Folklore, myths, and legends are something we look back at with distance.

‍

None of us were there for the Battle of Troy. If it even happened.

‍

Same goes for Robin Hood. Hercules. Moses.

‍

Lore-building might seem foreign to us, but the truth is we are witnesses and active participants in the construction of lore.

‍

The internet lore.

‍

While it might seem hard to define due to the immensity of the internet, there are stories that reach large chunks of the general public and, often, media notoriety.

‍

Figures that make you go “Oh, it’s them!”

‍

This was the case with Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench.

‍

Doesn’t ring a bell? Let us refresh your memory.

‍

Wrong number, right person

‍

In 2016, Jamal received a text message inviting him to Thanksgiving, but he didn’t know the sender.

‍

Though Wanda claimed to be his grandma, they both quickly realized there had been a mix-up.

‍

Still, he asked if he could come over and she welcomed him into her home.

‍

‍

Jamal’s tweet recounting this exchange garnered hundreds of thousands of likes, shares, retweets, and impressions.

‍

Their eventual meetup broke the internet, with everyone celebrating the wholesome result after the mishap.

‍

Beyond Twitter clout, the story got picked up by multiple outlets.

‍

By the end of 2016, over 70 news outlets had reported the story, and entertainment channels like NBC, ABC, and Inside Edition had interviewed the pair.

‍

The consecration of a legend

‍

You may be thinking: “So what?”

‍

So much content goes viral every single day. An overwhelming amount of tweets get hundreds of millions of retweets. There are TikToks with millions of views all around everyone’s For You pages.

‍

What makes this one different?

‍

Unlike most trends, what set “Thanksgiving Grandma” (as the internet christened Wanda) apart was what happened in 2017.

‍

‍

And in 2018.

‍

‍

And 2019.

‍

‍

And 2021, 2022, and 2023.

‍

Year after year, Jamal and Wanda met up once again for Thanksgiving and posted a selfie to social media.

‍

Each year, the reaction grew more and more excited and happy for the pair.

‍

2017 had 173k likes. 2018 had 502k. 2019 had 561k.

‍

Anyone who knew the story couldn’t help but celebrate the unlikely match full of love and compassion for each other. They had been there since its birth!

‍

Thanksgiving Grandma had something very few viral posts managed to achieve: longevity.

‍

And it is that longevity that allowed it to truly cement itself as a legend and part of the internet lore, at least for a large group of people.

‍

Now, each year, when Thanksgiving is around the corner, thousands of Twitter users are anxiously waiting and expecting Jamal to confirm whether he’s spending the holiday with Wanda.

‍

And each year, he does, further establishing their legacy.

‍

2021 even came with a paid partnership with Airbnb, where they welcomed an extra person to their yearly dinner!

‍

Setting it in stone

‍

Despite their omnipresence in our current lives, the truth is that social media platforms are pretty volatile.

‍

In a second, and without warning, Twitter could vanish into thin air and only remain in the form of archives.

‍

This makes internet lore harder to preserve.

‍

If the original is deleted and, for some reason, there are no archives of it, all that’s left is the memory of those who witnessed it live.

‍

Sure, you could argue this is the case with most folklore and legends, where word of mouth was the main spreader, but we live in a time where distrust reigns supreme.

‍

But Thanksgiving Grandma took a turn that further reinforced its permanence.

‍

In 2021, Jamil and Wanda signed a deal with Netflix to turn the story into a feature film.

‍

‍

In doing so, the phenomenon jumped from the internet to a new, more permanent medium.

‍

Depending on its success, this could take Thanksgiving Grandma from internet lore to pop culture lore.

‍

And that is more than many have accomplished.

‍

Powerfully wholesome

‍

The story of Thanksgiving Grandma has become a staple of internet lore.

‍

To this day, outlets like The Today Show interview Wanda and Jamil, and brands collaborate with them.

‍

Because the hype is consistent. Because people care.

‍

Especially around the holidays, wholesome content has the power to reach viral highs as users look for something to forget the bad things in life.

‍

On this week’s Break The Internet, Khalid El Khatib recounts his own experience with wholesome viral content.

‍

(His mom was the one with the crazy Christmas itinerary.)

‍

Listen to the episode to hear Khalid’s version of the overwhelming positivity he received from the internet!

‍

‍

Ever thought about creating your own thought leadership content? At TOP Thought Leader, we amplify new and established voices so they can become pioneers of their generation. Get in touch with us and embark on your journey!