Well, we have made it to 2021! We know everyone is ready to give a middle finger to 2020, but we aren’t done yet. It’s time to discuss the absolute best, the cream of the crop, the *chef’s kiss* of 2020! Hayley and Kayli are excited to share with you their highlights.
Hayley
Last week I ranted about the worst Internet trends of 2020 but to end things on a much-needed better note, I thought I would share my favorites.
Tik Tok
I know exactly what you’re thinking – Didn’t you just say last week you hated Tik Tok or something? That would be halfway correct. I only slandered the ridiculous dances, but I am respectable and give credit where it’s due. Tik Tok has skyrocketed as one of the most used apps of the year and for good reason. There’s something for everyone: cooking, comedy, and even horror. The platform has allowed a space where anyone with a phone can make content and can be seen. I was skeptical at first, mostly because of the amount of young people on it, but I grew to love it and found myself scrolling endlessly.
This You?
Another internet trend I love from 2020 originates from one of the OG apps: Twitter. If you are unfamiliar with this app, you can express your thoughts and emotions in 280 characters or less while also being able to share photos and videos. The best part about this platform are the replies and comments to original posts. The “This You” trend is when one user gives a statement or thought and internet sleuths go searching and find this person said something to contradict themselves in the past. The sleuths then comment and say “This You?” to expose the user and it leads to some pretty funny interactions. See the example below for some clarification:
Twitter also took advantage of this trend to call out BLM bandwagon supporters who previously made comments that contradicted the movement. There’s nothing like exposing hypocrites.
The Mirror Challenge
Creatives everywhere were able to showcase their work during the quarantine as they had much more time on their hands. Once challenge involved taking a large mirror outside to take artsy photos out in nature and posting to social media sites. Not only where these photos beautiful but it was a way for people to connect and share their work.
In general, the amount of art I’ve seen pop up during 2020 increased and I must say I wasn’t disappointed. It’s nice to see the trend of creativity come back in style.
2020 was definitely one for the books. All we can do is push forward and try to navigate the new year the best we can. I can’t wait to see what internet trends the youths come up with next.
Kayli
Although 2020 was the shittiest of shitty years, I actually enjoyed a lot of things (when it comes to books, movies or tv shows that is). So, for this blog going over the best of the best, I’ve decided to gush a little bit more on my favs. Let’s get started!
Books
2020 was by far the best reading year I’ve had in a long time. I fell back in love with reading and found some really great books! One of them being Confessions by Kanae Minato. This was by far one of the most shocking books I’ve read this year, merely for the fact that at the end of each chapter I gasped out loud like an extra from Pretty Little Liars. This is about a teacher confronting her class about the murder of her young daughter. It’s a short read that was adapted into a movie that I’m super excited to check out. The only thing I will say is that each time a chapter starts, there’s like a recap of what happened previously. That got a little tiring, but it didn’t stop me from being shocked or enjoying the ride.
The next book on my list is When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole. Y’all, I devoured this book in one day. I could not put it down! I was so intrigued with the story line and couldn’t wait to figure out how things would end. This one is about a historical black neighborhood that has fallen victim to gentrification. We follow two perspectives, one of them being a young woman who was raised in the neighborhood and the other being a young man who just moved in. The way Cole was able to use gentrification as a horror element was amazing! I will say that Cole is known for her romances and it definitely showed in one spicy scene, but other than that When No One is Watching was a great thriller that I highly recommend!
The last book I will talk about is The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. Ughhhh this book was just so wholesome that even thinking about it now makes my tiny heart swell. We follow Linus Baker who is a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and is tasked with going to an island that is home to some pretty interesting children. I don’t want to say much more than that because I think it’s a better experience if you don’t know too much going in. This was such a great book that I highly recommend to anyone who needs a little pick me up.
Movies
Since going to the movies is not really an option at the moment, I watched a lot of movies on VOD that were quite surprising! One of them being The Call (2020) on Netflix. This is a foreign, dark fantasy about a woman who goes back to her childhood home and starts receiving some interesting calls. I know that’s pretty fucking vague, but you just have to go into this one without knowing too much in order to enjoy it. I really enjoyed the concept of this one, but the ending was a little shaky for me. Even with that, I still think this one is worth a watch!
Another movie I want to highlight is One Cut of the Dead (2017) on Shudder. This is a foreign, zombie film. Need I say more? Yes? Okay, well this is a zombie movie with a twist. I know that’s not much more but trust me, not knowing what this movie is about was the best way to watch it. I think this was such a creative way to show your classic zombies. So, if you’re a zombie connoisseur, add this to your watchlist to spice it up!
TV Shows
I didn’t really get hooked to a lot of shows this year. I don’t know if it was quarantine or what, but I just got super bored with any show I started to watch. Except for these two, obviously. The first one is Love on a Spectrum on Netflix. This is a docu-series following a group of people who fall on the autistic spectrum and their journeys to find love. This show was so heartwarming! There’s nothing like watching people fall in love to really hit you in the feels. As someone who doesn’t have any personal experience with autism, it was really great being able to learn more about the spectrum. I highly recommend it!
The next show I’ve fallen into a love-hate relationship with is The Boys on Amazon Prime. The Boys is all about a group of regular-degular people deciding to teach a lesson to the superheroes who are kind of starting to terrorize the city rather than save it. Now, I’m not a huge fan of superheroes. I think the whole genre is a little played out, if I’m being honest. However, I do like it when they switch up the stories a little bit and show a flawed side to our infamous heroes. That’s where I really enjoy The Boys. I think it does a great job showing how human these superheroes can be. I mean everyone has a bad day, right? But it does a little too good of job showing how flawed these heroes are to the point where I absolutely loathe some of them. If my only complaint about a show is that I hate a character that is complete garbage, then I think they’re doing something right.
All in all, I’m ready to throw away 2020 and bring in 2021! I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year. Fingers crossed that this year is at least slightly better than the last. Stay Pressed y’all!
PRESSED 