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The archive / 2020s
Back to the 2020s.
Revisit crazes with a documented chapter in the 2020s, from the things people tried to the habits and references they carried with them.
17 stories to explore2020s
Showing 1–12 of 17
Apps · 2021
Clubhouse: anyone got an invite?
Clubhouse made an app invitation worth asking around for in 2021. Inside, Indian hosts were reading newspapers, making music and trying to keep people coming back.
Internet rituals · 2020 lockdown
Dalgona coffee: the drink came with homework.
Dalgona coffee gave the 2020 lockdown an achievable kitchen project and a very photogenic glass. In India, the whisking was familiar even when the name was new.
Meme moments · October–November 2023
Just Looking Like a Wow: the suit had a very good salesperson.
Delhi boutique owner Jasmeen Kaur was selling clothes before her enthusiastic compliment became a 2023 catchphrase. The colours in her sales videos were part of the pleasure too.
Meme moments · 2021–2022; wider reel wave in 2022
Kacha Badam: the song was selling something.
Bhuban Badyakar made Kacha Badam to sell peanuts in Birbhum. The 2022 reel wave spread his voice much faster than it settled questions about credit and income.
Apps · 2020 lockdown
Ludo King: the group chat got a board game.
During the 2020 lockdown, Ludo King let friends and families share a familiar board from separate homes. Even the advice about winning made room for a rematch.
Meme moments · February 2021
Pawri Ho Rahi Hai: they had stopped for food.
Dananeer Mobeen’s roadside clip became a February 2021 cross-border joke. Her account of the outing is as ordinary as the announcement was memorable.
Meme moments · May 2025
Vishal Mega Mart guard memes: the real guards saw them too.
In May 2025, memes turned a Vishal Mega Mart security job into an imagined elite career. Reports from actual guards add something the fictional rank lists could not.
Internet rituals · March–April 2025
AI Ghibli portraits: that’s your cat in the picture.
In March 2025, people turned photos and memes into Ghibli-like images. Recognisable faces made the results appealing; the borrowed look brought questions about artists and credit.
Meme moments · July–August 2020
Binod: that was the entire comment.
In 2020, Slayy Point highlighted a YouTube comment containing only a name. People began repeating Binod elsewhere, leaving newcomers with one very reasonable question.
Collectibles · 2024–2025
Dubai chocolate: break it open first.
A pistachio-filled chocolate bar became irresistible viewing before many people tasted it. The FIX original helped inspire kunafa-chocolate versions in India and beyond.
Collectibles · 2025
Labubu: a small monster to take everywhere.
Labubu reached Pune shops and Indian bags during its 2025 wave. Buyer interviews reveal affection for the toothy collectible alongside blind-box suspense and copies.
Meme moments · Late 2023
Moye Moye: you know the bit that comes next.
Teya Dora’s Džanum became a comic cue in South Asian reels in late 2023. The familiar meme name was a mishearing of a much sadder song.