2018 has finally come to an end. There were some pretty good times and there were some not-so-good times. We have compiled what we consider to be the best and worst things to happen in 2018.

Best Album- Astroworld by Travis Scott

Released in early August, Travis Scott’s album left listeners blown away. The breakout song of the album, Sicko Mode, remains a radio hit even today. The album’s success can partly be attributed to some of the extraordinary artists it features such as Drake, Frank Ocean, Migos, The Weeknd, Juice Wrld, 21 Savage, and Sheck Wes.

Best meme- Any SpongeBob meme

Spongebob, a childhood favorite, resurfaced in 2018. The endless memes of either Spongebob or Patrick flooded our social media feeds last year. In 2019 we’re hoping for even more Spongebob memes that include the rest of the brilliant and relatable characters.

Worst meme- Tide Pod Challenge

We can’t seem to understand how this even became a trend. Essentially the “challenge” was to take a laundry detergent pod and eat it. According to the Washington Post, over the course of the challenge, there were over 12,000 calls to the Poison Control Hotline. There is a reason Tide Pods are called “The Forbidden Snack.”

Best scandal- Kylie Jenner Pregnancy

It took everyone by surprise when we found out Kylie Jenner had been hiding a pregnancy. She had disappeared off the face of the Internet for a while, only to pop up to promote her makeup brand, and everyone was skeptical about that. She then shocked the world by revealing that she was pregnant with music star Travis Scott’s baby. She released a heartwarming video that made everyone wish for friends as loyal and dedicated as hers.        

Worst scandal– Logan Paul’s controversial video

One of the worst moments for social media this year comes from the widely popular YouTube star Logan Paul. With 18 million subscribers on the site, Paul shocked the internet when he posted a video from the Aokigahara Forest in Japan. Also known as the “suicide forest” the area is known to be a common place where people go to take their own life. In the video, Paul allegedly filmed a dead body hanging from a tree without censoring it.

It’s disgusting that Paul would capitalize on the fact that someone took their own life. It’s deeply inhumane to film something like that and even more disturbing knowing that his audience is mostly children ages 11-16.

Best historic moment-  Portraits of the Obamas at the Smithsonian

On Feb. of 2018, portraits of the 44th President Barack Obama and The First Lady Michelle Obama, were revealed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. The beautiful floral portrait of the former president was created by Kehinde Wiley. Wiley is known for his tropical backgrounds and bright colors, and he did not fail our expectations. On the other hand, Michelle’s portrait was plain and simple, yet breathtaking. Artist Amy Sherald, drew the former first lady in a monochromatic black and white color scheme, with color pops that grab your attention within the dress. The beauty of these portraits is amazing enough for this to be marked as historic.       

A worst historic moment- Brett Kavanaugh trial

We watched a live feed of this trial in our newspaper class. I remember hearing testimony from Christine Ford who stated that she was “100 percent sure” that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. After being found not guilty, it is most disturbing to know that Kavanaugh was still appointed to the Supreme Court. One may think that after so much doubt had surrounded the appointment,  regardless of the outcome, there could be a better person to be on the Supreme Court, but this was not the case, and to us, that was the worst part of the entire confirmation process.