As the year came to an end, an unlikely star was born in Luis Mangione. His case captured the American imagination and news headlines. The rest of the world saw it and some other developments unfold through the lens of content and meme creators who gave the story an entirely surprising spin.
The Manhattan murderer
On December 4, 2024, a 26-year-old UPenn grad shot dead the CEO of a health insurance firm, Brian Thompson. After a five-day manhunt, Mangione was arrested at a Mcdonalds in Pennsylvania and he now faces 11 state criminal counts in New York.
This murder in cold blood did not evoke a wave of tragedy as any other shooting would in the US. Instead, Americans instinctively celebrated it as a win over a callous healthcare system. Taking out a representative of United Healthcare served as a perverse message of raging against the machine. Dissatisfaction with US health insurance stems from high costs, denied claims and perceived prioritisation of profits over patients’ well-being, among other complexities. American citizens struggle to afford health insurance premiums and rising costs make healthcare altogether inaccessible to some.
The younger social media users hailed Luigi as a hero. It is possible the killer was likely after such attention. Items found in his possession and scene of the crime indicate he plotted a targetted killing with some dramatic effect.
Bullet casings found at the scene of the shooting were labelled with the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose”.
A notebook bekonging to him was discovered after his arrest in which he had journalled “hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.” His writing is taken as a sort of manifesto for bringing down “these parasites”, in his words.
Luigi gained fame, not notoriety through his act of murder. Tiktok, Instagram, television, newspapers all media was flooded when he was on the lam. Only a handful of social commentators flagged concern for America’s broken moral compass in lionizing a criminal. For the rest, Luigi remains an icon of the Times and fodder for fun and memes.
They called him “the hot assassin”. They made reels dressed up like him. They gave him a shout out during interviews on live television. Faculty from his alma mater expressed pride for his bravery. By the time his trial started, he had become a tool for media publicity. His perp walk was called the biggest staged event as it was used as a political ploy by the mayor of NY and the NYPD.
It is confusing to see a crime being made light of and a criminal so idolized as Luigi is but so it is in the freedom of expression offered by social media. However, it is more interesting to note that public sentiment over his committing murder did not create a polarising debate. In light of the Free Palestine protests across the US earlier, have Americans too have begun to adjust their lenses on the value of human life?
The Mangione case grew into a high profile case reminiscent of US footballer OJ Simpson's televised trial. Except the speed with which memes about Luigi go viral outmatch live cable news transmission.
It Never Ends with them
The project of adapting Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel It Ends with Us for the silver screen was messier than any ugly divorce. It began in August with the press tour for the film's promotion. Actor Blake Lively was the face of the film and seen promoting it on every platform. Her costar and director Justin Baldoni wa conspicuously absent. This threw netizens in a frenzy and if you were online you couldn't get away from the buzz about behind-the-scenes drama that went on between the two leading actors.
Initially, Lively was attacked for her frivolous manner of promoting a film based on domestic violence. She played up the romance part of the story and sold it as a fun watch for a girls night out (“grab your friends, wear your florals and head out to see it.) Meanwhile Baldoni spoke of the issue of domestic abuse with sensitivity and gravity in his separate interviews and low-key appearances. Lively also made the misstep of promoting her hair care brand alongside the film which painted her as being even more tone deaf about the subject of It Ends With Us.
In December, the entire story flipped on its head when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his production company alleging sexual harassment. The New York Times’ expose about the stars’ feud revealed a startling smear campaign carried out by Baldoni's PR team against Lively. Texts revealed that Baldoni's motives were sinister and the entire campaign against his costar as insidious as it could get. “He wants to feel like she can be buried,” read a message from one of his publicists. Allegedly this scheme went so far as planting theories on online message boards and to spin a narrative on social media criticising Lively.
The drama keeps ramping up as Baldoni has now filed a $250 million libel suit against the NYT for the expose.
The nonchalant shooter
Yusuf Dikec , the Turkish Olympic shooter, became an unlikely internet sensation during the 2024 Olympics held in France. His unassuming and casual demeanor on the shooting range captivated audiences worldwide, making him a viral sensation.
As Dikec prepared to take his shots, he exuded a relaxed, almost nonchalant attitude. His slouchy posture, paired with a hint of a smile, made him look like he was just hanging out with friends rather than competing in the Olympics.
The internet couldn't get enough of Dikec's laid-back vibe. Memes and GIFs of him spread like wildfire, with many joking that he looked like he was "just trying to get a good Wi-Fi signal" or "waiting for his coffee to brew."
Dikec's casual demeanor was a refreshing change from the typical intense and focused expressions seen on Olympic athletes. It was as if he was saying, "Hey, I've got this. No big deal."
Despite his relaxed appearance, Dikec is a highly skilled shooter who has won numerous medals in international competitions. His Olympic performance was impressive, and he finished in a respectable position.
His viral fame extends beyond the shooting community, with many non-sports fans taking notice of his unique personality. He has become an unlikely ambassador for Turkish culture, showcasing the country's warm hospitality and laid-back attitude.
In an interview, Dikec laughed off his internet fame, saying, "I'm just a normal guy who likes to shoot." His humility and down-to-earth personality only added to his charm.
However, his coach revealed that Dikec filed for a trademark to protect his iconic fame, after his overwhelming popularity many other attempts were register a trademark for the pose without Dikec's knowledge. The viral nature of his pose led to memorabilia such as t-shirts and mugs which further created a need for him to protect copyrights.
A satirical story about him having taken up shooting as a revenge after a frustrating divorce also added to the interest and enigma around this cool sharpshooter.