It’s often said that “the Internet never forgets.” Anything that has been uploaded online is likely to have reached millions of people and then been downloaded, re-uploaded, viewed, and shared. But what’s fun about all that is that throughout the Internet’s history, there have been some strange phenomena that have yet to be forgotten. And that’s exactly what we’re here to talk about! So, without further ado, here are ten strange Internet phenomena from around the world.

1 In 2015, a website with the URL of “potatoparcel.com” catapulted to internet fame with its unique business idea. Founded by a man named Alex Craig, this online company allows its customers to send potatoes carrying customized messages to anyone in the US. Buyers could place their orders on the company’s website and expect delivery within a few days.

Potato Parcel, or potatoparcel.com, is an online business venture that launched in May 2015 over the social media platform, Reddit. This website allows its customers to send potatoes inscribed with a message to anyone in the US and a few other countries. Soon after its launch, it gained immense Internet fame and became a successful venture in just a few months.

The creator of the website, Alex Craig, is a Texas resident who was inspired by a viral Reddit post of a potato covered in stamps. But in October 2015, Craig sold the business to his partner, Riad Bekhit, for about $40,000. In 2016, the business appeared on the popular reality TV show, Shark Tank, and struck a deal with Kevin O’ Leary, who appears on the show as one of the “sharks.” 

As of 2018, the business was reportedly thriving, having employed seven full-time employees and sold over 70,000 potatoes. (1, 2)

2 “The Most Mysterious Song On The Internet” is an online phenomenon involving an extensive investigation into the origins of a song. This mysterious song was recorded off of a German radio station and has no name or artist listed. In 2019, this mystery resurfaced and became a major trend over social media platforms.  

“The Most Mysterious Song On The Internet” is a three-minute song that has no name, artist, or label listed anywhere. It was recorded off of a German radio station in the 1980s and has become the subject of an extensive internet investigation. 

Back in 2007, this song was posted on the Internet along with a comment that asked for details about its artist. However, this revealed no results and the song remained a forgotten mystery. But in 2019, when a teenager from São Paulo, Brazil stumbled across the song and posted about it on platforms like YouTube and Reddit, the mystery resurfaced. 

Since then, dedicated netizens have tried to track down numerous music records from the 1980s to hopefully solve the mystery behind this elusive song. There is also a large online database that records the dead leads covered so far. For now, however, the song remains a mystery and the online search continues. (1, 2) 

3 In 2017, a giraffe named April became an Internet celebrity after its live birth was streamed on YouTube. At least 1.2 million viewers are said to have tuned in to watch the live stream. New York’s Animal Adventure Park where April was housed later stated that her popularity helped raise awareness about the decline of giraffe populations.

April the Giraffe became an Internet celebrity in 2017 after videos of her birth were live-streamed on YouTube. These videos went live on 10 February and were streamed by New York’s Animal Adventure Park where the giraffe was housed. It then ended on 15 April with April giving birth to a male calf. Before shutting off the feed, the park employees also popped in to thank the nearly 1.2 million viewers who had tuned in to watch the event. 

During the live stream, an online fund was set up for the care of the animals, with the initial goal of $50,000. But as April’s popularity grew, it ended up amassing more than $125,000. The park officials also stated that this event helped raise awareness of the declining populations of giraffes around the world. 

Sadly, in 2021, it was reported that a 20-year-old April had been euthanized due to her worsening osteoarthritis. (1, 2)

4 In 2019, an ordinary picture of an egg became the most-liked post on Instagram. The photograph was posted with a caption that said, “Let’s set a record together and get the most liked post on Instagram…” The picture then quickly beat the previously held record of 18 million likes on an Instagram post. 

 

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A post shared by Eugene (@world_record_egg)

On 4 January 2019, an Instagram user named “@world_record_egg” posted a picture of an egg with the caption, “Let’s set a record together and get the most liked post on Instagram…” This ordinary picture of the egg then went on to receive more than 30 million likes and set a record for the whole of Instagram. 

Until then, the most-liked picture on the website had about 18 million likes. This was a picture posted on Kylie Jenner’s profile, from when the socialite had shared news of her daughter’s birth. The egg then became a viral Internet meme, with many users referencing the event. It also appeared in a mental health awareness advertisement that aired on the streaming platform Hulu. 

The mastermind behind the egg was later revealed to be an advertising creative named Chris Godfrey, who works at the &Partnership in London. Currently, @world_record_egg’s post stands at more than 52 million likes. (1, 2)

5 “Planking” is an online trend that gained notoriety during the 2000s. In this trend, participants would lie face down in unusual places and have themselves photographed. These photographs would then be posted on the Internet, encouraging more people to participate. 

“Planking” is an online trend that gained popularity during the 2000s. In this trend, participants lie face down in unusual places and photograph themselves. These photographs are then posted on social media sites to encourage more people to do the same. 

Although multiple parties have claimed ownership of this trend, its earliest known practitioners were Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon who, in 2000, started lying down in public places in Taunton, England. It later became popular in Australia as “planking” during 2008 and 2009. 

Despite its innocent nature, however, this trend has also claimed a few lives. In 2011, the BBC reported that an Australian man had died after falling from a balcony railing where he was attempting to do this challenge. A similar incident was reported, also from Australia, when a man fell from the roof of a moving car while participating in the trend. (1, 2)