The Social Era
Reaction-cam, TikTok grandmothers, "first time hearing music," cochlear-implant activations, kid-meets-newborn-sibling.
Part of Smiles
18 moments in this segment.
- — Subway Pianist — Crowd Joins. 2015 onward. Public piano performers at major train stations — Saint-Pancras, Grand Central, Gare du Nord — strangers joining in. A defining feel-good genre of mid-2010s.
- — Pianist on Beirut Bombing Rubble. 2015. Aeham Ahmad playing piano on the rubble of Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, surrounded by smiling kids. The single most-circulated photograph of joy in wartime in the 2010s.
- — Texan Toddler's First Snow. 2015. A southern toddler experiencing snow for the first time. The 3-step routine — step-out, gasp, fall-over-laughing — became the canonical "Texas snowfall" video.
- — Newborn Meets Big Sibling. Mid-2010s onward. The "older sibling meets newborn for first time" video — kid kisses baby, baby grabs finger, parents lose composure. Pediatric-hospital staff started recording them as a service.
- — Dog Reunited With Soldier. The military-dog-meets-soldier-after-deployment genre. The full-body wiggle, the running leap into the chest — the most reliably-tearjerking video subcategory.
- — Firefighter Revives Dog. 2010s ongoing. Firefighters performing mouth-to-snout CPR on rescued dogs and cats. The first-breath videos became one of YouTube's most-shared rescue-animal subgenres.
- — Pakistan Wins Champions Trophy. June 18, 2017. Pakistan beats India 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy final. The Lahore-street-celebration smiles defined Pakistani sporting joy of the late 2010s.
- — Jubilee Middle Ground / Blind Date. Jubilee Media's YouTube channel — political opposites, blind dating series, "would you date X" videos. Smiles when people listen and find common ground.
- — Thai Cave Boys Reunion. July 2018. The Wild Boars football team reunited with families after 17 days trapped in Tham Luang cave. The hospital-bed footage of the boys giving peace signs to their parents.
- — Strangers Cheer Subway Graduate. 2010s onward. Strangers on the New York / London / Tokyo subway noticing a graduating teen in cap and gown — and erupting in spontaneous applause. The wholesome-strangers genre.
- — Grandma Receives a Tesla. YouTube genre. Grandparents receiving cars from grateful adult children. The keys-in-the-driveway reveal videos peaked in 2018-2022.
- — Dog Reunited After Years. Various viral videos. Lost dogs reunited with their original owners after years apart. The "remembers me!" tail-wag-and-leap into the chest.
- — Pandemic Driveway Visits. March-October 2020. Grandparents waving at grandchildren from driveways, parents banging on hospital windows. The pandemic-distance-greeting videos became a 2020 viral subgenre.
- — Healthcare Workers Clap. March 2020. Italian, Spanish, then global doctors and nurses clapping back from hospital balconies for the 8 PM applause-the-medics tradition. The collective smile of pandemic solidarity.
- — Pandemic Reunions at Airports. 2021. Travel restrictions lift; long-separated family reunions at airports across Europe and Asia. The first generation of "I haven't seen you in 18 months" hugs.
- — Simone Biles — Bronze on Beam. August 3, 2021. Simone Biles withdraws from team final at Tokyo Olympics for mental health, returns to win bronze on beam. The smile at the medal ceremony — a different kind of victory.
- — The Queen's Funeral — The Smiles. September 19, 2022. Beyond the grief, the photographers caught children waving Union Jacks and old Commonwealth veterans grinning in their medals. The wholesome counter-current to the saddest UK news week of the century.
- — Messi Lifts the World Cup. December 18, 2022. Lionel Messi finally wins the World Cup with Argentina. The Messi-lifting-the-trophy photograph became the most-liked Instagram post in history (75M likes).
