Colombian pop star Shakira has brought one of her most well-known memes back from the grave by recreating it for an Instagram post that hit nearly one million likes in a day.

The photograph references the so-called "Shakira Computer Meme," a viral image macro format and piece of '90s nostalgia that shows a young Shakira typing on a computer and smiling.

But how exactly is the meme used, where did it come from, and why did she recreate it? Here's what we know.

What Is The 'Shakira Computer' Meme?

Back in 1997, photographer Óscar Berrocal took a photograph of Shakira sitting in a typing position at a computer for the Colombian newspaper El Heraldo. In the photo, Shakira is seen looking away from the computer, which is turned off, and is smiling at the camera.

In January 2018, the photo resurfaced online and became the subject of a series of Spanish-language image macro memes. These memes attached funny tech-related captions to the image, with many of them offering people who found and read the memes good luck in regards to surfing the web.

How Is 'Shakira On the Computer' Used In Memes?

The Shakira Computer meme continued to spread throughout 2018 and over the following years as a reaction image and image macro format.

The first known English-language version of the meme was posted to the subreddit for the video game series The Sims in late January 2018 and reads, "Me canceling my plans to stay home and play The Sims."

Then, nearly a decade after the original on August 4th, 2026, Shakira dropped a surprise recreation of the meme on her Instagram account.

In the recreation, instead of typing, Shakira is printing out a photograph of a dog. Some have noted how her smile has hardly changed since 1997, and are expressing how nostalgic the new version of the meme makes them feel.

What Are Some More 'Shakira Computer' Memes?

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For the full history of the Shakira Computer Meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.