Against all odds, the Rickroll still hasn't turned around and deserted us.
The prank meme, ancient by internet standards, has had plenty of reasons to say goodbye, of course: the internet's short attention span, YouTube autoplay ads that ruin the surprise, and a live performance at the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, to name a few. But it hasn't. Armed with that sweet, sweet drum opening and a relentlessly catchy (let's be real) chorus, it remains the meme that keeps on meme-ing.
Rick Astley's 1987 chart-topper "Never Gonna Give You Up" is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that when Melania Trump uttered the words "He will never, ever give up," at the 2016 Republican National Convention, thousands of brains thought instantly of the Rickroll -- a meme that debuted nearly a decade ago.
SEE ALSO:'Rick and Morty' trolls fans with an 'exclusive' look at Season 3So, what's the secret sauce? Why does a meme that essentially amounts to the unexpected appearance of a lip-synching man have so much staying power?
Well, the Rickroll is a little like a cockroach: it'll probably survive the apocalypse. Why? Because the Rickroll is universal: anyone can serve it up, and anyone can fall for it. It's so simple, so straightforward, that it can live anywhere.
That malleability also means the Rickroll can adapt when the internet starts to wise up. Has your go-to Rickroll vid been marred by a joke-spoiling ad? Upload a new one. Have your friends stopped opening your Bitly links? Splice Astley into another video -- a nice clip of a dog, for example, or someone doing some nice Parkour -- and watch your victims' faces fall.
Indeed, when we tried to find a Rickroll page that's impossible to close (a fun trick best suited for actual enemies), Google suggested a remarkably sinister list of searches:
Credit: GoogleOne particularly memorable implementation happened in 2015, when the website Boing Boing published a post called "Rickrolling is sexist, racist, and often transphobic in context." This, of course, prompted legions of "Oh, shit" clicks, especially when the post was shared widely on Reddit.
You guessed it -- there was no article. It was just a Rickroll. Later that year, Anonymous made headlines for trying to Rickroll ISIS. At that point, the meme was more than eight years old.
This isn't to say that Rickrolling is ubiquitous. In 2017, it's hardly even common. But what's remarkable is the internet's short attention span has actually worked in its favor. Think about it: if you get Rickrolled, you'll certainly be on guard for a few hours. But if you haven't thought about Rick Astley in a few months, you're susceptible, as we personally learned when a friend recently embedded the song in a movie trailer. (Revenge is coming.)
Honestly, if there's one thing that the Rickroll proves, it's that we're all equal-opportunity suckers. So go forth and Rickroll, we guess. It's not like it's deserting us anytime soon.
And for more internet prank ideas, check out this link.
TopicsYouTube
(责任编辑：時尚)
Tyler, the Creator helped Frank Ocean celebrate 'Blonde' release in a delicious way
This cat hanging with his boys took the best selfie of all time
Trump finally gives Rudy Giuliani a job ... kind of
This Indian city wants its roads fully watched by CCTV and drones
Fyvush Finkel, Emmy winner for 'Picket Fences,' dies at 93Airbnb activates disaster response site for Louisiana flooding
Airbnb has activated its disaster response page following the record-breaking flooding in Louisiana.
...[详细]The moment Donald Trump became president of the United States
This is your official welcome to Trump's America, folks. President Donald Trump was sworn in on the
...[详细]Watch animals at the Oregon Zoo frolic through their snow day
Is there anyone who enjoys a snow day more than kids who just got a day off school?Yes. Zoo animals.
...[详细]YouTube to premiere Gigi Gorgeous documentary at Sundance Film Festival
This time last year, YouTube was getting ready to promote its first ever slate of originals at Sunda
...[详细]One thing's for sure: you're never too old to learn. 。Massachusetts woman Clare Picciuto turned 100 F
...[详细]Solange bought 250 books for fans because she is an angel
While folks were either protesting the inauguration or attending it, Solange Knowles was up to somet
...[详细]Turkey's president praised Trump for lashing out at CNN
President-elect Donald Trump is developing a habit of making friends with enemies of journalism.His
...[详细]Virtual march helps people with disabilities join the Women's March on Washington
Activism isn't always accessible -- and the Women's March on Washington is no exception. For people
...[详细]U.S. pole vaulter skids to a halt for national anthem
An American pole vaulter took his patriotism to the next level at the Olympics. 。Sam Kendricks, a sec
...[详细]'Message in a bottle' found 9,000 miles away with a tech twist
Finding a message in a bottle is every romantic's dream and it recently happened IRL for one woman o
...[详细]Dramatic photo captures nun texting friends after Italy earthquake
MacBook Pro might become a lot more 'pro' this year, report claims
