For those who are not so chronically online as the rest of us
With most of us being online for the better part of our day, it is unlikely that we would have missed anything that trended online. But for those that have a better control over their lives and minds and find themselves lost when social media zombies around them talk about what’s trending, here’s a recap of what trended recently.
Punch the monkey
This abandoned Japanese macaque known as Punch easily became the centre of affection around the world after photos and videos of baby Punch dragging his stuffed orangutan toy circulated on the internet.
Because he was rejected by his mother, the zookeepers decided to give him the stuffed toy for a sense of security. Some of his most popular videos feature him running away or shielding himself with the toy when other monkeys came to bully him. Most felt their hearts break for Punch, and fans flocked from all over the world to visit Ichikawa City Zoo just to see him.
However, many experts reassured the public that the aggressive behaviour from other monkeys is part of his integration to the hierarchy of their society. Soon enough, there were clips of Punch playing with friends or being groomed, showing that he is becoming accepted by the group.
“I’m freezing outside, I feel my skin tight!”
What do you think of when you hear “Stateside” by PinkPantheress? For many, Alysa Liu’s iconic performance at the 2026 Milano Cortina also comes to mind. She brought home the gold medal at the Winter Olympics and, at the same time, started an internet trend with her dance moves, some of which were a reference to the “Stateside” music video.
The original version of the song was released on Apr. 25, 2025, and a collaboration with Zara Larsson came out on Jan. 15 of this year. This remix was used in Liu’s performance, which became instrumental in “Stateside” topping the charts. The Hollywood Reporter says it became no. 1 on Spotify’s top U.S. and global songs chart, and there was a 50 per cent increase in the views of the song on TikTok.
Phan is real?
The speculations over the relationship of British YouTube stars Dan Howell and Phil Lester has always been one of the great cases of modern parasocialism. Those who grew up unsupervised on the internet back in the early 2000s know exactly where they were when the couple hard launched their long-running romantic relationship. Fans even have the ship name “Phan” for the couple.
Six years ago, both Howell and Lester came out as gay, but never went into detail about their dating status. Five months ago, Howell and Lester published a video titled “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth” on their joint channel, revealing their committed relationship of 16 years.
While it was a cause of celebration for the fans, it became a reminder of how damaging fan-shipping can be. Howell confessed that the speculations deeply affected him, especially because he came from a homophobic childhood. He felt he needed to hide his identity and relationship from his family and the outside world.
Wicked: The press tour
This saga was probably more entertaining than the actual movies. The Wicked press tour birthed memes and references that dominated social media almost every time an interview with the actresses, Ariane Grande and Cynthis Erviro, dropped.
One of the most memorable tid-bits that came out of it was the phrase “holding space,” which originated from their interview with Out Magazine’s Tracy E. Gilchrist, in which the reporter tells Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that “people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that.”
Both the stars seem quite touched by this response by the fans. Grande reached to caress Erivo’s fingernail, which gave birth to another set of memes and merch referencing this specific interview.
Another iconic meme came from Michelle Yeoh repeatedly telling the same joke, using her hands to demonstrate the initials of her character, Madame Morrible. She points out that once they are flipped upside down, it becomes WW, to mean Wicked Witch. While there were questions about the emotions running wild during interviews or the concerning weight loss amongst the women in the cast, it was a successful press tour that many could not peel their eyes away from. I guess one can say it changed us, for good.
