How a Ghibli-Inspired Trend Catapulted ChatGPT Past X in Web Traffic
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8 Min Read
In an unexpected plot twist worthy of Hayao Miyazaki himself, ChatGPT has officially surpassed X (formerly Twitter) in global web traffic, racking up an astonishing 4.78 billion monthly visits versus X’s 4.03 billion, according to data from SimilarWeb. The unlikely catalyst? A viral wave of AI-generated images in the whimsical, dreamlike style of Studio Ghibli, created using OpenAI’s newest model, GPT-4o, which now natively supports image generation. What began as a playful social media experiment quickly spiraled into a full-blown internet phenomenon, flooding timelines with ethereal landscapes, enchanted creatures, and Ghibli-esque portraits that blurred the line between nostalgia and next-gen creativity.
In an unexpected plot twist worthy of Hayao Miyazaki himself, ChatGPT has officially surpassed X (formerly Twitter) in global web traffic, racking up an astonishing 4.78 billion monthly visits versus X’s 4.03 billion, according to data from SimilarWeb.
The unlikely catalyst? A viral wave of AI-generated images in the whimsical, dreamlike style of Studio Ghibli, created using OpenAI’s newest model, GPT-4o, which now natively supports image generation. What began as a playful social media experiment quickly spiraled into a full-blown internet phenomenon, flooding timelines with ethereal landscapes, enchanted creatures, and Ghibli-esque portraits that blurred the line between nostalgia and next-gen creativity.
What’s remarkable isn’t just the scale — it’s the speed. In a matter of days, the Ghibli trend transformed ChatGPT from a utility tool into a cultural playground, turning casual users into creators and memes into motion. For a platform largely known for text generation, this sudden explosion of visual engagement signals a broader shift: AI is no longer a back-office productivity tool — it’s becoming pop culture.
Digital marketing experts are calling it a textbook case of microtrend virality — a single feature, elegantly executed, that triggered a tidal wave of user engagement. “This is how platforms scale now,” said one analyst. “Not through big product launches, but through small, shareable moments that feel personal and magical.”
For OpenAI, the timing couldn’t be better. With upcoming features centered on personalized image creation, the company is leaning hard into the fusion of creativity and utility. And as user behavior shifts from passive consumption to participatory generation, ChatGPT is evolving into something more than a chatbot — a digital studio, a playground, and perhaps even a new kind of social platform.
Meanwhile, X — still wrestling with rebranding woes and user churn — finds itself edged out of the top tier, not by another social network, but by an AI. It's a reminder that the platforms of the future won’t just connect people — they’ll empower them to create worlds.
