Rickrolling is the new YouTube trend that’s sweeping the internet. If you’re not familiar with it, here’s how it works: someone posts a link to a video on YouTube, but instead of linking to the actual video, they link to a Rick Astley video. When you click on the link, you’re “Rickrolled” – you’re taken to the video of Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song, “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
The trend started last month when a user on 4chan – a notoriously anonymous online message board – posted a link to a Rick Astley video with the message “Whenever you see this video, you will be rickrolled.” The trend quickly caught on, and soon, links to Astley’s video were popping up all over the internet, on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Rickrolling is a clever way to prank your friends – and it’s also a clever way to get them to watch a video that you know they’ll enjoy. After all, who doesn’t love a good Rick Astley video?
If you’re looking for a good laugh, why not try Rickrolling your friends and family? Just be warned – you may be the one who gets Rickrolled in the end!
What Is Rickrolling?
Rickrolling is a prank and an internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song “Never Gonna Give You Up”. The meme is typically a bait and switches: a person provides a web link they believe is something it is not, expecting the viewer to be led to a hilarious or unexpected video or website. However, the link actually takes the user to the Astley video.
The term “rickrolling” was coined by internet user Alex Tew in May 2007, when he created a website called the Million Dollar Homepage. Tew’s site featured a million pixels that could be bought by anyone for $1 each, and each pixel contained a hyperlink. One of the pixels pointed to the Astley video. Tew said he was inspired by the 2004 “Chocolate Rain” internet meme.
In September 2008, during the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, Astley appeared in a pre-recorded acceptance speech after winning the “Best Rickroll” award. In October 2008, Astley was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
The popularity of “rickrolling” declined in 2009, but experienced a resurgence in 2010. In May 2010, the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” was watched over 4 million times on YouTube, and in November 2010, Astley was featured in a “Rickroll’d” commercial for the Norwegian mobile phone company Sonofon.
How to Rickroll Someone on YouTube
Rickrolling is a prank where someone is tricked into watching or listening to a Rick Astley song. The victim is usually directed to a video or song that appears to be something else, but is actually Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
There are a few different ways to rickroll someone on YouTube. One way is to find a popular video that your victim is likely to watch and comment on it with a link to the Rick Astley video. Another way is to create a fake video that looks like something your victim would be interested in and include a link to the Rick Astley video in the description.
If you’re feeling really creative, you can even make your own Rickroll video. Just upload a clip of Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” to YouTube and include a description that entices your victim to click on the link.
Whatever method you choose, just make sure you don’t get caught Rickrolling someone!
The History of Rickrolling
It all started back in 2007 with a little video on YouTube. Titled “Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up,” the video featured the 1980s pop singer lip-syncing his famous song. But something was different about this video. It had been hijacked.
The original video had been replaced with a new one, featuring footage of the video game character Rick from the popular online game “Rickroll’D.” In the new video, Rick is seen dancing and lip-syncing the song, with the original audio still playing in the background.
The video quickly became a sensation, with people all over the world sharing it and laughing at the clever prank. The phenomenon became known as “rickrolling,” and it has since become one of the most popular internet memes.
The prank was so successful that it was soon repeated, with links to the Astley video appearing on other websites and forums. And as the video continued to spread, so did the rickrolling phenomenon.
Whatever the method, one thing is for sure – rickrolling is here to stay. So if you’re looking for a way to prank your friends or family, this is definitely one of the most fun and easy ways to do it.
Why Do People Rickroll?
Rickrolling is the act of tricking someone into clicking on a link to a video of Rick Astley’s 1987 song “Never Gonna Give You Up”. The term was coined in 2007 after a video featuring the song was posted on the website YouTube, leading to a number of people being tricked into watching it.
There are a number of reasons why people rickroll others. Some do it as a prank, while others do it to annoy or frustrate the person they’re rickrolling. Still, others do it as a way to show their support for Astley and his music. Whatever the reason, rickrolling is a popular internet meme that isn’t going away anytime soon.
