Origin

The meme began circulating on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter in May 2024, as users started preparing for summer vibes. It likely evolved from older seasonal meme formats such as “Winter is Coming” or “Hot Girl Summer.” The format gained traction when users began overlaying joyful summer imagery onto fake incoming call screens, creating a playful sense of anticipation.

Spread

By Spring 2025, “Summer is Calling” had become a widely recognizable template, particularly on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Influencers and meme pages used it to announce vacation plans, post beach content, or celebrate the end of winter. The format was also used in brand campaigns and promotional materials for summer-related products and events.*

The trend saw a significant boost on Twitter (X) in early May 2025, where posts using the format racked up millions of views in just a few days. Notable examples include:

"https://x.com/raskolibov/status/1920185654320742778":
"https://x.com/Rollingimpala/status/1920175901842538649":
"https://x.com/derinmisbok/status/1920134863740416105":

On 4th May, maybe the first big company that got on this trend Is Mall of America

As of 8th May, Summer is calling filter ranks #1 most used Instagram filters with more than 4 million people using it.