Shared cultural moments have always been central in creating a sense of community in society. We see entire months and even whole years being defined by the biggest cultural phenomena. It’s difficult to reminisce about the summer of 2024 without thinking of ‘Barbenheimer’. The unconventional double feature’s witty portmanteau was conceived on social media platforms, becoming one of the first major, in-person cultural moments of the post-Covid era. With the pandemic no longer being named a public health emergency by the spring of 2023, ‘Barbenheimer’ marked a shift, presenting an opportunity for a shared experience, one that could be enjoyed and discussed online and in-person. Many, including myself, took the opportunity to meet with friends and enjoy a day out without restrictions.
Beforehand, with the majority of our interactions being transferred to the digital world, and where community experiences in public spaces were against pandemic rules, this kind of occurrence wasn’t possible. Places where you could go to socialise in-person closed their doors — live music venues, theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, to name a few. However, social media thrived, becoming an invaluable outlet for interactions and culture to exist without face-to-face contact. TikTok trends dominated the pandemic-era — dances, challenges, and memes. While we can look back on many of these moments with a sense of embarrassment, it is undeniable that at the time they provided a great sense of escapism.
The last three years have spawned some of the most monumental and global cultural moments. In 2023, along with ‘Barbenheimer’, The Eras Tour also dominated discourse and the box office. In 2024 Charli xcx’s Brat summer revived interest in clubbing culture. These events dominated conversations and, with most restrictions lifted, marked a return to the corporeal world. The ability to experience these events with other people makes it clear how much shared cultural moments help to build connections with others.
While some might believe that online culture is less valuable, social media has also created some of the most unifying phenomena. The playful pygmy hippo Moo Deng was 2024’s most beloved online superstar, generating an abundance of merch, memes and followers. For a few months it seemed that people were united by the overflow of adoration for an oblivious baby hippo. We even got our own version of Moo Deng with the birth of Haggis at Edinburgh Zoo. While some may have flown across the globe to visit a celebrity like Moo Deng in person, most of us only interacted with this phenomenon online, but still felt like we were engaging in a unifying cultural moment. As 2025 ended, the final season of Stranger Things was playing in every household, all united over their shared hope that Steve Harrington would survive to see the finale.
Whether cultural moments transcend the digital world or not, the feeling of connection that comes from enjoying something with millions of others is extremely important on a human level.
Image by by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash