This week I'm going to discuss the "Justin Timberlake Selfie Kid" meme, which arose from this past Sunday's Super Bowl LII. In the final part of Justin Timberlake's halftime performance, Justin went up into a section of the crowd and performed his song, "Can't Stop the Feeling." He ended up singing right next to a young boy, who wanted to take a selfie with him. After the kid's first attempt at a selfie, he stared at his phone while everyone else was hyped up. Many people thought that the kid was uninterested, uncomfortable, or unsure who Justin Timberlake even was. This reaction gave rise to a meme in which a picture of the kid staring at his phone is paired with a picture of what he could possibly be typing or looking at. Probably the most popular version of the meme is one where the kid is searching "who is justin timberlake" on Google.
The actual selfie that was taken has some serious meme potential as well.
I watched Super Bowl LII up until after the halftime show, and when I saw this kid appear on screen, I knew there were going to be some memes of him. This just goes to show how quickly anything can become a meme nowadays, and how quickly that meme can spread. I can identify with how awkward the kid must have felt, especially in front of a TV crowd of millions. I'm sure others can as well, which is part of why the meme caught on. Since this meme is from a very specific televised moment that you probably had to watch to get, my guess is it won't last very long. I enjoy it either way.
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