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Nowadays pretty much everything revolves around the Internet. If it's not in cyberspace, it almost does not exist, as crazy as that sounds. These days it seems that most people are content with scouring the web, making virtual friends, and keeping up with the news as seen through Yahoo! News and Twitter. Really, what could be better than learning all you need to know in 140 characters or less?
Yes, the Internet is a part of our lives now and there is no turning back. There are times when the web seems as though it is the most important thing in the world, and everyone has their faces glued to a computer or phone screen. Here is our list of 10 of the most insane things that broke the Internet. Okay, so they did not literally “break” the Net, but they caused so much buzz, uproar, and activity that we thought for a moment every computer on earth would just blow up.
From celebrity scandals and news to the latest technology, there have been a few things that have caused so much online activity that they are sure to go down in history. Even a simple child from the rural United States was able to make waves throughout cyberspace. These events had people laughing, crying, and shaking their fists in anger. They also had us wondering about the amount of trust and dependence we put on such a commodity.
10. Kim Kardashian's Booty
Via glamour.com
Is this a sign of the apocalypse? Kim Kardashian gets photographed in the buff and the Internet nearly explodes. In November of 2014, Kim posed nude for Paper magazine. The cover photo showed her from the back baring a super-shiny bottom that was perky and plump. As if that would not get enough attention, the headline on Paper's cover read “Break the Internet: Kim Kardashian.” Really? About eleven million people saw the photograph online in just a couple of days. Memes and gifs started popping up. Of course, Paper wanted to generate buzz, but even they didn't see this coming.
9. The Potato Salad Kickstarter
Via rack.1.mshcdn.com
Want to really piss people off? Then join the crowdfunding site Kickstarter and propose your initiative to ...make potato salad. Yes, that's right. A guy in Ohio actually had the audacity to fundraise so that he could make his very first potato salad. Zack Brown asked for ten dollars so he could buy the ingredients he needed and whip up a tasty side dish. Well, he ended up getting about $70,000 more than he expected. Some people were so angry with this bold move, while other applauded Brown's creativity. To his credit, he ended up using the money for a big fundraising party with proceeds going to charity.
8. Jeremy Meeks
Via i.huffpost.com
Maybe they really do make 'em nicer in California. Over in Stockton, CA the police put out a mugshot of Jeremy Meeks, who is considered to be one of the most violent local criminals. Yet rather than fear, a whole lot of sexy-sweet buzz began circulating around the photo. Those baby-blue eyes, that strong muscular jaw, the full lips and tattoos! Rumor has it he signed a modeling contract...which he will have to pursue after he serves his twenty-seven month prison sentence. Rumor has it that Meeks is also an aspiring actor. This event just show us how much power the people on social media really have.
7. Alec Baldwin Quits Show Biz
Via www.msnbc.com
In 2014 Alec Baldwin decided that he was going to just quit publicity. He had had a few breakdowns and we suppose he just thought that enough was enough. He even wrote a letter about his retirement from public life. He dissed other celebrity figures who may have offended him in the past and said he was done. His long-winded letter includes stories about his past mistakes, his personal life, and most of all – his feelings. Sure, Alec Baldwin is not exactly our favorite actor (or anyone's) but we did not mean to make him feel like an outcast.
6. The Apparently Kid
Via i.huffpost.com
Once you make it to The Ellen Degeneres Show, you know that you have made it. The random five-year-old boy from Pennsylvania made a huge Internet debut with his appearance on a television news show. He was just one of those passersby being interviewed by a news anchor. He seemed like your typical kid on vacation, yet he stole the show with his speech that resembled the way a grandfather would speak way more than a five-year-old. His love for the word “apparently” earned him his nickname along with 17 million views. Apparently, people like him a lot! He has even competed against Chris Pratt in a trivia game on Ellen.
5. The iPhone 6
Via www.wired.com
When the iPhone 6 was getting ready to be released, the Internet blew up, the streets blew up, people's minds blew up. Online buzz was growing steadily for Apple and then the iPhone 6 was released and people were not so pleased. For one, the phone kept bending in their pockets (remember #Bendgate?). Then came the usual disappointed remarks by Apple snobs: it's too thin, it's too heavy, it's too slow, yadda yadda yadda. Despite the complaints, Apple drew in loads of sales and success from its latest iteration of the phone. They also garnered excitement and intrigue over the Apple watch.
4. Taylor Swift 1989
Via usatlife.files.wordpress.com
T-Swift is still making waves in the pop culture arena and she is a force to be reckoned with. When her fifth studio album, 1989, was released it sold more than a million copies in its first week alone. The Internet was a playground that enabled Swift and her fans to build up tons of hype about her album and her documented journey to ultra-stardom. Swift took to social media and interacted with those common folks. There was so much online activity related to the singer and her album that we could have sworn it was already released. Yet it finally came out and the Internet began a new buzz about her new singles, which we're sure you've already heard.
3. The ALS Challenge
Want to watch frumpy celebrities pour ice cold water over their heads? What about your friends and family members? Or your principal? People everywhere nearly broke the Internet with The Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease.) Fortunately it blew up in the summer for most participants who were challenged to pour the icy liquid over themselves to raise awareness and funds for medical research. If you were not one of the people who was challenged, you are a rare breed. Once celebrities started getting in on the action, both the online and physical worlds were abuzz with chatter.
2. US Airways and Twitter
Via i.huffpost.com
The Internet took a break from updating the world on missing planes and crashes. U.S. Airways posted on its Twitter account a very graphic photo of a woman baring her lower female parts. A photoshopped plane was posted to it so that it looked as though it were crashing into her...well, you know. The caption below stated U.S. Airways' customer feedback policy. Clearly, there was some confusion there. The photo was only on the Net for about an hour, but that's all it took to spread like wildfire. Apparently U.S. Airways is keeping quiet about the perp, and is trying to just forget about the whole debacle.
1. Celebrity Nudes Leak
Via www.moviecricket.com
We have a great level of respect for Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet. Yet they found themselves (along with a few other actresses) at the center of an Internet scandal involving their nude photos. What followed was a battle to either promote the photos or take them off the web. Then people started worrying about their own photos and whether the Internet cloud really was safe. As the weeks progressed, more and more nudes were leaked, and more stars spoke out. Even now, months later, people are still iffy about how secure the Internet really is and how easy it is to violate someone.
Sources: theguardian.com, people.com, vulture.com, washingtonpost.com, also.org, buzzfeed.com, okmagazine.com
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