This year has been filled with uncertainties, bottlenecks and an unhealthy reliance on internet shopping.

But through it all, I had one lifeline: the Internet.

For me, silly tweets, TikTok trends, and endless puns helped brighten up a tough year.

If you look back to 2021 and only see the darkness, be sure to remember the memes as well.

January: American politics steals the show

The year started with the inauguration of Joe Biden, where Bernie Sanders‘ outfit morphed into an instant meme.

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Her posh grandfather ended up raising $ 1.8 million for charity, after selling merchandise adorned with the viral photo.

February: “I am not a cat”

This year’s viral animal sensation was a cat (or not?) That summed up the hardships of working from home.

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Lawyer panic reminded me of the times I forgot to press reset after Zoom trivia, and showed up at a business meeting with my friend’s double chin as a background.

March: A blockage in the Suez Canal

For a week in March, everyone stopped everything to watch the ship that got stuck.

Fortunately, Twitter was there to comment on all (in) actions.

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April: Big Bird and bubbles

April was an important month in Australian news.

The trans-Tasman bubble with New Zealand reopened and there was a special celebration at the airport.

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In Adelaide, a Big Bird costume was stolen and later returned.

The defeated, vacant gaze of our biggest bird summed up what we’ve all felt this year.

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July: The Olympic Games

July brought the Tokyo Olympics that we missed in 2020.

While the games didn’t have crowds, the loyal camera operators made sure to capture every spin.

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For the Australians, the joy of coach Ariarne Titmus after one of her gold medals was one of the most memorable moments.

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Internationally, diver and knitter Tom Daley stole the show.

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August: confinement

In August, it wasn’t just Tom Daley knitting.

Most of the east coast was stranded again and back into its silly little hobbies.

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September: Melbourne earthquake

As if the lockdown weren’t enough, Melbourne received another curve ball in September – a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.

Needless to say, the internet has been rocked.

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November: Taylor’s version

This year in pop culture there were some big trends.

We had Squid Game, we had #FreeBritney, and in November we had Taylor Swift’s Red reissue.

For Jake Gyllenhaal, the album was not such fun news.

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In December, all of Taylor’s stans could compare and compete in their adoration for her via Spotify wrapped.

But for some, a year in lockdown meant their playlist wasn’t quite as expected.

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