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.