I’m not so sure I’d call it a gift…
The articles, videos, and supplements provided in NPR’s piece “A Gift From The Interwebs” highlight the immense power of the Internet and its influence on people. Three very different people attain mass fame in a similar manner- through sensationalism, which attracts the attention of the YouTube-watching masses. The sensationalism employed by these people- Antoine Dodson, Daym Drops, and Marilyn Hagerty- causes people to lose sight of the potential harms of these videos. In certain parts of this country and of the world, racism is still prevalent. Antoine Dodson’s way of speaking, his mannerisms, and his attitude perpetuate stereotypes regarding African-American citizens. People on the Internet used a very serious crime report and turned it into a mockery of Dodson. Two things happened: one, the original (and much more real) issue was forgotten, and two, we became placated by the immediate satisfaction that a humorous mix of Dodson’s segment brought. The Internet is diminishing people’s ability to think critically on big issues. Our brains constantly prefer instant stimulation to arduous tasks with long-term rewards, hence, we would rather watch a 2-minute YouTube parody than a piece on African-American economic struggles across America. The same rings true for Daym Drops, whose very expressive review distracts from his actual message. He is funny and sensational, but the downside of this is that he continues the same stereotypes that Dodson does through his delivery, which becomes more important than any message he’s articulating. His “Five Guys Burgers and Fries Review” has 1.6 million views, and no other video of his has over 250,000, because the Gregory Brothers made an amusing parody. People do not really care about his reviews, they only remember the Gregory Brothers’ video and want the amusement that they got from that video. The same goes for Hagerty, an 85-year old from a small town reviewing Olive Garden, who would have never sniffed fame without the Internet. 20 years ago, her review would have lived and died in her hometown of Grand Forks. Now, because we have access to her review, and find her review ridiculous and sensational, we make her famous. People don’t care about her review, they care about the laughs they will get from reading it. The Internet is serving to distract people from the real issues of the day by focusing them solely on what immediately amuses them, which is only going to serve us poorly as the Information Era continues.
-Ben Chatham
One response so far
To a certain part, I have to agree that people do seem to be “having fun” in the internet more so than trying to focus on the real issues. Indeed, people need to remind themselves of the original intention of the message and try to avoid distortion of the main content while deliberating on the issues. However, I think entertainment is still one crucial part of our lives and it needs to be balanced rather than going on either extremes. Just like a coffee break, humor later on prevents us from straining oneself and keep our body healthy. But I guess if there’s a point or social issue involved within it, it should be carefully thought of not neglected.