Sus became a widely shared shorthand online for calling someone suspicious, especially in multiplayer games where players accuse each other of secret betrayal. The low-quality treatment fits a familiar meme style in which a familiar joke is degraded on purpose, making the poor audio part of the humour rather than a flaw. Short, distorted versions circulate on soundboards and in short-form edits, where they are reused as a reaction rather than a full song or speech. Its appeal has lasted because the reference is instantly recognisable even when the sound itself is barely clear.