From Mass Hysteria to Online Fandom
The Fab Four in the Age of the Internetby Luz Jimenezpublished 12/13/25
The Fab Four in the Age of the Internetby Luz Jimenezpublished 12/13/25
McCartney’s ability to fill stadiums in South America, still performing songs like “Love Me Do” and “A Hard Day’s Night,” shows that Beatlemania hasn’t vanished; it has simply changed, form from girls fainting in stadiums to TikTok edits, Reddit megathreads debating song meanings, aesthetic collages on Pinterest, compilation YouTube interviews unearthed from archives, and Spotify streaming spikes. The Fab Four have found a new life on the internet, and their influence permeates the lives of those who weren’t alive for their golden age.
Perhaps the most visible sign of the Beatles online rebirth is their unexpected meme renaissance. Paul’s “cute Beatle” persona, Ringo’s goofiness, George’s dry intelligence and John’s surreal mannerism, often displayed openly in interviews, have become extra shareable content. When Peter Jackson’s documentary “Get Back,” which dived into the recording sessions of the Beatles album “Let it Be,” was released on Disney+ in 2021, it provided fresh material perfect for edits highlighting John’s sharp wit, Paul’s restless commitment to rehearsing “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” over and over again, and George’s bold fashion choices. These now digitalized moments are reinterpreted through a ‘zoomer’ lens, absorbed into an absurdist, irreverent humor that aligns naturally with the sensibilities of younger generations. But beyond the meme-able moments, it has also made the band feel strikingly human. For a teen, meeting the Beatles through memes makes them look less like the mystic, distant, historic musical figures from half a century ago and more like a group of chaotic British personalities. The humour doesn’t cheapen the legacy, it expands it. Once a fan is hooked by a meme, they often fall down the rabbit hole of the music, significance, and history.
Courtesy of Sunday Night At The London Palladium (Picutred Left to Right: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr)
Gen Z has come to relate to the Beatles and reiterate their presence in online spaces. Across Instagram and TikTok, countless videos feature young adults, often recording from their bedrooms, recreating the different eras of the Beatles, from the clean-cut suits and bowl cuts of their early breakthrough to the vibrant psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Many even perform with replicas of McCartney’s Höfner violin bass or Lennon’s iconic black Rickenbacker guitar, bringing the band’s aesthetic into a new digital generation. On another note, through covers, Beatles songs such as Golden Slumbers and Eleanor Rigby have found their way into becoming viral sounds. The cover of Golden Slumbers featured in the movie ‘Sing’ sparked a wave of emotional and hilarious repeatable content. Similarly, Eleanor Rigby has enjoyed several waves of online popularity thanks to cinematic covers, choir arrangements, and dramatic reinterpretations that lend themselves perfectly to aesthetic edits and storytelling videos.
The digital landscape has also created room for conversations that previous generations never had the space, or the willingness, to confront. Discussions about their relationships, conflicts, problematic behaviour, mental health, escapism, relationship with substances, and cultural context that shaped the band allow modern audiences to dismantle the mythology that once placed them on an unreachable pedestal. This is because Gen Z was brought up in an era in which accountability and mental health are valued and discussed more openly online. So when they inherit the raw footage, the memoirs and the interviews, Gen Z is uniquely positioned to acknowledge that loving an artist and holding nuanced conversations about them are not mutually exclusive acts.