How does a video even “go viral?”
How does a video even “go viral?” Who deems it funny, or provoking, or even entertaining? We live in an age of distraction. From watching the Dayum and “Bed Intruder” videos, and reading Hagerty’s review of Olive Garden , it became eminent to me that in this day in age, we will watch anything and everything for entertainment. Yes, it takes talent, skill, wacky ideas, and a creative mind to add such a twist on a mundane hamburger, as Dayum did, but do we really find watching a blurb on hamburgers funny? Do we really let our brains process the lyrics to the song, or the words of Hagerty’s review and think of what they’re actually saying? Or, are there underlying messages, hidden in these works, for us the viewer to investigate? Are we laughing at the juicy hamburger, or the crispy french fry, or are we amused by the stereotypes shown in the clip? (Americans and obesity, the fast food obsessed country that we live in)
Watching the Dayum clip as well as the Antoine Dodson video, and reading the “newfound celebrity,” Hagerty’s review of Olive Garden, to me demonstrate a flaw in our society today. Yes, I am unable to deny the talent that Dayum and the Gregory Brothers posses, I know that I would never dare post a video on youtube and even more so watch it go viral, but I believe that there are underlying messages that can be taken from the four pieces of work. We will take anything these days and make fun of it. What happened to the days when comedy wasn’t filled with mocking others? What happened to taken matters seriously? I think it is fair to say that with the incredible power that the internet and specifically youtube posses, and the wonders that is does to hidden and talented individuals who deserve to be in the spotlight, comes the danger of a mocking sensation that could corrupt the minds of our youth today.
2 responses so far
I agree with your point that those on youtube who possess real talent are overshadowed by these displays of mockery. There are plenty of serious musicians that will never go viral unless they have a quirky gimmick, such as these amusing auto-tune videos. It’s sad that much of our generation is losing the ability of quality control and instead settles for entertaining videos that teach them that the only way to be a comedian is to make fun anything and anyone.
I love the point you make about the shift in our definition of talent. Before YouTube and Autotune, people needed to have real talent and put in tremendous amounts of effort to become famous. Now anyone with the time to come up with a funny or quirky idea can become an internet celebrity. in fact, according to the article we read, you don’t even have to try–just be yourself and hope the Gregory brothers find you interesting enough to Autotune and add to their channel. It’s unfortunate that the genuinely talented people on the internet remain in the shadows, while Auto-tuned parodies of the news make YouTube’s most watched list.