Shiminet, demure, Alice Guo: The viral trends of 2024
MANILA, Philippines — After what feels like forever, and to some a fleeting moment, 2024 comes to a close.
The world witnessed an exciting Olympics, national elections left and right, and songs that topped charts for weeks on end.
Here in the Philippines, we had our own share of popular moments, from showbiz conversations to iconic takeaways from political hearings.
Philstar.com lists down some of these viral and trending moments that defined the year 2024.
Words of the Year
Dictionaries again couldn't agree on a term to unanimously call the Word of the Year, but their selections make good contenders.
Oxford went with "brain rot" because of the effects of content people consumed on social media including the viral "very demure, very mindful" video which led to Dictionary.com selecting "demure."
Merriam-Webster chose "polarization," Cambridge went for "manifest," and Collins decided on "brat" as a result of the cultural phenomenon brought about by Charli XCX's album of the same name.
Other viral words include "yapping" and "skibidi," meanwhile Filipinos saw the rise of "anik-anik" because of collectors items Labubus, Sonny Angels and Smiskis.
Music
Speaking of "brat," 2024 was arguably a great year for music, and not just Charli XCX's "apple" or "365."
The year started out with chart-toppers "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter and "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish, and who could forget the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake which led to the former dropping "Not Like Us."
Filipino-American singer Bruno Mars was responsible for not just one but two of the year's most popular collaborations — "Die With A Smile" with Lady Gaga" and "APT" with Blackpink's Rose.
The Philippines witnessed the stellar rise of BINI as the Nation's Girl Group as their music played just about everywhere, with Maki's "Dilaw" and Dionela's "Sining" also getting good playtime.
Politics
General polls took place abroad including the United States, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia and India, but while the midterm elections won't happen until next year, the Philippines saw a handful of political moments go viral.
Legislators held numerous hearings which gave Filipinos iconic terms like "shimenet" from Vice President Sara Duterte and "di ko maalala, your honor" from Alice Guo (not to mention the controversial Bamban mayor's many videos that spread online).
The vice president's — who also released the children's book "Isang Kaibigan" this year" — allies also had viral moments to speak of as seen in the lengthy capture of Apollo Quiboloy and the "kadiliman vs. kasamaan" remarks of Harry Roque.
Memes galore
Filipinos also did well to mark their meme calendars with every viral moment that happened each month of 2024.
Early entries were the popular pares vendor Diwata and the infamous "Boy Dila" from San Juan, to viral locations including the Captain's Peak Garden and Resort right beside Bohol's Chocolate Hills, Tagaytay restaurant Balay Dako refusing an aspin owner entry, and controversial "Gil Tulog" stunt.
The Paris Olympics gave a great amount of viral moments like breakdancer Raygun, shooters Kim Ye-ji and Yusuf Dikec and pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati.
Carlos Yulo won two historic gold medals for the Philippines but Filipinos became more invested in his family issues with girlfriend Chloe San Jose.
Videos and screenshots
Many videos circulated online like the Asoka makeup challenge (which inspired the revival of "Piliin Mo Ang Pilipinas") and content creator Speed's visit to the Philippines.
Filipinos flocked to Singapore, Japan, Australia and even Europe to see Taylor Swift on her "Eras" Tour but conversations about concert etiquette really took off following Jen Barangan using her flash during Olivia Rodrigo's first Philippine show.
There was immense fascination for "daddy" Sam Concepcion and his physique while the late Rico Yan got even more fans as clips of his movies trended on TikTok.
December was quite the rocket because it had the viral screenshots between Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings as well as the managers of Denise Julia and BJ Pascual, only to be joined by mad online searches for "The Kaplan Heiress."
The year 2024 really took every person for a ride. Animals as well, just ask Moo Deng.
