2023 and Me: The Internet’s Best Moments

Comment - Hanna C. Nes

As a connoisseur of trash, anything that’s in bad taste, or just plain ole pop culture fluff, 2023 was the year we were sufficiently fed. I was full. Not a crumb was left on the table. Num, num, num! So, without further ado, these are the best or splashiest internet moments of 2023.

Collage by Hanna C. Nes / PRESSET.

#Scandoval: Had I watched Vanderpump Rules before #Scandoval roared into the public consciousness this spring? Not at all. Was I immediately hooked on the drama of this affair between castmates spilling out? You betcha. Ok, take a deep breath: Lisa Vanderpump’s LA-based reality show following the lives of her (now former) employees finds Tom Sandoval cheating on his longterm girlfriend Ariana with one of her closest pals, Raquel! There’s so much here in terms of intimate history between castmates, but the truly impressive feat remains how these two managed to hide their affair from the camera crews AND how Sandoval spun this drama into a pathetic tour (he is karaoke king incarnate) and a stint on The Masked Singer. The devil works hard but the autotuned microphone works harder. We love a villain edit that’s been milked for all its worth. Ariana recently made it to the finals of Dancing With The Stars and was announced as the new Roxie in Broadway’s Chicago, so who’s winning now, Tom?

George Santos Cameo: Speaking of villain edits, they really can’t keep a good girl down, eh? Disgraced US congressman and professional liar George Santos turned his Dec 1st ousting into $$$ when he began selling personalized videos on popular site Cameo. For only NOK 5250, you can send your grandma a fierce holiday greeting or confess your undying love to your crush with a clip from Cameo Queen Santos (please don’t buy). I do not support Santos profiting from his bad behaviour so watch Ziwe ask him about his favourite civil rights leaders instead. Incredible.

Girl Dinner: This term for a smash dash assortment of snacks and little nibbles (or maybe just a can of tuna) became a major TikTok trend that highlighted every gal’s penchant for a cute wee plate of incongruous foods instead of cooking. Some thought of it as a strange normalization of disordered eating habits, while others felt it reflected the pressure for women to do too much all the time - I’ll leave it up to you.

Barbenheimer: If there’s one thing that will reunite everyone, it’s the “cultural phenomenon” (ok, Wiki) of Barbie and Oppenheimer’s shared release date. One for the history books. Everyone and their mother had Barbie themed outfits for the big day and Halloween was taken over by hot pink (if you dressed as Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer, you’re just as bad as those who were Carmy from The Bear. I see you, male manipulators!).

Threads: The “new app, built by the Instagram team, for sharing text updates and joining public conversations” briefly gave Twitter (oops, I mean X!) a run for its money. On the topic of X, Sir Elon changed the blue verification check, making them only available to “accounts actively subscribed to X Premium”.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Ski Accident Trial: The woman who released a vagina scented candle and found herself on fashion inspo boards again with her courtroom fits, took to the stand in this ski collision spectacle. Ms. Paltrow was television gold, “lost half a day skiing” and delivered this line to the plaintiff (the absolute Liam Neeson in Taken-ness of it all!). It was bone-chilling and camp all at the same time.

Roman Empire: Straight men have only one thing on their minds and it’s the goddamn Roman Empire (this is why I specialized in history AFTER 1500 CE, far far away from the realm of these boys). What’s your Roman Empire? This is mine.

Renaissance World Tour: Beyoncé’s highest grossing tour took over TikTok feeds around the world this summer, bringing the ballroom to the biggest stages. Honey Balanciaga’s panther-like crawl at 0:11 is truly something to behold. No wonder the recently released concert film was a smash hit.

Taylor Swift’s Love Life: From Ratty Healy (gone but not forgotten) to that guy who plays football, Swifties have been devoted in their ongoing investigation into Miss Taylor’s dating life. I highly recommend this excellent piece by culture critic Anne Helen Peterson. Ariana’s dalliance with the musical theatre Spongebob man is a close second.