1. Introduction
Throughout the past two decades, viral trends—from the “ice bucket challenge” to #cottagecore—have come and gone. But some major genres of viral media, like memes or gifs, have enjoyed a more perennial popularity. One of these genres is the digital prank. Pranks, considered most broadly, are events in which one party or group (the prankster) puts another party or group (the victim)...
The digital prank genre offers a fascinating lens into the evolution of viral media, but its study is fraught with methodological and ethical challenges. The strongest version of this narrative highlights how digital pranks, while occasionally extreme, are more often a reflection of broader cultural trends—such as the emphasis on visual pleasure, fictionality, and experimental curiosity—rather than isolated acts of sadism. The "denominator problem" underscores a critical gap in platform research...