tirkaro
Smash Champion
Link to original post: [drupal=4429]The internet and the iPodification of humor.[/drupal]
Being funny is hard. I mean, really. It requires an amount of wit that one either has to be born with or be taught their whole lives. And even then, it's not a walk in the park. Even actual funny people tend to act pretty, well, unfunny when not on stage. But what do they get for all this effort? Not much really. All those big award shows are known for their complete disregard of comedy flicks, since as we all know, comedy is nothing but shallow trite and tear-wrenching drama is where it's at...despite a truly good comedy being far harder to write for than any other genre. And for every successful comedian, there's still loads of truly funny-a** blokes who nonetheless still starve off. Well now they have more to worry about.
The internet has been making everything easier for everyone nowadays. Back then you'd have to constantly debate over a PROVEN FACT with your friends to see if it's right, lest you rummage through the library and look it up amongst millions of pages. Now? All you gotta do is look that s**t up on Google, bam, it's done. Wanted to make a friend on the other side of the world? Back then you needed to pen pal via snail mail, and I'm hardly even sure how that worked!(But it surely must have sucked.) But now? I'm flaming some guy in Australia over which BlazBlue girl would give the best handjobs effortlessly! And I don't think I have to explain anything about internet pron, wink wink. But this cycle of cyber-simplicity came full circle thanks to Apple, which made the act of simply using computers easier for granny and grampy. Back then, you'd have to study a giant manual whatever to operate a computer, or be a super-nerd or something. Now? DERP, now all you gotta do is touch the pretty buttons and you're f**king good. It's a concept I like to call "iPodification", if only because Applefication doesn't get as much hits on Google. It makes everything so simple, even the most technologically challenged bloke can operate computers like freaking Spock.
But this brand of internet-wrought casualization is now starting to effect us on an ever so much deeper level. Mainly, the subject of the first paragraph: humor. Once the territory of the wicked witch of the wit, now the rather abstract concept of humor is starting to adapt itself to our iPodified tastes. Don't believe me? Just look at what passes for wit at say, 4chan or the Cheezburger network. Specifically, let's break this down a bit. The internet popularized the concept of "Memes", to the point where it's almost become the default method of comedy within this series of tubes. So what are Memes? Obviously, they're essentially inside jokes. And inside jokes are rather easy methods of comedy. All you need to do is recall a certain pre-made funny thing, and repeat it over and over again. But there's a key difference to the classic "inside joke" and a "meme." An inside joke is just that; inside. Other people aren't supposed to know what it means beyond a select group of friends. Not with a meme though. With a meme, you're actually expected to know the exact purpose and meaning. If you don't, there's an entire website dedicated to letting you know just what the joke means. And likewise, you're expected to join in on the lulzy fun, spouting that same silly phrase every chance you get. Or, once that silly joke runs it's course, you're then expected to subvert and invert it in various funny ways until it finally dies. Then it's off to the next funny image to spam everywhere.
But this doesn't stop or end with Memes, no siree. That's just one effect of the beast known as Internet Humor. Let's take another piece of "internet funny" like, say, I'M THE JUGGERNAUT B**CH! This somehow became so famous, it even made it into one of the X-men MOVIES for crying out loud! But is it really "funny" in the traditional sense? No, not really. It's just a sloppy improv dub, which gets most of it's lolz via making the characters swear like sailors, and occasional bouts of raunchy randomness. Not much to it beyond that. Hell, anyone could probably do that. Hell, even I did that! And I can't do anything! But this strange brand of humor truly made it's mark due to the introduction of Youtube Poop. YTP doesn't involve anything really fancy, just taking a bunch of video clips, splicing them together in a random and nonsensical fashion, while repeating this one funny moment over and over again while some dance song plays or something. Even then, it was heavily reliant on typical Memetic humor, and that's not even counting all the various YTP "fads." While truly hitting the height of it's popularity in 2007-2009, these silly mashups still remain today, because y'know, they're easy to make. Once again, even I could make one, and that's just sad.
And it still doesn't stop there. This easy-mode comedy routine can be seen in an increasing amount of areas on the internet, some more subtle than others. Even those who claim to be "above" such LOLSORANDUMBXD humor still end up flocking to the exact same kind of wit, as long as it's dressed up in different concepts and memes. After all, what sounds funnier in the end:
"I decided to go to gamestop to pick up Mass Effect 3. There was a giant, elephant-like man in the front, who reeked of bad B.O. When I got up to the counter, the man said they had no copies left, so I got really angry and left the store."
or
">GO TO GAMESTOP
>GIANT FATA** IN THE FRONT
>SMELLS LIKE A F**KING ELEPHANT
>FINALLY MAKE IT TO THE COUNTER
>ASK FOR MASS EFFECT 3
>GUY SAYS YOU WANT MASS EFFECT 3? YOU HAVE NO MASS EFFECT 3! IT'S FRIDAY, FRIDAY!
>REALIZE I'M A BEAR
>EAT EVERYONE IN GAMESTOP
>FLY TO OUTER SPACE
>MFW I REALIZE I'M NOT BATMAN
F**KING GAMESTOP"
So, you may think I find this kind of humor to be garbage, right? I mean, this is hardly humor, this is just completely stupid! But no, actually, I'm not filled with complete hatred for this cybernetic brand of tomfoolery. In fact, I quite accept it with wide, open arms. After all, I'm a terrible writer! What do I know about being funny? NOTHING! Thus, this complete dumbing down of witty amusement allows even a hack like me to gain the laughter of my fellow man! And after all, isn't that what humor is all about? It brings us all together, and allows even the stupidest of us to get laughs harder than even the hardest working comedian, as long as everyone has the right state of mind. Some may not like it, but I personally adore this effort to simplify such technical whimsy into a series of random in-jokes and non-sequiturs.
