Laughing at Rather than With.
Personally, I’ve always thought of viral videos as Internet “junk food”; their purpose strictly for entertainment. Although I myself enjoy watching viral videos, I rarely come across one that has a powerful message. I think as humans, unfortunate as it may be, we tend to group things in boxes. I know that I group viral videos as separate from other so-called works of media. I place documentaries and creative films on a higher pedestal and viral videos in a more mundane category. I have come to realize, however, that maybe I am wrong. The amount of views that these videos receive seems to be solid evidence for their effectiveness. I think that the medium of comedy and entertainment can be used for a greater purpose; a purpose that’s main goal is not to entertain, but that employs entertainment as a means to effective communication. I, like many others I suspect, remember the viral videos I watch, but for what purpose? Aren’t they simply worthless devoid of any real value? Personally, I have always found it difficult to see the value in activities without obvious benefits. Of course people need something to break the monotony of day-to-day activity, but can the activity be more productive or enriching?
I must admit that I had never heard of Daym Drops or seen any of their videos. I find it ironic that they are critiquing fast food, which is known to be not of the highest standards. This too may be a personal bias against fast food. I did read the Olive Garden review about a month ago, but I really never quite understand why it went viral. I found her review to be good, but not very entertaining, and I was amazed that it captured such great attention. Atoine Dodson’s video I found to be slightly amusing, but it did seem to have racist undertones. The concentration of the media on the crimes of the poorer areas of cities reinforces fear and stereotypes of the citizens who live there. Although the media would never admit it, I believe that they pander to their audiences in reinforcing harmful views and ignorant opinions. I’m afraid many watch viral videos, laughing at the people who star in them as opposed to laughing with them.
2 responses so far
I like your distinction about laughing at rather than with the stars of viral videos. These stars are objectified and dehumanized, as if they were cartoons. No person exists solely for entertainment, yet that is exactly the goal of those who create auto-tune parodies and write scathing blog comments.
I like your comparison of viral videos to “junk food”, and I never thought about it that way. It’s true that comedy and entertainment can be used for a greater purpose. There is entertainment primarily to entertain and there can be entertainment meant give a strong message. The topic of viral videos can be a fun thing for conversation sometimes, so I’d say there are small benefits. May not be worth it, but still. Maybe there’s a way for a viral video to be more based on what’s happening than the people, but I can’t think of any as of now.