A passionate argument about whether there are more wheels or doors in the world has taken over the internet

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A passionate argument about whether there are more wheels or doors in the world has taken over the internet
The wheels-versus-doors debate started with a Twitter poll that received 220,000 votes.SerrNovik and PatrickHeagney / Getty Images
  • A debate about whether there are more wheels or doors in the world has dominated social media.
  • People have been posting passionate rants about why they believe in one side over the other.
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Over the last week, passionate arguments about "wheels versus doors" took over Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram feeds.

What started as a debate between friends over whether there are more wheels or doors in the world made its way onto Twitter as a poll. It got over 220,000 votes and more than 2,000 comments from people who felt strongly about the subject.

The argument has become known as "wheels versus doors," and has now spread to other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where people have posted impassioned arguments about why they are either "team wheels" or "team doors."

The internet has been furiously debating ever since.

The debate first took off on Twitter with a poll

On March 5, 2022, a man named Ryan Nixon posted a Twitter poll, asking his followers to weigh in on the "stupidest debate" he was having with friends.

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Nixon has 1,300 Twitter followers, but within just four days, his poll received 220,000 votes as a huge number of people became passionate about the debate.

Some comments argued there were more wheels in the world due to the number of vehicles. Other comments said that even vehicles typically have doors and there are also multiple doors in every house. "Four-door cars and trucks nullify themselves. All ships have doors, no wheels. All buildings have doors, no wheels," a comment with 1,600 likes said.

On the poll, "Wheels" ended up winning the debate, taking 53.6% of the vote. However, the argument didn't end there, as people began taking the argument away from Nixon's Twitter poll and onto other platforms like TikTok, where suggestions began to get whackier and more abstract.

Wheels versus doors began trending on TikTok, where users were going viral for extremely niche arguments about the debate

On TikTok, hashtags for "wheels vs. doors" and "doors vs. wheels" have 148 million views combined. Users have gone viral for filming themselves listing reasons for their argument that went far beyond initial comments about houses and vehicles.

Supporters of wheels pointed out that there are smaller wheels on trolleys in shops and warehouses, wheels on most hospital beds, and wheels on skateboards and rollerblades.

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@fortnit3player69 wheels ftw #wheelsvsdoors #wheels #doors #devate #argue #fyp ♬ original sound - Jack Neely

One of the most creative arguments for "team wheels" was made by people who cited a Guinness World Records page saying Lego makes 306 million toy wheels a year, suggesting these miniature wheels should count towards the debate.

@owenreeman Wheels >>>>>> Doors, not even close #wheels #doors #wheelsvsdoors #foryoupage ♬ Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson - livethelifethatyoudread

Viral videos about "team doors" filmed tall skyscrapers and hypothesized about how many doors are inside each of them, and also said that every coffin has a door.

@dukeshire

too many wheel folks on my fyp

♬ Uziuziuziuzi - Eli

One person also went viral for pointing out that tabs on chocolate advent calendars could be considered doors, gaining 1.5 million views. Commenters were enraged by the suggestion because advent calendars are only made once a year and then thrown away. "Calendars are only December, wheels are forever," one comment with 37,000 likes said.

@ellie_bav 24 tiny doors… #doorsvswheels ♬ original sound - Icy Trey

The debate is the latest in a list of online feuds that have become extremely divisive

Responses to the debate have been very passionate and widespread, considering it all started with one Twitter poll. But social media debates of this kind have been known to reach huge levels of virality.

In 2016, the internet became divided over a picture of a dress because some people thought it looked black and blue, while others thought it was white and gold. Even scientists and experts spoke out about why people see the image differently (the dress was, in fact, black and blue).

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A passionate argument about whether there are more wheels or doors in the world has taken over the internet
"The dress" famously went viral and divided the internet.Tumblr/Swiked

A very similar debate began in 2018 when an audio clip was circulated on Reddit. When listeners played the clip, some claimed to hear the word "yanny," while others heard "laurel." Science experts were once again called upon to explain why this clip was so divisive.

With the wheels-versus-doors debate, however, the answer is not as simple. And because no expert has come forward to definitively answer the internet's latest burning question, we will all continue to wonder if there are more wheels or more doors.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

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