10 Social Media Memes That Went Viral in 2022
Reading Time: 5 minutesHere are some of the biggest meme trends from 2022.
Memes are an integral part of internet culture, and regardless of how much time you spend online, you’re bound to come across some of the viral ones. And it’s so easy for something to become a viral meme—something happens, someone finds it funny enough to turn it into a meme, others join in, and the spark turns into a fire.
2022 has been a good year for memes. There have been too many viral memes flooding various social media pages to count, but let’s try to sift through some of the most memorable ones.
1. Euphoria Memes
It didn’t take long after 2022 started for a viral meme to pop off—you couldn’t open TikTok or Twitter without having your screen filled with Euphoria memes.
The hit TV series Euphoria aired its episodes between early January and the end of February, and each week people lapped it up and memed it to high heaven.
It’s safe to say each episode gave way to a slew of memes, but some of the more prominent viral memes include Maddy banging on a door looking like the number four or Cassie saying ”I have never been happier’.’ And, of course, reactions to Elliot singing in the season finale. Determining why some memes are so popular while others fail to go viral seems an impossible task, but, in any case, Euphoria memes reigned supreme for the entirety of season two air time.
2. The Adam Levine Screenshots
Adam Levine got tangled in a cheating scandal in September, and it didn’t take long for people to turn the situation into a meme.
An Instagram model claimed to have a relationship with Levine and released DMs between the two of them as proof. Parts of their conversation caught the attention of the internet and got turned into memes.
The doctored screenshots made the rounds across many platforms but seemed to thrive most on Twitter, the platform that now curates entire feeds of funny tweets.
3. Pete Davidson Will Date Her
Comedian Pete Davidson has a fulfilling career, and yet, what he seems to be most famous for in recent years is his dating history. He’s dated women many web users have deemed out of his league and therefore resorted to memeing about it.
Online users meme that if you don’t treat your woman right, Pete Davidson will swoop in and steal her away from you. With a dating history that includes Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, Kaia Gerber, and Kim Kardashian, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
The popular memes have made their way to TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, in all manner of variations.
4. Chrissy Wake Up
Stranger Things season four came out in 2022 and made the rounds online. For weeks, it dominated all social media platforms with commentary and memes. And, though many memes came out of it, much like with Euphoria, the Chrissy Wake Up one stands out.
Chrissy Wake Up started out as a simple line from the show, one from a tense moment at that. But after a TikTok user decided to turn the sound into a sing-songy tune, it blew up. People were making videos and stitches, and it had its viral moment surpassing all other memes about Will’s funny hairstyle and Kate Bush getting her check.
5. The CDC Says…
Since the start of 2020, people have had to be much more acutely aware of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the guidelines it releases than in prior years. As a result, many memes came out from the relationship between the public and the CDC, and 2022 is no different.
People were quite discouraged when the CDC released recommendations that appeared to prioritize the economy over people’s health, and they showed their feelings with memes.
The CDC jokes were an integral part of Twitter for weeks.
6. She’s/He’s a 10 But…
The ‘(S)He’s a 10 but’ template started out as a fun game on TikTok and quickly turned into a viral meme spreading to several social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram.
It’s pretty simple. You get a scenario in which you’re told someone is a 10 (or any other number) and given a characteristic of theirs or something they do. Then you have to say whether their rating increases or decreases.
The game began in May 2022 and managed to keep its virality for months.
7. Don’t Worry Darling Memes
Don’t Worry Darling is the title of a movie that came out in 2022. And, what’s most surprising about the feature, is that instead of people talking about the film itself, it stirred up way more conversation around its production, marketing, premieres, and so on.
There were so many memes about it that it was ridiculous. Memes making fun of how extensive the drama itself was and how many aspects there were to explain to those unfamiliar with it; memes about the cast and all the frictions between them; Chris Pine zoning out during an interview; Harry Styles seemingly spitting on Chris Pine; Florence Pugh being unbothered.
The memes went on and on, spanning several social media platforms. And even after the movie premiered and the tea got cold, people still memed away.
8. The Sexy Green M&M
Back in 2021, the yassify filter blew up online. It changes your appearance to one with fancy make-up and hair, no matter the original look or expression. For example, you could see the Annabelle doll and the Nun from The Conjuring Universe yassified, Mrs Doubtfire, and so on.
Well, in 2022, the M&M color candy roster got an updated look, and people online roared that the Green M&M got unyassified. Whereas before, she had high-heeled boots, she no longer does and is much more casual, wearing sneakers.
It didn’t take long for Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok users to showcase their displeasure with the switch through memes.
9. It’s Morbin Time
‘It’s Morbin Time’ is a catchphrase attributed to the movie Morbius that came out in 2022 and wasn’t actually said in the film.
Morbius didn’t make the splash the studio was expecting. Instead of making a good impression and film enthusiasts going to see it for its merits, it flopped. The people who went to see it in theaters initially promoted how bad it was on Twitter and Reddit, which led to others not even bothering to see it for themselves and joining in on the joke of how bad the movie was.
There were, in fact, so many memes spread all over social media about the movie that the studio behind it, Sony, got duped into re-releasing it while misunderstanding the memes for interest. Naturally, even with the second attempt, it flopped again.
10. The Oscar Slap
Comedian Chris Rock was one of the hosts at the Oscars ceremony in 2022. While on stage, he took a jab at Jada Pinkett Smith, which Will Smith found unsavory. Will Smith then decided to respond by going up on stage and slapping Chris Rock, stating ”Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth’.’
Both the slap and the soundbite of him saying the line became viral. Whichever social media platform you opened, you were bound to stumble across posts memeing the situation. It seemed like everyone was using meme generators to make memes about it. There were news reports, interviews, statements from witnesses, opinions, and you could not get away from the viral Oscar slap for weeks.
Join the Fun and Meme Away
Memes aren’t malicious by nature, even though they sometimes seem too mean on the surface level. Sure, sometimes they make light of a serious situation, but it’s good to find humor in things.
You don’t have to stay on the sidelines and only enjoy the memes you come across online—it’s so easy to make your own and participate in the trends. And who knows? Maybe your first meme will go viral.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/viral-social-media-memes-2022/