Chances are, if anyone were to ask someone with a Netflix subscription what they’ve been binge-watching, the answer would be Squid Game. Released only a month ago,  it has been the center of conversation on every social media platform and in most high school classrooms. In fact, video game companies have created their own versions of this hit show in the hope of garnering the fame the series has brought itself. 

Many Fort Lauderdale High School students claimed that their interest in the show is due to the buzz among their peers. A result of the show’s primarily adolescent audience is the flooding of memes on social media platforms dominated by Generation Z.

“My friends wouldn’t stop talking about it,” stated Gleda Kronen (12). “I kept seeing memes about it on Twitter and wanted to know what all the hype was about,” she said.

I kept seeing memes about it on Twitter and wanted to know what all the hype was about.

Gleda Kronen (12)

When discussing the virality of a piece of media, it is necessary to analyze its unique elements. According to viewers and fans, it is both the intensity and storyline of this show that makes it stand out. The constant action and sudden chaos keeps them drawn in and attentive. Users on social media and some of the students interviewed agreed that the vigor of it had them hooked. 

Although, while the violence did attract certain viewers, it kept many others from finishing, or even starting, the show. A couple students agreed that they were interested in the plot but chose to stop watching due to their dislike of some of the rough scenes included.

”I just don’t like gore and I’ve never been a fan of blood,” stated Ayanna Clarke (10).

The violent aspect of Squid Games must be considered when discussing its popularity and how it might challenge it. While the media marketing of the show earned it a spot as Netflix’s #1 for 24 days, its creators had an audience they couldn’t reach. Nonetheless, its success has left its mark on the internet and Generation Z culture as a whole.