This article is tagged as #School. It was previously published on a different website as a part of Stephanie Pichardo's Senior Comprehensive Assignment.
Every year during the super bowl, thousands of tweets are posted talking about every little detail that happens. If they aren’t talking about the commercials, they are talking about the game itself or the highly awaited “Pepsi Halftime Show”. Whether these tweets be funny, angry, sad, or excited, almost everyone on the Twitter platform is engaged in the event.
Out of all the frenzy, there is always one thing that has everyone talking the next day.
In 2015, everyone remembered the “left shark.” In 2016, it was the unflattering photos of Beyonce. In 2017, it was the Lady Gaga flying photos and finally, the one who stole the show this year was Ryan McKenna the “Selfie Kid."
In a matter of minutes, photos began circulating all over the internet of McKenna standing next to Justin Timberlake, this year’s Halftime Performer, and it became a viral sensation.
In a well-publicized screenshot other than his selfie with Justin Timberlake, McKenna is nonchalantly looking down at his phone in a crown mixed with roaring Eagles and Falcon fans whose attention is towards Timberlake who’s in the middle of singing his 2016 hit “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”
Social Media users saw the opportunity and took the liberty of editing what could be more important on his phone than the much anticipated Halftime Show.
One user suggested McKenna was googling “Who is Justin Timberlake?” while the show was going on.
The list goes on and on with endless memes of McKenna that blew up the internet Sunday night.
All he did was use his phone but how did this become a phenomenon?
Many can agree that it makes no sense this kid became famous overnight yet some of those same people, including myself, could not stop talking about him in group chats and different social media platforms.
Lynne McNeill, member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, states that there is a reason why we give attention to things that didn’t need much attention, to begin with.
In an analysis, LOL AND THE WORLD LOLS WITH YOU: MEMES AS MODERN FOLKLORE for the Phi Kappa Phi Forum, McNeill states “why study something of which everyone has equal awareness? But of course, once we can say that everyone knows about something, it’s probably something that deserves our attention”
McKenna definitively caught everyone’s attention, so much that he now has a verified Instagram handle with over 249,000 followers. He even caught the attention of Good Morning America, The Daily Mail, and Ellen DeGeneres who later invited him to her show a few days after the Super Bowl where he got another surprise from Justin Timberlake to attend his “Man of the Wood’s Tour” in Boston with his family.
His sensation doesn’t end there! In March, he was invited to attend the iHeartRadio Music Awards to take selfies with the talent on the red carpet.
Viral memes such as #SelfieKid usually die out after a few days but McKenna’s fame is still going strong.
He was recently invited to the Shorty Awards, an award show that honors social media influencers.
Who knows what the future holds for McKenna but it probably involves more selfies!