As we continue the recap of the year in internet greats and not so greats, we arrive at March and one of my personal favourites of the year. ERMAHGERD, or BERKS as it is also known, came to life in March 2012 after an image of an over excited teenage girl holding Goosebumps books from the 90s appeared online. It was quickly captioned ‘GERSBERMS’ (the idea being that the teenage girl is lisping through a retainer) and reached massive heights of virality, with different captions flying out rapidly, and the girls face being photoshopped onto everything from Black Swan to Mary Poppins.
But it wasn’t until the phrase crossed platforms and started appearing on other images that it reached its full comedic potential. This image in particular will never not be funny. This is one meme I will never tire of. And the source of all the memeing actually turned out to enjoy it just as much. Everyone won. Well done internet.
Honourable Mentions
Kony 2012: We can’t mention March without mentioning Kony 2012, what ended up possibly being the biggest fail of the year. A campaign to expose war criminal Joseph Kony by activist group Invisible Children, Kony 2012 became a landmark moment after becoming the quintessential example of how to succeed at viral marketing online. Everyone watched Invisible Children’s 30 minute campaign video, and it blew up so fast not even the creators were able to stay on top of the situation. Unfortunately, the more pragmatic in society pressed for more information and were more shrewd in their acceptance of the propaganda, exposing some serious flaws in the organisation, and, well, it didn’t end well.
Surprise Opera Duo on Britain’s Got Talent: In a repeat of the Susan Boyle phenomenon, March also saw an audition on Britain’s Got Talent that was perfectly constructed to surprise and tug at the heartstrings, proving once again that Simon Cowell know how to keep his audience in the palm of his hand. Probably the goosebumpiest moment of 2012. Unfortunately, Charlotte and Jonathan lost out to a dancing dog. Thems the breaks yo.
