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Quarantine Trends: Everything That's Gone Viral During the Pandemic

Quarantine Trends: Everything That's Gone Viral During the Pandemic

As the world continues to adjust to a "new normal," many have turned to Zoom, TikTok and more

By Diane J. Cho

Updated December 31, 2020 03:45 PM

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Baking Bread

Once people were encouraged to stay home more, everyone seemed to simultaneously adopt a new hobby: bread baking. The need to knead was strong.

You couldn't scroll through your Instagram feed without seeing sourdough starters, different takes on banana bread or the demand for yeast (which actually saw a shortage due to the new obsession). Though the trend has seemingly tapered off, the craving for carbs while staying close to home is still real.

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Puzzles

Credit: Zazzle

Board games have long held the spotlight when it comes to at-home entertainment, but the stress of the pandemic required games so mindless — or in some cases, crazy complicated — that it was finally puzzles' time to shine. Many added different types of puzzles to their online shopping carts and devoured each one as soon as they arrived on their doorsteps. Instagram or it didn't happen, of course.

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Instagram Live

Credit: Diddy Instagram

Going Live might seem like a good opportunity for celebrities to connect with fans, but it almost always bites them in the butt later. However, the pandemic has been truly isolating for some, thus the explosion of IG Lives.

Almost everyone got on board, including J.Lo and Diddy, who had a surprising reunion. Lives have also been a great way for people to enjoy music and add some fun to their quarantine routines, thanks to stars like DJ D-Nice and Questlove.

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Dalgona Coffee

Credit: 뚤기ddulgi/Youtube

If you haven't tried your hand at baking bread, you've probably attempted to make dalgona coffee, the whipped South Korean treat made popular by TikTokers.

Dalgona coffee is made from just three ingredients — instant coffee, sugar, and water. Combine equal parts of each ingredient in a bowl, then using a hand mixer, mix until you get a caramel-colored frothy mixture. (If you don’t have a hand mixer, it can be whipped by hand but just know the process takes a little bit longer.) Once it’s ready, pour on top of your milk of choice, and voilà!

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Fostering Dogs

Credit: Cody simpson/instagram

There's nothing the cute face of a dog can't solve.

While many have experienced a hike in anxiety and depression during the health crisis, everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Henry Golding has welcomed needy pups into their homes to love and care for.

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Tie Dye

Credit: The Image Direct

Maybe it's the combination of bright colors that brings happiness ... Maybe it's the act of tie-dying itself that allows people to clear their heads ... Either way, tie-dye has become the hot fashion trend that many have clung to during quarantine.

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Zoom

Credit: Elizabeth Gillies/Instagram

Living through a pandemic means virtual meetings, hangouts, happy hours and reunions. Pre-coronavirus, many would FaceTime, Skype or hop on Google Hangouts, but Zoom has exclusively taken over 2020 — and we have mixed feelings about that.

Love it or hate it, Zoom has become a part of life and it will be interesting to see if it remains that way, or if becomes a word/service we'll never want to use again once the pandemic is finally over.

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TikTok Dances

Everyone from Megan Thee Stallion to Judi Dench has been uploading their dance challenge takes, which are going viral on TikTok.

Are you bored in the house, bored in the house, bored? Conquer these challenges: #savagechallenge, #savageremixchallenge, #therenegade, #gocrazychallenge, #outwestchallenge.

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Verzuz Battles

Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz series had everyone tuning in to party to classic throwback jams — and arguing over who won each battle.

Despite a couple of technical difficulties, the parties reached millions on Instagram with battles between Nelly and Ludacris, Alicia Keys and John Legend, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Teddy Riley and Babyface and more.

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The Cuomos

While New Yorkers tuned into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's daily coronavirus briefings during the height of the city's outbreak, two stars began to emerge to diffuse bits of panic: the governor and his brother, journalist Chris Cuomo.

The two bantered back and forth during several segments of Chris Cuomo's CNN show Cuomo Prime Time and gained a fandom the Internet has cheekily dubbed #cuomosexuals.

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Kpop Fans

Credit: The Late Late Show with James Corden

There's one fandom that reigns supreme above all fandoms and that is Kpop fans.

The online army has primarily supported Kpop groups, like BTS and Blackpink, but more recently shifted its presence to politics. The fans flooded white supremacist hashtags, matched a $1 million donation from BTS to Black Lives Matter groups and even took credit for tanking President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which Trump's camp denied.

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Tiger King

Credit: Netflix

The docuseries' debut had people across the country asking, "Who killed Carole Baskin's husband?" The series quickly went viral as fans began to love-hate Joe Exotic and the band of misfits that helped him run his Oklahoma zoo. The toxic relationship between Exotic and Baskin became streaming gold as many tuned in to see who would come out on top, and a handful of related projects are now in the works.

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Animal Crossing

Credit: Courtesy Nintendo

When real life started to feel overwhelming, gamers flocked to Nintendo Switch's Animal Crossing to tend to their much happier virtual lives, filled with menial tasks like gardening and picking fruit. Stars like Awkwafina, Cole Sprouse and Elijah Wood can't get enough, and it's obvious why. The digital universe is a great respite from the pandemic, rare cases of brain-eating amoeba and other gems 2020 has decided to terrify us with.

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Drive-In Movies

With indoor theaters closed, these socially distant enterprises experienced a comeback. Since there are only 305 commercial drive-ins in the U.S., fans also flocked to parking lots to see classic films on makeshift screens.

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Voting Attire

Credit: Amy Sussman/BBMA2020/Getty

Americans got the message out — on dresses (here, on Lizzo at the Billboard Music Awards), T-shirts, hats, masks and jewelry.

Continued on next slide.

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RV Vacations

Sales and rentals of RVs were up this year, as travelers (celebs like Miranda Lambert included) figured out how to see the country without having to use a public bathroom.

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Board Games

Yes, puzzles dominated our Insta feeds, but many families connected the old-fashioned way. Hasbro reported that sales of classics like Monopoly soared.

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Among Us

Credit: Innersloth

Millions are hooked on this multiplayer game where crewmates on an alien spaceship have to find an impostor. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez famously streamed it in October to encourage voter registration

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Quarantine Trends: Everything That's Gone Viral During the Pandemic

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Baking Bread

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Puzzles

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Instagram Live

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Dalgona Coffee

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Fostering Dogs

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Tie Dye

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Zoom

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TikTok Dances

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Verzuz Battles

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The Cuomos

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Kpop Fans

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Tiger King

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Animal Crossing

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Drive-In Movies

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Voting Attire

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RV Vacations

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Board Games

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Among Us

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