2012 was the year Penn’s soon-to-be graduates first graced Locust Walk. It was also the year of YOLO, Linsanity and the infectious “Call Me Maybe.” The Daily Pennsylvanian looked back at the biggest trends of 2012 to remind you of freshman year:
1. The Age of Instagram
It’s hard to imagine a time before food selfies and Valencia filters weren’t a fact of life, but in October 2010 Instagram was just a new app on the market. The app rapidly gained popularity, reaching the 100 million user milestone by April 2012, and user numbers have more than tripled since then.
2. The Hunger Games
It’s been four years since Jennifer Lawrence made everyone want to learn archery after first taking stage as Katniss Everdeen, the fearless fighter from a dystopian society in which citizens are forced to entertain the government in a broadcast battle to the death. The franchise just ended with its fourth and final movie, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2,” in November and has grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide.
3. The End of the World
During freshman year, some of you probably wondered whether you’d graduate — especially because the Mayan calendar predicted an apocalypse on Dec. 21, 2012. Compared to facing the end of the world, taking on the real world is a piece of cake.
4. YOLO
Most millennials have probably used the phrase at least one time — like Drake said, “You only live once — that’s the motto.”
5. The 2012 Summer Olympics
What better way to celebrate the end of your first year than by watching the Olympics? The London Olympics, which took place from July 27 to Aug. 12, drew in more than 100,000 athletes from 204 counties to participate in more than 300 events. Plus, it brought us internet gold — like the queen skydiving into the opening ceremony and #McKaylaIsNotImpressed.
6. Linsanity
2012 will be known to basketball fans as the year of Jeremy Lin. His quick rise to basketball success shocked both fans and analysts alike — he averaged nearly 25 points and 9 assists per game and won 38 points in his peak game against the Lakers. That year the New York Times dubbed him the Knicks’ “most popular player of the decade.”
7. Kim Kardashian’s 72-Day Marriage
After marrying NBA basketball player Kris Humphries in a fairy tale wedding that was broadcast as a two-part, four-hour event on E! Network, Kardashian filed for divorce in October just 72 days later, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Now it’s hard to remember a time where she wasn’t happy with Kanye West.
8. “Gangnam Style” by Psy
“Gangnam Style” was the song of the summer in 2012, becoming the most watched YouTube of all time. It currently has been viewed 2.5 billion times.
9. “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
Jepsen’s infectious beat played on loop in people’s heads.
10. Babeyonce
On Jan. 7, 2012 the world welcomed Jay-Z and Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy. Fun fact: Blue Ivy is the youngest person ever credited with a song that graced a Billboard chart. Less than 48 hours after her birth, Jay-Z released his song “Glory,” which is dedicated to Blue and includes the cries and coos from her first seconds of life.
11. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
The series, which revolves around Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and “Mama” June Shannon, began airing in the summer of 2012. The series was one of TLC’s highest-rated shows in its first season. Its antics however — such as six-year-old Alana’s catchphrases like “redneckognize” — received mixed reviews.
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