2015 was the "Year of the Dress" and the "Talking Ginger."
The Dress (February) On a sleepy Tumblr, a user posted a photo of a frayed blue-and-black dress. Within hours, the internet broke. Was it white and gold? Or blue and black? NASA scientists weighed in. Celebrities fought. Divorces were almost caused. The Dress was arguably the moment the modern social media algorithm realized that "engagement" could be manufactured by confusion. It was stupid, harmless, and the most viral moment of the year.
The Left Shark During Katy Perry’s Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, a dancer in a shark costume performed choreography that was... off. "Left Shark" became a symbol of doing your best even when you have no idea what you’re doing. It was a wholesome meme before memes turned toxic. 2015 was the "Year of the Dress" and the "Talking Ginger
When we look back at the tapestry of the 21st century, certain years stand out as hinges—points where the door swung from one era to the next. The year 2015 is undeniably one of those hinges. Sandwiched between the recovery from the Great Recession and the tumultuous political landscape of the late 2010s, 2015 was a year of acceleration. It was the year streaming killed the linear TV star, the year artificial intelligence began to whisper in our pockets, and the year the world signed a historic pact to save the planet.
For those who lived through it, 2015 felt like the future arriving ahead of schedule. Let’s take a deep dive into the movies, music, technology, politics, and culture that defined this remarkable twelve-month stretch. Or blue and black
Musically, 2015 was a year of dominance by two very different artists: Adele and Drake. In November, Adele dropped 25, featuring the behemoth single "Hello." The music video broke the Vevo record for most views in 24 hours, and the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week in the US alone—a figure that seemed impossible in the streaming era.
But while Adele owned the fall, Drake owned the summer. His mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late signaled a shift away from the traditional album cycle toward streaming dominance. The song "Hotline Bling" (and its meme-able dance video) became inescapable. Divorces were almost caused
Other defining tracks of 2015 included: