In 2013, the lines between lifestyle and entertainment began to blur significantly, especially with the rise of social media and digital content. Here are a few key points that might interest you:
In January, Twitter launched , a platform that allowed users to create looping, six-second videos. It forced creators to be concise and infinitely creative, leading to the revival of stop-motion animation and micro-skits. It was the era of the “Prankvert” (prankvertisement) and the “How-To” micro-tutorial.
In 2013, a photo wasn’t just a photo. It was a potential headline. It was an emotion. It was a brand.
2013 was the year entertainment stopped waiting for a time slot. premiered House of Cards exclusively online, proving that a “link” could be a blockbuster. YouTube channels like PewDiePie and Jenna Marbles became lifestyle brands, not just viral oddities. photo xxnx 2013 link
2013 was a bizarre and wonderful year for entertainment. The became a viral dance sensation, with videos of coworkers in fancy dress convulsing to Baauer's electronic track flooding YouTube. The year also saw the rise of lyric videos as a legitimate music video format, though many (like Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" and Katy Perry's "Roar") fell flat, with only Arcade Fire's "Afterlife" truly deserving mention.
This push for higher fidelity coincided with another major trend: the average family television screen approached 55 inches, and the living room's flat panel began migrating to bedrooms. Bigger screens meant a demand for better content, and 2013 was also the year streaming services began to reshape appointment viewing into on‑demand consumption. Connected TVs became the norm, allowing viewers to watch streamed content directly, fundamentally changing how we consumed entertainment.
BuzzFeed, Upworthy, and ViralNova mastered the art of the lifestyle link: “Watch what happens when this dog sees a skateboard.” “10 photos that prove the ‘90s were wild.” Each click was a tiny transaction of dopamine—photo, video, link, repeat. In 2013, the lines between lifestyle and entertainment
The year 2013 stands as a pivotal moment in the evolution of digital culture. It was a time when the "link" between our online personas and real-world entertainment truly solidified. Social media transitioned from a novelty to a necessity, smartphone photography became mainstream, and the way we consumed media underwent a massive shift.
: Replacing the "duck face" of earlier years, the sparrow face (wide eyes and slightly parted lips) trended heavily across Instagram.
Looking back, 2013 was a watershed moment in the relationship between . It was the year that personal documentation became a global language, that viral videos became a dominant art form, that action cameras democratized extreme cinematography, and that the very definition of "lifestyle entertainment" was up for sale. It was the era of the “Prankvert” (prankvertisement)
CNN’s year‑in‑entertainment photo gallery for 2013 captured the breadth of the year’s stories: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler wowing as Golden Globe hosts, Jennifer Lawrence winning an Oscar, Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy, the birth of the royal baby, the shocking "Red Wedding" episode of Game of Thrones , and the surprise success of Sharknado , a low‑budget movie about a tornado of sharks that became a cultural touchstone.
Instagram, already a photo‑sharing juggernaut with over 100 million monthly active users, announced it was adding video functionality. This was a direct shot across Vine’s bow. Instagram’s video offering allowed for 15‑second clips—more than double Vine’s length—and gave users the ability to edit only the most recent part of their stream, encouraging polished, curated content over raw spontaneity.