2014 April Fool's Day

Background

Keeping with internet tradition, on April 1st, 2014, numerous websites and online services released gag videos, blogs, and features in honor of April Fool’s Day.

Notable Examples

Google

The Internet and software giant Google continued its annual pranking with fake product announcements across several of its platforms, including a Pokemon challenge on Google Maps and a celebrity photobombing enhancement tool for Google+’s auto awesome application.

In addition to the Pokemon Challenge, Google also unveiled a number of other tongue-in-cheek product concepts, such as Google Japan’s Magic Hand device, which superfluously allows its user to operate a touchscreen smartphone or tablet device via USB-connected, joystick-controlled mechanical hand, and Gmail’s Shelfie service, which allows its users to share screenshots of their custom themed inboxes.

YouTube

Meanwhile, YouTube took a satirical jab at its own viral media culture by offering a mock forecast of up-and-coming viral trends in 2014, such as Clocking, a parody of Planking and other photo fads, Baby Shaming, a parody of Dog Shaming and Glub Glub Water Dance, a music video parody advertised as the Gangnam Style of 2014.

Since 2005, YouTube’s staff has worked tirelessly behind the scenes, meticulously crafting the viral videos and Internet memes you’ve come to know and love. From mainstream hits like Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake to your obscure web forum favorites, our staff of writers, producers and directors has shaped the pop culture moments that matter in our digital lives. And this year, we’ve got a big, special announcement. For the first time, we’re looking to you, the YouTube community, to submit your own viral trend ideas.

Reddit released a motion-tracking webcam service known as “Headdit,” with the “head” being short for “Hand Equivalent Action Detection,” offering its users a hands-free way to browse and navigate around the site by moving their heads or making specific facial expressions. In the official blog announcement, a handful of action cues and gestures were provided in GIF form, including the frown (for downvoting), the look of surprise (for opening a link), the repeated nod (for upvoting) and even a “Cat Mode.”

Tumblr

Tumblr unveiled a premium membership known as Tumblr Pro. The membership was presented as a “free” option on user profiles and upon upgrading, users were presented with this video.

After the video played, user gained a top hat on the upper left-hand corner of their profile picture.

DeviantArt

Facebook

Twitter

TV Tropes

Users who tried to edit articles on TV Tropes were greeted with a Clippy-style lamp shade that would give off random facts.

XKCD

XKCD used the day’s festivities to post a “Suggest a Line” feature for it’s comic “Lorenz.”^[10] The comic featured multiple story lines that users could choose from in a multiple choice stye pick. Many of the different story lines included references to Pokemon, Kerbal Space Program, Dinosaur Comics, and other in-site jokes. When users arrive at the last panel of their chosen story line, they are presented with the option to “Suggest A Line” which implies that the comic would receive permanent user suggested lines at some future date.

YTMND

Users who navigated to the YTMND homepage on April 1st, 2014, were meet with an apparent obituary paying respect to the actor Sean Connery even though the actor was still alive.

The joke continued on their news post titled “Amazing Grace” which explained that this day was the 10th anniversary of YTMND and that Sean Connery spoke the phrase in the digital trailer for Finding Forrester which led to the creation of the original site.^[9]

Crowdtilt

Crowdfunding company Crowdtilt unveiled a project titled “Silicon Island” which made claims of being a utopia for tech startups.[8\ The island was claimed to be located 65 miles off the coast of California. The page also claimed that Dubstep would be played on the island 24 hours a day, there would be no kitchens thanks to Soylent, Bitcoin would be the official currency of the island, and food would be brought in by drones on Fridays. Through out the day, the progress meter continued to show significant donations towards their goal of $25 million.

Upon clicking the “Reserve Your Spot” button to fund it, users were reminded it was April Fools day and Crowdtilt expressed their apologies in gif.