KYM Review: People of 2016

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Know Your Meme’s annual review series looking back at some of the most memorable and popular memes, events and people that defined the Internet culture in 2016 as we know it.

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kay, let's get it out of our system. If we had to choose one person to remember the memes in 2016 by, it would be none other than Donald Trump, the most prolific soundbite generator we've seen in this century and the next leader of the Free World. As the presidential candidate of the Republican party, Trump effortlessly established himself as the game changer and X-factor of this year's election by waging an open war against the news media while forging an alliance with the ultraconservatives on the social media. Nevertheless, Donald Trump clearly wasn't the only person of interest that people talked about on the Internet this year. And so here it is, the ten most influential content producers, vloggers and groups of the year 2016:

Keemstar

DJ Keemstar (also known as Killer Keemstar) is the online handle of video blogger Daniel Keem, who is best known for his YouTube news web series Drama Alert. Within the vlogging community on YouTube, Keemstar is considered a highly divisive figure due to his history of frequent feuds and hostile exchanges with other YouTube content producers.

Gilvasunner

GiIvaSunner is a YouTube account imitating the original video game music ripper, GilvaSunner, by using a name similar in appearance with a capitalized I in place of the L. Unlike the original, which uploads video game soundtracks, this parody account uploads bait and switch videos. The songs often follow soundclown jokes or are remixed.

iDubbbz

iDubbbz is a YouTuber who is widely known for his Kickstarter Crap videos, his Content Cop videos, specifically his one directed at Jinx, and his videos with the YouTuber Filthy Frank.

LeafyIsHere

LeafyIsHere is the YouTube handle of Calvin Vail, an American video game streamer and vlogger known for his satirical commentaries and narrations while playing a variety of first-person video games, most notably the surf mode in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Hydraulic Press Channel

Hydraulic Press Channel is a YouTube channel devoted to compressing and crushing a variety of objects with a high-powered industrial-strength hydraulic press. Since its launch by Finnish factory owner Lauri Vuohensilta in October 2015, the web series has gained online fame and a large audience on YouTube, mainly due to its oddly satisfying appeal.

h3h3Production

h3h3 Productions is a YouTube channel run by the married couple Ethan and Hila Klein, which typically feature videos reacting to content uploaded by pranksters and hip hop artists (specifically producer DJ Khaled) on the video sharing platform.

Milo Yiannopoulos

Milo Yiannopoulos is a British journalist who is an technology editor at the conservative news and opinion site Breitbart. He has gained much notoriety online for frequently covering the Gamergate controversy and for being an outspoken critic of third-wave feminism.

Guccifer 2.0

Guccifer 2.0, not to be confused with the convicted Romanian hacker Guccifer, is a mysterious hacker of unknown identity who gained online notoriety in June 2016 after claiming responsibility for breaching the servers of at least two major committees within the United States Democratic Party, namely the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), that resulted in the massive leak of private e-mails and internal memos, as well as personal contact information of Democratic officials and lawmakers.

Alt Right

The Alt-Right refers to a loosely defined segment of right-wing conservative principles, as well as the faction of politicians and constituents, often characterized by a vehement opposition to multiculturalism, feminism, socialism and identity politics in the United States. Additionally, the movement has been widely reported as “white nationalist,” though this claim has been disputed by some. Presented as an alternative to mainstream American conservatism, the alt-right is known for its vocal support for 2016 Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, and use of internet memes on political discussion boards like 4chan’s /pol/ and Reddit’s /r/The_Donald.

Berniebros

Berniebro is a pejorative term referring to fanatical male supporters of 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary candidate Bernie Sanders who supposedly oppose his rival candidate Hillary Clinton based on sexist cultural biases. Since its coinage in late 2015, many Clinton supporters have asserted that the term accurately underscores the basis of Sanders’ affinity with young male Democrats, while others have dismissed it as a straw man argument or smear tactics aimed at detracting criticisms surrounding Clinton’s campaign platform.

The Ones We Lost in 2016