23 Cringy Things Millennials Used To Do On The Internet That You 100% Forgot About Until Now

    Don't ever forget how toxic AskFM was.

    Abby Zinman
    by Abby Zinman

    BuzzFeed Staff

    If we should agree on anything, it's this: the Internet is a WEIRD PLACE. The most random, unexplainable things go viral, spinning out into trends that, looking back, are so strange we try our best to erase them from our brains.

    Citytv / Via giphy.com

    Well, it's time for a little nostalgia. Get ready to *cringe*, because here are some trends you deeeefinitely took part in 10+ years ago:

    1. Chain emails

    Abby Zinman

    Yes, those are actual chain email messages I found in my old inbox from 2012. I mean, WHY?

    I really don't think I ever forwarded a chain email — on the contrary, I used to reply to people saying "Stop sending chain emails!" I was a know-it-all, but can you blame me?

    2. The Harlem Shake

    The Telegraph / Via giphy.com

    OK, I confess: my roommates and I sometimes play this song at parties just to confuse people. Yes, in 2024, I still play the "Harlem Shake" song. It always irritates people — like, we're all just ashamed to have made this a thing, and even more worried realizing that nobody questioned it back in the day. Because in this trend's heyday, it made 0 sense, but it was EVERYWHERE (didn't it get featured on an episode of Glee?).

    3. Super deep Tumblr posts, like those "Just Girly Things" posts, or the "Keep Calm And ___ On" photos

    4. The #DontJudgeChallenge

    The problem with the #DontJudgeChallenge is that's it's actually quite judgemental, isn't it? http://t.co/E7NgbbHRcy pic.twitter.com/rDGOr0R1Ay

    — Sugarscape (@sugarscape) July 13, 2015
    Twitter: @sugarscape
    In this "challenge", people would make themselves as "ugly" as possible, cover the camera, and then transform into the most "beautiful" version of themselves.

    These truly boiled my blood. They took the message of not judging someone by their appearance and flipped it on its head, essentially saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover — not because it's what's on the inside that counts, but because I'm actually really pretty when I want to be."

    5. And while we're talking about that, musical.ly in general

    i’ve fallen down the https://t.co/9d8hwQyiKd rabbit hole why did every single teenage white boy have the exact same hair 😭😭

    — #1 ‘possessive’ by ekat19 stan (@505POSSESSIVE) June 9, 2024
    Twitter: @505POSSESSIVE
    Remember how TikTok used to be called musical.ly, and it was all about lip-synching? To high-pitched, Alvin and the Chipmunks-esque versions of popular songs? I'm still puzzled as to why people thought that was a good idea. It was just weird.

    6. Asking people to like your Facebook status in exchange for a TBH or rate

    Facebook post by someone to Abby Zinman on September 28, 2013, reads: "tbh abby ur really nice." Abby Zinman liked the post
    Abby Zinman

    Yes, that's real as well — please don't judge my 2013 Internet habits. I obviously partook in this trend, but looking back, it made no sense — and was probably one of the most toxic and fake things on the Internet at the time. Saying "TBH ur really nice" was just like saying "TBH I don't know you or like you." And don't get me started about rating other people.

    7. Flash mobs of any kind

    Miami International Airport / Via giphy.com

    These were certainly cringy and took place in the randomest locations, but I have to say, they're a bit impressive to this day. How the hell were they organized? I'll never understand. I just know that they were fun to watch at the time — another useless, unexplainable trend that you really had to be there in the moment to truly get.

    8. AskFM, the site where you could ask people anonymous questions

    i found out my dad was cheating on my mom through my older sister’s ask .fm

    — meg (@megmaybekinda) June 2, 2024
    Twitter: @megmaybekinda
    Speaking of toxic — WOW, did this cause so much drama back in the day. I think my parents forbade me from making a profile, and thank God they did, because I'm not sure I would've survived this horrible website.

    9. Bottle flipping

    YouTube / Via giphy.com

    This one wasn't as harmful or borderline dangerous as some others, but still, it's definitely funny looking back on how many hours we'd spend trying to flip over a water bottle. I remember having to pour out (or drink) most of the water bottle to hit that "sweet spot."

