"Sidestep step" craze spreads to Taiwan, sparking a wave of imitation on social media

"Flashstep" and "bear shiver" have recently gone viral on social media platforms across both sides of the Taiwan Strait. After the related short videos gained huge view counts in mainland China, they also sparked a wave of imitation and remixing in Taiwan. The report mentioned that many mainland celebrities and influencers took part in remake videos, while Taiwanese netizens applied the move to everyday scenarios such as commuting to work, going back to work, and returning to school as a meme. A postmatch image of Taiwanese boxer Chen Nienchin, crying while jumping, also drew attention because of the strong contrast. The article argues that the reason these internet memes can spread across the strait is mainly that young people on both sides share similar preferences in the shortvideo era for light, exaggerated, and contrastheavy content, which also creates more resonance in emotional and cultural experiences between them.