Superstar
Annie Chen
What is the Trend?
As one scrolls through any social media platform, they are bound to hear a funky alien-like instrumental akin to Morse code. What follows after is a fade-in of an image of the superhero Superman with a video or caption right above it. The content of the videos and captions varies but largely consists of people doing good deeds. The chorus usually kicks off with “There’s a starman waiting in the sky” as the good deed occurs.
This trend became popular in early 2024, with each creator customizing the content shown above the image of Superman. YouTube creator DotaDemi posted several videos following this format. One of the most popular, with a whopping 183 million view count, showcases an older man easily disarming a robber to protect a store, ultimately saving the day. Other videos from DotaDemi include a man throwing his motorcycle helmet at a purse-stealing thief and a boy performing the Heimlich maneuver on his choking friend during lunch. All of the stars in these videos are clearly performing heroic actions that these videos intend to highlight in a more informal, meme-like way.
Reception
For the most part, people love the Superman Starman trend. YouTube creator Bear Fiorda says it is objectively the “best trend to ever hit the internet” (Fiorda 2024). It emphasizes the good in humanity and highlights specific moments. The comments of these YouTube videos often sing praises to the hero. They commend, congratulate, and applaud the stars of these videos—to see a comment section so unanimously united is rather rare nowadays.
On Reddit (subreddit r/DCcomics), there is a thread with hundreds of users echoing how beautifully human this trend is and sharing their own personal experiences, such as living as a scared transgender woman in America right now. The political climate and state of the world at the moment indeed is very chaotic and split. Yet, users say the Superman Starman trend gives them hope and a figure to look up to that is unwaveringly good. Superman inspires them to choose the harder but more human way of living, optimism, over cynicism. He represents the importance of choosing kindness over other options, despite having the options all at his fingertips due to his superhero abilities.
Starman
YouTube creator Lessons in Meme Culture further echoes all of these ideas: the appeal of Superman coming from his kindness and not his powerfulness, us seeing a bit of ourselves in him, and the hope that Superman offers. The video, in addition, elucidates the connection between Superman and the song “Starman.” It emphasizes how both figures, Superman and Ziggy Stardust, are aliens who intend to spread positivity (Lessons in Meme Culture 2024). The fact that they aren’t from our world is irrelevant: they are genuine in their desire to help/enlighten us. In this sense, David Bowie’s song was countercultural (Lessons in Meme Culture 2024). He depicted the alien in his lyrics as a righteous figure, a stark difference from the prevalent evilness of aliens at the time. He provided the novel idea of being good against all reason. This, in addition to his impacts on 1970s society’s relationship with gender, sexuality, and glam rock, is another one of Bowie’s revolutionary moves in his release of “Starman.”
Bowie's music even impacts society’s ideas today. Through this trend, he catalyzes the shift from obsessing over edgy, morally gray characters like Homelander, Omni-man, Deadpool, Batman, etc. to wholly good characters such as Superman. The video connects the Superman Starman trend to the “indomitable human spirit” trend from not too long ago (Lessons in Meme Culture 2024). This older trend showcases how determined, resilient, and triumphant humans can be in a humorous manner. It even has its own superhero representative—Spider-man. Bowie acts as the medium to further this beautiful, emerging idea on the internet of being good against all odds.
Social Media
It is important to note the platforms that this message is being delivered on. These are largely YouTube (shorts), TikTok, and Instagram (reels)—social media platforms where basically anyone can post anything. They are platforms for the people, the general public. “Starman” allows the internet to do what it will with the song to spread a good message, a different approach compared to the widespread commercialization of songs on YouTube (through Vevo, as an example) (Molanphy 2023, 76-77). We can even look at the platforms the Superman Starman trend exists on as an example of the message of humanity in “Starman.”
So what?
In the end, we have seen that the Superman Starman trend is about the humanity of hope and goodness. In a time filled with humanitarian crises, natural disasters, and other hardships, maintaining trust in hope is critical. Despite how silly it sounds that a meme can provide this comfort, it does do just that. When one scrolls on their phone and hears a “staaaaaarman,” they are comforted by this generation-transcending trend.
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