    10. The Charlie Charlie pencil challenge

    Giphy / Via giphy.com

    If we were all so convinced ghosts existed, why didn't we just get a Ouija board? This poor excuse for a challenge had people so scared about ghosts, specifically one named Charlie, when really, it was just a) the wind or b) our breath moving the pencils. I cringe at how gullible we were.

    11. Dabbing

    CBS / Via giphy.com

    Dabbing lasted for a long time, no? It just kept getting more and more overused. It's finally subsided, but I swear, I still see someone dab every once in awhile. (I do love Betty White, though.)

    12. Calling anyone and everyone "bae"

    i’m gonna be 80 yrs old still calling everyone bae

    — tay (@taylorjae222) July 6, 2023
    Twitter: @taylorjae222
    It took me awhile to realize it wasn't just a typo of "babe."

    13. The Tide Pod Challenge

    A person sits at a table with a bib around their neck, smiling while using a knife and fork to cut into detergent pods placed on a plate, appearing to eat them
    Getty Images / Via gettyimages.ca

    This still confuses me. Why did people think it was a good idea at all to eat Tide Pods?! Where did these people even get the idea in the first place? We'll never know. But I have been scarred for life — I think about this trend every time I do laundry.

    14. Poking people on Facebook

    A list titled "Suggested Pokes" with names.
    Abby Zinman

    Poking your friends was ALL THE RAGE. Why did we do it? I'm not quite sure, but if you started a so-called "poke war" with a friend, you were certified besties. Not to mention, it was the best way to flirt with your crush at the time.

    15. YouTuber feuds and subsequent diss tracks

    Tyler Oakley / Via giphy.com

    This wasn't actually THAT long ago, but boy, it sure feels like it. I'll never forget the whole James Charles and Tati feud, and does anyone remember Gabbie Hanna and RiceGum's huge fight?

    16. The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge

    Strapped Entertainment / Via giphy.com

    Remember people used to suck on a plastic contraption and their lips would swell? And sometimes BRUISE? Kylie's impact.

    17. Over-edited Instagram photos and YouTube videos with wildly high saturation

    YouTube / Via giphy.com

    I was 100% a Bethany Mota fan back in the day, but I was also pretty proud to be from the same city as LaurDIY (Toronto, if you weren't aware). People used to edit the crap out of everything, making real life appear a bit more dull than it should've.

    18. Moustaches and fake glasses

    Image of five black paper mustaches on sticks, arranged against a plain background
    Getty Images / Via gettyimages.ca

    Didn't some people get finger tattoos of mustaches back in the day? And people definitely wore "nerd glasses" without the lenses because they thought it was cool. Pair these two items with a hair bow, and you'll look veryyyy 2010s.

    19. Planking

    NBC / Via giphy.com

    I'm not positive where this originated, but I do know it got so big, it made it into a cold open on The Office. Like, EVERYONE was planking for a minute. It honestly looks... uncomfortable. And a bit dangerous.

    20. Literally all condom-related challenges

    so do we all remember the condom snorting challenge from like 6 years ago.....bc i just fucking found a video of me and my step brother trying it like 6 years ago i can’t rn😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/TcFWehGifx

    — crueldaughter (@kgt_stitchwitch) February 6, 2020
    Twitter: @kgt_stitchwitch
    No, I'm not making this up. There was one challenge in 2018 where people started snorting condoms (?!?!), and another earlier in the decade where people filled condoms with water and dropped it on their heads. For YouTube. And people loved it.

    21. Posing with the duckface

    A person in a pink shirt gazes pensively into the distance, resting their chin on their hand
    Getty Images / Via gettyimages.ca

    I'm still a bit guilty of this, but at least nowadays, people pose like this as a joke — and not to make themselves look cute, like we all did in the 2010s. I swear, when Instagram first started, mine was flooded with people's duckfaces.

    22. Using words like "UwU," "XD," and "rawr" online

    Rosanna Pansino / Via giphy.com

    XD was probably the best one, honestly, because it really does look like a laughing face from the side. But these terms were just needless and became cringy verrrrry quickly.

    23. And finally, "the game"

    Paramount+ / Via giphy.com

    Sorry, but I just had to. You just lost the game, by the way.

    OK, I've had enough awkwardness for the day. But in case you'd like to keep us all cringing for the next few minutes, tell us what other cringy Internet trends you remember in the comments below. And follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram for more nostalgia!

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