‘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...

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