If you spent any time browsing the web in the mid-2000s, you may remember a sudden, jarring moment: your screen filling with a chaotic, colorful animation, a blaring MIDI soundtrack, and a looping message that read, “You are an idiot. Ha ha ha ha ha.”
For those who remember it, the phrase “You are an idiot” still triggers a mix of frustration and fondness. It was the internet’s way of saying: Don’t click every link you see. you are an idiot virus fake
For many, the immediate panic was real. Did they have a virus? Would their files be deleted? Were their passwords being stolen? If you spent any time browsing the web