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The internet in 2012

2012 was the year of Gangnam Style, Grumpy Cat, Ain't Nobody Got Time for That and Bad Luck Brian. Part of the social era.

Gangnam Style
The one from 2012

Gangnam Style

You might remember it as Psy Gangnam Style, horse dance video

The first video to a billion views and the moment non-Anglophone pop became globally default.

Defining moments of 2012What the year is remembered for

2012, month by monthAs it happened

  1. Cicada 3301 The first puzzle is posted. It runs for nearly a month. Wikipedia — Cicada 3301

  2. Bad Luck Brian Davies posts the photograph to Reddit. It spreads through 4chan, Facebook and Twitter. Wikipedia — Bad Luck Brian

  3. r/wallstreetbets The forum is founded. Wikipedia — r/wallstreetbets

  4. Rage comic Searches for rage comics, the rage guy and the troll face all peak in the same month. Wikipedia — Rage comic

  5. Hashtag activism The film Kony 2012 is released. Wikipedia — Hashtag activism

  6. Kony 2012 Invisible Children releases the film online. Its stated aim is to make the warlord Joseph Kony known well enough to be arrested by the end of the year. Wikipedia — Kony 2012

  7. StumbleUpon It reaches 25 million registered users. Wikipedia — StumbleUpon

  8. SuperWhoLock A fan-made trailer for a programme that does not exist may have spread it further. Wikipedia — SuperWhoLock

  9. Grumpy Cat Tardar Sauce is born in Morristown, Arizona, one of a litter of four. Wikipedia — Grumpy Cat

  10. Ain't Nobody Got Time for That KFOR-TV broadcasts its interview with Kimberly Wilkins, who had escaped the fire and been left with bronchitis by the smoke. Wikipedia — Sweet Brown

  11. Overly Attached Girlfriend Morris posts the video. It is watched more than 170,000 times in a day. Wikipedia — Overly Attached Girlfriend

  12. Gangnam Style YG Entertainment releases the song as the lead single of Psy’s sixth album. Psy later tells Reuters it was made only for K-pop fans at home. Wikipedia — Gangnam Style

  13. Il Pulcino Pio The song is released. Wikipedia — Il Pulcino Pio

  14. Ecce Homo of Borja News of the altered painting goes round the world. Wikipedia — Ecce Homo (García Martínez and Giménez)

  15. Il Pulcino Pio It begins eight consecutive weeks at number one in Italy. Wikipedia — Il Pulcino Pio

  16. r/IAmA Barack Obama, then President, answers questions. The traffic briefly brings down much of Reddit. Wikipedia — r/IAmA

  17. Grumpy Cat Bryan Bundesen posts her photograph to Reddit. Reddit users turn it into lolcat-style parodies. Wikipedia — Grumpy Cat

  18. Binders full of women Romney says it. A parody Twitter account has 30,000 followers before the debate ends. Wikipedia — Binders full of women

  19. Binders full of women A Facebook page on the phrase has 274,000 likes. Wikipedia — Binders full of women

  20. Gangnam Style It becomes the most-viewed video on YouTube, passing Justin Bieber’s Baby. Wikipedia — Gangnam Style

  21. Gangnam Style It becomes the first video on YouTube to reach one billion views. Wikipedia — Gangnam Style

Also in 2012Older things, still moving

  1. The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger A book, Honey Badger Don’t Care, is published. Wikipedia — The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger

  2. Ai Se Eu Te Pego Three women are recognised as co-authors of the song. Wikipedia — Ai Se Eu Te Pego

  3. Kony 2012 The director, Jason Russell, is taken to hospital after a temporary psychotic breakdown. Wikipedia — Kony 2012

  4. Kony 2012 A resolution condemning Kony is introduced in the United States Senate. Wikipedia — Kony 2012

  5. Kony 2012 The African Union announces a brigade of five thousand troops to hunt for him. Wikipedia — Kony 2012

  6. Boo A rumour that he has died spreads under a hashtag. His publisher confirms that he is alive. Wikipedia — Boo (dog)

  7. Kony 2012 A sequel, Beyond Famous, is released. It reaches 1.7 million views in eleven days. Wikipedia — Kony 2012

  8. Kony 2012 Cover the Night, the campaign’s day of action, takes place. More than fifty thousand had signed up; one gathering in Vancouver has seventeen people. Wikipedia — Kony 2012

  9. Nico Nico Douga It is renamed Niconico. Wikipedia — Niconico

  10. United Breaks Guitars Carroll publishes a book about it. Wikipedia — United Breaks Guitars

  11. Bad Luck Brian Craven answers questions on Reddit as himself, after an impostor’s request the month before was removed. Wikipedia — Bad Luck Brian

  12. Lazy Sunday A sequel, Lazy Sunday 2, is released. Wikipedia — Lazy Sunday (The Lonely Island song)

  13. Trololo Khil dies in St Petersburg, aged 77. Wikipedia — Trololo

  14. Boo An airline names him its official pet liaison. Wikipedia — Boo (dog)

  15. Digg The brand, site and technology are sold for 500,000 dollars. Wikipedia — Digg

  16. Homestuck A crowdfunding campaign for a game is announced. It raises 2,485,506 dollars against a target of 700,000. Wikipedia — Homestuck

  17. Gangnam Style A North Korean state website uploads a parody, “I’m Yushin style!”, mocking the South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye. Wikipedia — Gangnam Style

  18. CPDRC Dancing Inmates The dancers return, with Gangnam Style. Wikipedia — CPDRC Dancing Inmates

More from 2012Also remembered

On this page: 16 named things from 2012, 5 videos, 2 memes, 2 sounds and sayings and 3 trends among them.

The years either sideNearby