As the world attempted to move towards normalcy after a year of raging pandemic, people gravitated towards entertaining individuals irrespective of barriers created by language or nationality. The netizens consumed funny videos, tuned in for melodious music, and sometimes decided to take on billionaires who were iffy about tax reforms. All these factors brought us to the people who made it to the list of 2021’s top social media personalities. Read on: 1. Sahdev Dirdo A young boy sang a local song in his classroom and became a viral internet sensation two years later. The scenario may sound unlikely but that is exactly what happened with Sahdev Dirdo. A 2019 video, shot by his teacher, showed Sahdev giving his all to “Bachpan Ka Pyaar”, a local hit that was originally sung by Gujarati folksinger Kamlesh Barot. The innocent performance in which the young Dirdo pronounces “bachpan” as “basman” became a viral sensation. Soon this video and its many spin-offs were all over the internet. Rapper Badshah and singer Aastha Gill collaborated with Dirdo in a remix version of the song and got five lakh views within minutes. Dirdo also made appearances in reality shows and many celebrities including Kapil Sharma and Bharti Singh have used his song in their content. Not just Indians but even foreigners have grooved to the beats of ‘Bachpan Ka Pyaar’. Such was the child's fame that he was felicitated by the Chhattisgarh CM. The year 2021 has been a big year for the child artist, who is just getting started. 2. Dananeer Mobeen If there is one trend that united Indians and Pakistanis in 2021 then it would be Dananeer Mobeen’s “Pawri ho rahi hai” clip. A brief clip shot by the 19-year-old influencer in the Nathaigali mountains of northern Pakistan shows a group of youngsters enjoying themselves by a roadside. In the video Mobeen gestures behind her and says, “Ye hum hai, ye hamari car hai, aur ye hamari pawri ho rahi hai (This is our car, this is us, and this is our party taking place)". The fun of the video lies in her deliberate mispronunciation of the word “party” as “pawri” that pokes fun at South Asians who adopt Western accents. The video immediately struck a chord in both India and Pakistan and inspired everything from Amul topicals to social media outreach campaigns by police. Yashraj Mukhate’s funky mash-up of the video made it even more popular and soon everyone from doctors, politicians, soldiers, to celebrities joined the “pawri ho rahi hai” trend. 3. Yohani Yohani Diloka de Silva, a Sri Lankan singer and songwriter, proved that good music has no language barrier as she serenaded the world with a Sinhalese superhit song "Manike Mage Hithe" along with Satheeshan Rathnayaka. The song caught the attention of actors Madhuri Dixit, Parineeti Chopra and Tiger Shroff who danced to its beats. While Prithviraj Sukumaran recreated its melody on cajon. The song, which has since been dubbed in multiple languages, made Yohani an overnight star in the subcontinent. This year, the 28-year-old started her Bollywood journey by singing the its Hindi version for the movie Thank God that stars Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh. 4. Elon Musk Elon Musk, a business mogul, space enthusiast, the richest man in the world, and Times person of the year for 2021 dominated not just the world of automobiles and innovation but also social media. However, not all the buzz around him was positive. The billionaire was surrounded by controversy the whole year, be it with his tweets that affected the stock market, or his ugly Twitter spat over tax reforms with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders that irked the netizens. His social media antics made so much news that at one point even he joked about quitting his jobs and becoming a full-time influencer. 5. Khaby Lame In 2021, Khaby Lame became the second most followed Tik-Toker. The 21-year-old started making videos after he was fired from his job due to the pandemic in 2020. Lame then moved to his parent’s home and started making simple but hilarious Tik-Tok videos. His videos, which more or less follow the same pattern, poke fun at the so-called “life hacks” and provide even simpler solutions. Interestingly Lame’s most videos hardly have any dialogues or special effects. Perhaps this simplicity is the reason for his content’s universal appeal. Special mentions Bernie and his mittens As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took oath as the US President and Vice President in January this year, something else caught the attention of netizens — it was a photo of Bernie Sanders wearing huge knitted mittens. His now-famous mittens were made by Jen Ellis, a school teacher, who used repurposed wool sweaters and recycled plastic bottles to make them. Bernie and his mittens not only became a meme but also helped charities raise millions. Everyone from Kerala Tourism to food enthusiasts used Bernie’s inauguration day photo to spread joy on the internet. BTS At this point, BTS needs no introduction. In 2021, the South Korean boy band made their way into Guinness World Record’s Hall of Fame as they broke 23 different records. Additionally, they addressed the United Nations, played at sold-out concerts, and raked millions of followers within hours of launching their personal Instagram accounts. With 3.89 billion views, their song 'Butter' saw the biggest YouTube Premiere in the history. The septet also won Billboard Hot 100, got Grammy nomination, and bagged awards at MTV VMA’s. It will be safe to say that currently, BTS is one of the world’s biggest music groups.
