The '0' and '1' trend on social media: The secret of digital codes has been solved

In recent days, posts by users sharing messages consisting only of the numbers "0" and "1" have been drawing attention on X and other social networks. The origin of this trend, which is filling social media with sequences like "01000010" or "01110101," is based on the fundamental communication language of computers. Computers perceive all data, whether it is a letter or an image, through only two states—presence (1) and absence (0).

Every character or piece of information is actually represented by a binary coding system. For example, any letter typed on a keyboard is converted into its equivalent consisting of "0"s and "1"s in the computer environment. Eight-bit combinations, or a byte, often allow a character to be understood by computers. In the digital world, the coming together of bits creates the texts, photos, or videos that are an inseparable part of our lives.

HOW ARE BINARY CODES DECODED?

The codes in these encrypted posts are generally created according to the coding standard called ASCII. ASCII is an international system that converts letters, numbers, and special characters into eight-digit binary sequences. For example, the ASCII value of the letter "A" is 65, which corresponds to "01000001" in binary.

Users who want to decode such codes generally use "Binary to Text" converters accessible via the internet instead of using ASCII tables manually. In this way, codes consisting of dozens of digits can be decoded and converted into text in seconds.

THE BACKGROUND OF THE VIRAL TREND

The question of how the binary code trend started has found its answer thanks to research. These mysterious codes, shared simultaneously from Netflix's global social media accounts at the beginning of March, spread rapidly among users. Research revealed that the campaign was launched to promote the "BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG" event, where the world-famous K-pop group BTS will return to the stage with all its members after their military service.

The encrypted announcements prepared for this special reunion, which includes RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, went viral among both BTS fans and general social media users.

Thus, the binary system, the fundamental language of the computer world, attracted the interest of social media users and turned into a fun and intriguing digital phenomenon.

News Source: 12punto