Group 7: The Ultimate Social Experiment Turned Viral Sensation
Sophia James took the internet by storm in fall 2025 when she posted seven videos on TikTok, with each clip dividing fans into different groups based on which video found them first. The seventh and final video became the phenomenon everyone wanted to be part of. What started as a simple experiment to see which type of video gets the most reach exploded into more than 85 million views, with people proudly declaring themselves members of the so-called elite Group 7.
The brilliance here was the self-fulfilling prophecy. Once people realized being in Group 7 meant you were among the first to discover viral content, it became a badge of honor. Even Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik jumped on the trend, posting his pommel horse routine with the caption about it being “a light workout for someone in group 7”. The trend resonated because it gave everyone a sense of exclusivity while simultaneously being accessible to millions.
KATSEYE’s Gabriela Dance Challenge Dominates Both Platforms
KATSEYE’s song Gabriela sparked a massive dance trend that went viral with 2.8 million creations and 9.9 billion video views on TikTok, eventually earning the group a Grammy nomination. The choreography became impossible to escape, whether you scrolled through TikTok or clicked through YouTube Shorts. What made this trend particularly explosive was its crossover appeal.
The group also went viral with their Gap collaboration featuring Milkshake by Kelis, which alone drove 151 million views including renditions by Charli D’Amelio and other major creators. TikTok proved once again in 2025 that it’s the unrivaled home of music culture, launching viral tracks that achieved chart success and cultural ubiquity all over the world. Honestly, if you didn’t attempt the Gabriela dance at least once, did you even experience 2025?
The Nicki Minaj Stiletto Balance Challenge Makes a Comeback
More than a decade after Nicki Minaj’s challenge originally debuted in her High School music video, the trend took over social media again in 2025, with influencers and celebrities attempting to balance on one foot in tall stiletto heels. The challenge required incredible core strength, balance, and honestly a bit of recklessness. People filmed themselves balancing on everything from mirrors to stepladders while wearing sky-high heels.
What started as a nostalgic callback became a full-blown competition to see who could pull off the most dramatic version. Some participants blindfolded themselves or balanced while holding babies, pushing the boundaries of what seemed physically possible. The trend proved that sometimes the best viral moments are the ones we resurrect from the past and give a fresh twist.
The What’s Up and Beez in the Trap Mashup Goes Mainstream
A remix of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up and Nicki Minaj’s Beez in the Trap had TikTok in a chokehold, with Sabrina Carpenter’s version alongside SNL cast member Marcello Hernández amassing more than 20 million views. The trend required creators to lip-sync back to back, switching seamlessly between the angsty 90s rock anthem and Minaj’s hard-hitting rap verses. The contrast was jarring, unexpected, and completely addictive.
Even Jimmy Fallon tried the routine with Malala Yousafzai during her Tonight Show appearance, with Malala rapping while the late night host sang. Think about that for a second. A Nobel Peace Prize winner rapping Nicki Minaj on late-night television became a viral moment in 2025. That’s the kind of year we had. The mashup worked because it felt simultaneously ridiculous and genius, proving that unexpected musical combinations can capture the internet’s imagination.
TikTok Shop Live Streaming Revolutionizes Social Commerce
TikTok Shop doubled its global gross merchandise value to over $26 billion in the first half of 2025, with live selling emerging as the primary driver behind this explosive growth. Sales in the U.S. alone increased by 120 percent year over year, transforming how people discover and purchase products online. Live streaming on TikTok became less about traditional e-commerce and more about entertainment-driven shopping experiences.
Brands and creators hosted over 8 million hours of livestream shopping sessions in the US in 2024, a figure that continued climbing throughout 2025. In Southeast Asia, TikTok’s live shopping streams grew around 30 percent month over month in viewership and sales. The format blurred the line between watching content and making purchases, with hosts demonstrating products in real time while viewers clicked to buy instantly. It’s hard to say for sure, but this might be the trend that fundamentally changed online retail forever.
APT by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars Breaks K-Pop Records on YouTube
Creator takes on the catchy ROSÉ and Bruno Mars track APT helped propel the song to become the fastest K-Pop music video to reach one billion views on YouTube, finally unseating Gangnam Style. The song became unavoidable across both YouTube and TikTok, with countless fan recreations, dance covers, and creative interpretations flooding the platforms. The infectious chorus had people singing along in dozens of languages.
