The 'Reply Girl' phenomenon traces back to the early 2010s on YouTube, where creators would upload short, often content-less response videos with eye-catching thumbnails to hijack the 'Related Videos' algorithm. By using the site's reply feature, these videos would appear next to massive hits, garnering millions of views through blatant clout chasing. While YouTube eventually updated its algorithm to penalize this tactic, the term has resurfaced in modern internet culture to describe Twitter accounts that post thirst traps or generic replies under viral threads to farm impressions. The meme is now used to satirize desperate attempts for online attention and the persistent flaws in social media recommendation engines.