Guides / Internet drama
Internet drama
Lawsuits that backfired, a dress that built Google Images, a video that broke YouTube's counter and a song that became a prank.
The internet turned pop culture into something everyone can share, remix and fight about. These guides cover the moments where celebrities, memes and the web collided, from the Streisand effect to the Rickroll, with the real dates, the documented facts and the lessons each one left behind.
Internet dramaCoolio was furious about "Amish Paradise," then admitted he was wrongIn 1996 "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of Coolio's hit "Gangsta's Paradise." Coolio objected loudly. Years later, he said publicly that his reaction had been a mistake.Internet dramaGangnam Style broke YouTube's view counterPSY's "Gangnam Style" was the first video to reach a billion views on YouTube. In 2014 it got so close to the maximum number the view counter could store that YouTube upgraded it.
Internet dramaGrumpy Cat won a 710,000 dollar court case over coffeeGrumpy Cat, the internet's most famous frown, became a business. When a beverage company went beyond its licensing deal, a federal jury awarded her company 710,001 dollars in 2018.
Internet dramaHow three college students turned Kevin Bacon into a gameIn 1994 three students noticed Kevin Bacon seemed connected to everyone in Hollywood. Their game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, became a pop culture phenomenon and a lesson in network science.Internet dramaJennifer Lopez's green dress is why Google Images existsWhen Jennifer Lopez wore a plunging green Versace dress to the 2000 Grammys, so many people searched for it that Google built an image search. It launched in July 2001.Internet dramaPop-culture drama FAQQuick answers about the stories in our music, screen and internet drama guides, plus how we choose stories, check facts and keep things fair to the real people involved.
Internet dramaRick Astley quit music, then the internet made him famous againRick Astley retired from music in 1993. Fourteen years later, "Never Gonna Give You Up" became the Rickroll, the internet's longest-running prank, and relaunched his career.
Internet dramaThe Streisand effect: how trying to hide something makes it famousIn 2003 Barbra Streisand sued over an aerial photo of her home that almost nobody had seen. The lawsuit made the photo famous and gave the internet a new term.