It's no secret that social media has the power to instantly elevate someone from obscurity to popularity (think internet's fav Luigi Mangione), only for the general public to forget them in a matter of hours.
The most recent casualty of this short-lived internet celebrity? It was none other than Luigi Mangione, the purported assassin of the healthcare CEO, who captivated the internet for as long as it takes to browse TikTok. After being called both a hero and a villain, Luigi's fame is waning, leaving behind amusing internet responses.
"The way nobody gaf about him anymore 😭" was the ideal way for one Twitter user to sum it up.
It appears that the Mangione craze has subsided after just a few days of supremacy on the internet. However, what precisely took place?
How did Luigi go from being the subject of "thirsty" fan cams and arguments that went viral to being almost ignored on social media? As the memes come in, it's evident that Luigi Mangione is the latest victim of the internet's short attention span, which has claimed another viral phenomenon.
The rise and fall of Luigi Mangione: Fans joke as his 15 minutes of fame come to an end
As Luigi’s fame begins to wane, social media users haven’t let him slip away quietly. Twitter and TikTok are filled with reactions that range from mocking to, well, downright thirsty. One user quipped, whose sentiment echoed across timelines,
“why we all moved on after his 3 days of clout”
Another Twitter user added,
“We were ovulating sis,” a cheeky nod to the bizarre but undeniable attraction some netizens developed towards the notorious figure.
A user (@deltamagnet) responded with:
Other users are still coming across him unexpectedly. One confused fan commented,
“he’s all over my fyp on rednote for some reason"
While another user (@yeah_thatzkong) reacted with:
The fleeting nature of social media fame was captured perfectly by another tweet, suggesting as if the very year itself was responsible for his fade into obscurity,
“We left him in 2024.”
The debate over whether or not Luigi was ever “that hot” also emerged. One user shared a fan cam of Luigi with the caption, playfully calling out those pretending to have lost interest in the man altogether:
“'nobody' or you mean yourself😂”
But for every die-hard fan, there’s someone ready to knock him down a peg.
One tweet pointed out, bringing the whole conversation back to a less frantic, more measured perspective:
“Hear me out he was hot, but he was not that hot”
Amidst the thirst and jokes, it’s clear Luigi Mangione has made his mark—whether people are over him or not.
The rise and fall of Luigi Mangione
When accusations of Luigi Mangione's involvement in the contentious healthcare crisis first appeared, his meteoric ascent to stardom began. His acts sparked divisive discussions on social media platforms as some portrayed him as a monster, and others said that they were ethically complicated.
For a short time, Luigi's image was included in memes, TikToks, and headlines, and everyone expressed their opinions about whether he was a villain or a hero. Like many viral celebrities before him, his celebrity quickly faded after his purported deeds set the internet on fire.
Luigi's viral moment is especially intriguing since it capitalized on a larger discussion about how social media rapidly produces—and forgets—its stars. Once the focus of considerable attention and even romanticization, Luigi is currently losing popular awareness. Like many others, his narrative serves as a reminder that notoriety on the internet is as erratic as the platforms themselves.
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