Being funny is hard. I mean, really. It requires an amount of wit that one either has to be born with or be taught their whole lives. And even then, it's not a walk in the park. Even actual funny people tend to act pretty, well, unfunny when not on stage. But what do they get for all this effort? Not much really. All those big award shows are known for their complete disregard of comedy flicks, since as we all know, comedy is nothing but shallow trite and tear-wrenching drama is where it's at...despite a truly good comedy being far harder to write for than any other genre. And for every successful comedian, there's still loads of truly funny-a** blokes who nonetheless still starve off. Well now they have more to worry about.
The internet has been making everything easier for everyone nowadays. Back then you'd have to constantly debate over a PROVEN FACT with your friends to see if it's right, lest you rummage through the library and look it up amongst millions of pages. Now? All you gotta do is look that s**t up on Google, bam, it's done. Wanted to make a friend on the other side of the world? Back then you needed to pen pal via snail mail, and I'm hardly even sure how that worked!(But it surely must have sucked.) But now? I'm flaming some guy in Australia over which BlazBlue girl would give the best handjobs effortlessly! And I don't think I have to explain anything about internet pron, wink wink. But this cycle of cyber-simplicity came full circle thanks to Apple, which made the act of simply using computers easier for granny and grampy. Back then, you'd have to study a giant manual whatever to operate a computer, or be a super-nerd or something. Now? DERP, now all you gotta do is touch the pretty buttons and you're f**king good. It's a concept I like to call "iPodification", if only because Applefication doesn't get as much hits on Google. It makes everything so simple, even the most technologically challenged bloke can operate computers like freaking Spock.
But this brand of internet-wrought casualization is now starting to effect us on an ever so much deeper level. Mainly, the subject of the first paragraph: humor. Once the territory of the wicked witch of the wit, now the rather abstract concept of humor is starting to adapt itself to our iPodified tastes. Don't believe me? Just look at what passes for wit at say, 4chan or the Cheezburger network. Specifically, let's break this down a bit. The internet popularized the concept of "Memes", to the point where it's almost become the default method of comedy within this series of tubes. So what are Memes? Obviously, they're essentially inside jokes. And inside jokes are rather easy methods of comedy. All you need to do is recall a certain pre-made funny thing, and repeat it over and over again. But there's a key difference to the classic "inside joke" and a "meme." An inside joke is just that; inside. Other people aren't supposed to know what it means beyond a select group of friends. Not with a meme though. With a meme, you're actually expected to know the exact purpose and meaning. If you don't, there's an entire website dedicated to letting you know just what the joke means. And likewise, you're expected to join in on the lulzy fun, spouting that same silly phrase every chance you get. Or, once that silly joke runs it's course, you're then expected to subvert and invert it in various funny ways until it finally dies. Then it's off to the next funny image to spam everywhere.
But this doesn't stop or end with Memes, no siree. That's just one effect of the beast known as Internet Humor. Let's take another piece of "internet funny" like, say, I'M THE JUGGERNAUT B**CH! This somehow became so famous, it even made it into one of the X-men MOVIES for crying out loud! But is it really "funny" in the traditional sense? No, not really. It's just a sloppy improv dub, which gets most of it's lolz via making the characters swear like sailors, and occasional bouts of raunchy randomness. Not much to it beyond that. Hell, anyone could probably do that. Hell, even I did that! And I can't do anything! But this strange brand of humor truly made it's mark due to the introduction of Youtube Poop. YTP doesn't involve anything really fancy, just taking a bunch of video clips, splicing them together in a random and nonsensical fashion, while repeating this one funny moment over and over again while some dance song plays or something. Even then, it was heavily reliant on typical Memetic humor, and that's not even counting all the various YTP "fads." While truly hitting the height of it's popularity in 2007-2009, these silly mashups still remain today, because y'know, they're easy to make. Once again, even I could make one, and that's just sad.
And it still doesn't stop there. This easy-mode comedy routine can be seen in an increasing amount of areas on the internet, some more subtle than others. Even those who claim to be "above" such LOLSORANDUMBXD humor still end up flocking to the exact same kind of wit, as long as it's dressed up in different concepts and memes. After all, what sounds funnier in the end:
"I decided to go to gamestop to pick up Mass Effect 3. There was a giant, elephant-like man in the front, who reeked of bad B.O. When I got up to the counter, the man said they had no copies left, so I got really angry and left the store."
or
">GO TO GAMESTOP
>GIANT FATA** IN THE FRONT
>SMELLS LIKE A F**KING ELEPHANT
>FINALLY MAKE IT TO THE COUNTER
>ASK FOR MASS EFFECT 3
>GUY SAYS YOU WANT MASS EFFECT 3? YOU HAVE NO MASS EFFECT 3! IT'S FRIDAY, FRIDAY!
>REALIZE I'M A BEAR
>EAT EVERYONE IN GAMESTOP
>FLY TO OUTER SPACE
>MFW I REALIZE I'M NOT BATMAN
F**KING GAMESTOP"
So, you may think I find this kind of humor to be garbage, right? I mean, this is hardly humor, this is just completely stupid! But no, actually, I'm not filled with complete hatred for this cybernetic brand of tomfoolery. In fact, I quite accept it with wide, open arms. After all, I'm a terrible writer! What do I know about being funny? NOTHING! Thus, this complete dumbing down of witty amusement allows even a hack like me to gain the laughter of my fellow man! And after all, isn't that what humor is all about? It brings us all together, and allows even the stupidest of us to get laughs harder than even the hardest working comedian, as long as everyone has the right state of mind. Some may not like it, but I personally adore this effort to simplify such technical whimsy into a series of random in-jokes and non-sequiturs.