What made APT particularly viral was how it transcended typical K-pop fandom boundaries. The collaboration with Bruno Mars gave it mainstream Western appeal while maintaining its K-pop roots. MrBeast remained the top YouTube creator for the sixth year running, but ROSÉ’s collaboration proved that music could still dominate the platform in ways even the biggest YouTubers couldn’t match. The track’s success demonstrated the growing power of cross-cultural musical collaborations in the streaming era.
Connie Francis’ Pretty Little Baby Gets a 2025 Renaissance
Connie Francis’ Pretty Little Baby, relegated to the B-side of a single when originally released in 1962, went viral in 2025 as the soundtrack to hundreds of thousands of online videos and now ranks alongside contemporary acts like Doechii and Billie Eilish on YouTube’s list of Top 10 songs for Shorts. The nostalgic, dreamy quality of the 63-year-old track resonated with Gen Z creators who used it for aesthetic content, vintage fashion videos, and quiet, mood-heavy clips.
The track dominated 2025’s Shorts soundtrack alongside other viral songs popular across short-video formats. Something about the retro sound provided the perfect contrast to our hyper-modern digital lives. One of TikTok’s unique selling points is that an old song is reborn pretty much every day, with The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala also being revived in 2025 thanks to its meme-able lyric. These throwback moments proved that viral trends don’t always need to be brand new to capture millions of views.
The Coldplay Kiss Cam Scandal Becomes Peak Internet Culture
The Coldplay Kiss Cam scandal grabbed the attention of social media users when a jumbotron showed former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and employee Kristin Cabot cozying up at a concert in July, which was then reenacted by celebrities including Sofia Richie Grainge and husband Elliot Grainge. The original moment was pure awkward gold. When the couple realized they were on the big screen, their mortified reactions spoke volumes, leading Chris Martin to quip from the stage about them either having an affair or being really shy.
The internet ran wild with speculation, memes, and recreations. The band’s kiss cam inadvertently brought the internet together, with Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot wrapped in each other’s arms before their horrified reactions led to some of the funniest memes and responses. What came after were countless parody videos of couples pretending to be caught in compromising situations. The trend captured our collective obsession with public embarrassment and the schadenfreude that comes with watching uncomfortable moments unfold in real time.
AI-Generated Content and Deepfakes Go Mainstream
Artificial intelligence played a transformative role in content creation in 2025, with creators harnessing AI to craft videos ranging from deepfake parodies to innovative AI-driven storytelling that captivated audiences, with AI-generated content increasing viewer engagement by 30 percent. From AI avatars to completely synthetic influencers, the technology became both a creative tool and a source of controversy throughout the year.
AI-driven content was at the forefront of social media trends in 2025, with tools like ChatGPT-5 and Sora allowing users to create hyper-realistic viral videos and memes, while AI-generated influencers dominated social platforms. The technology lowered the barrier to entry for content creation, allowing people without traditional video editing skills to produce polished, engaging content. Let’s be real, though: the ethical questions around AI content are far from resolved, with debates about authenticity, misinformation, and creative ownership continuing to rage across platforms.
YouTube Shorts Surpasses Records with Daily Engagement
YouTube Shorts surpassed 1.5 billion users and became a major force in short-form video with an average of 30 billion daily views, with trending formats like mini vlogs, food challenges, and quick DIY projects resonating with audiences seeking authenticity, entertainment, and creativity. The platform’s explosive growth positioned it as a genuine competitor to TikTok, offering creators monetization opportunities that sometimes exceeded what they could earn elsewhere.
MrBeast topped the list as the most popular creator in the US for the sixth year in a row, with iShowSpeed keeping momentum thanks to his round-the-clock IRL livestreams from all corners of the world. The short-form video revolution showed no signs of slowing down, with platforms competing fiercely to capture creator attention and viewer eyeballs. Dance challenges, transformation videos, and participatory trends fueled widespread interaction, proving that brevity combined with creativity remains the winning formula for viral success in 2025.
