Democracy functioned just like it should in this year’s Daily Dot Hall of Fame. Though it’s up to the writers and editors here at the Daily Dot to bring you the most pressing pieces of internet news, we’ve left it to you, the readers, to decide which viral sensations have defined 2024.
We asked you about your favorite TikTok trends, many of which centered on consumer discourse. We encouraged you to ponder some of the weirdest internet stories of the year in our urban legends category. We took an atmospheric reading and asked you to define 2024’s big mood. We reminisced about the moments that captured our collective attention. And, we turned our gaze to the most prominent subjects of internet chatter––the vanguards of our time.
We compiled the stories, but it was you, our loyal web crawler readers, who banged the final gavel.
TIKTOK MOVEMENTS: Fixing Your Own Gadgets
Much of the discourse online this year stemmed from concerns about inflation and the increasing cost of living. Folks are more outraged than ever by rising prices and corporations trying to squeeze every penny out of consumers. Our winner in this category represents one possible response to our consumption-obsessed world.
Fixing Your Own Gadgets took home gold with 35.6% of the votes. It’s clearly a topic that TikTok viewers—and web crawler readers—are hungry for, as who doesn’t love a good hack? Another money-saving category, Beating The Car Dealership, came in second place, reflecting our collective desire to outsmart The Man.
To see all of the TikTok Movements nominees, click here.
URBAN LEGENDS: RFK Jr.’s Brain Worm
It was a great day in newsrooms all across the country when the news dropped: RFK Jr. once had a worm in his brain. The headline literally writes itself, and the internet ate up that juicy piece of gossip for weeks to come.
Web crawlers had a good chuckle about brain worms as well, as 47.6% percent of you voted for RFK Jr. in this year’s Urban Legends category.
Second place went to another unintentionally hilarious political moment––Trump’s transgender operations on illegal aliens soundbite.
Political news can be a real bummer sometimes, so absurd stories like these tend to do well on our site. Web crawler readers clearly agree, and RFK’s brain worm thanks you for the vote of confidence.
To see all of the Urban Legends nominees, click here.
BIG MOOD: Smiling Dolphin
This year’s Big Mood category was nothing short of a landslide.
We gave you plenty of options—Lucky Luciano, Hugh Jackman and the Wolverine meme, stonks—but none moved you nearly as much as the winner. 71.6% of you voted for the Smiling Dolphin, that perennial favorite that so perfectly captures a specific feeling.
It’s as if the dolphin is trapped in an uncomfortable social situation with no chance of escaping, forced to smile politely until the moment ends. It’s something we’ve all experienced before, which is probably why that cute dolphin face strikes such a chord. The best thing a meme can be is relatable, and Smiling Dolphin takes the cake.
To see all of the Big Mood nominees, click here.
CULTURAL MOMENTS: Moo Deng
Frankly, any other nominee but Moo Deng winning in the Cultural Moments category would have been a grave injustice, so thank you, web crawlers, for making the right choice.
If you were online at all this year, you’ve no doubt seen his face on numerous occasions. The internet immediately obsessed over the little hippo––who resides at a zoo in Thailand––when he first debuted earlier this year.
Mostly, we love him because he’s relatable, much like the Smiling Dolphin meme. He screams when he’s hungry, or angry, or wants attention. He sometimes bites people when they get too close. He hates getting hosed down without warning. He is all of us, and we are all him. Or, he’s at least the 44% of you who voted for him in the Cultural Moments category.
It’s Moo Deng’s world, and we’re just living in it.
To see all of the Cultural Moments nominees, click here.
VANGUARDS: Ilona Maher
2024 has been a big year for sports, from the WNBA’s rise in popularity, to the Olympics, to Taylor Swift attending the Super Bowl to support her boo, Travis Kelce. But it wasn’t the world’s most famous boyfriend who captured the hearts of web crawlers this year. It was Ilona Maher, the rugby player who rose to fame during the Summer Olympics.
Maher secured 31.5% of the votes, a respectable but not overwhelming lead over second and third place, the Hawk Tuah Girl and Kelce, respectively.
Maher captured the internet’s attention with her funny and empowering TikTok videos, schooling viewers about body positivity and what it takes to be a champion. Maher’s videos represent a positive, feel-good sentiment during a time when there’s plenty to feel bad about. She may have won bronze at the Olympics, but she won gold here at the Daily Dot.
To see all of the Vanguards nominees, click here.
