May, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States was declared the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. On social media, “diva sightings,” memes about the niche, daily process of conclave, and live updates of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney flooded FYPs. Can we do it all again next year?

Velvet Sundown

The mysterious indie rock band—seemingly unironically named Velvet Sundown—suddenly appeared in Spotify’s Discovery Weekly in July, quickly amassing hundreds of thousands of listeners. Their rapid rise sparked speculation that the group might be AI-generated (while they confessed they kind of are, but kind of aren’t). A true mystery for the ages. 

Etsy witches

2025 has been a big year for Etsy witches. From sports fans hoping to gain an advantage for their teams to anxious brides praying for perfect wedding weather, more people than ever were purchasing spells on platforms like Etsy this year to turn their luck around. 

Coldplay’s Kiss Cam 

We all remember where we were the first time we saw the clip. A Coldplay concert in Massachusetts went viral in July when an HR executive was caught on the jumbotron embracing her company’s CEO—spurring a million memes and breaking the internet in the process. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The official X account of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tested a new social media strategy this year, as meme lord, drawing widespread backlash on and offline. So far, they’ve got on the wrong side of Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Jess Glynne, Theo Von, and Pokémon, to name a few, for featuring their songs and audios without permission to promote deportations. 

“6-7”

Last but not least . . . you can’t talk about 2025 without mentioning six, seeeeven. Or maybe we can, and instead pretend a bunch of grown adults don’t need to dissect a trend that is only funny, relevant, or interesting if your birth year begins with a two. 

Unfortunately, the two digits have become too ubiquitous to ignore, wreaking havoc in classrooms, banned at fast food chain In-N-Out, and cemented as the choice for Dictionary.com‘s word of the year.  

Lets hope for 2026.