A seemingly innocent piece of information, fact, reference or link that someone shares with you, only for you to discover that it's something you absolutely despise or find intensely annoying. Often, negareferences are potentially internet bait-and-switch schemes, like the infamous Rick Roll or The Game, or even irritating memes like Loss.

Even though they're meant to be harmless fun, they're so omnipresent and overused online that knowing them or falling for them could make you wish for a memory reset button. Circulating predominantly in online communities, negareferences are a modern, digital-age equivalent of a persisting bad joke.
I was so excited when my friend sent me a link to a 'hot new band's music video'. Turned out, it was a negareference, and I got Rick Rolled.
by HappyCleaner82 October 16, 2023
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