In light of recent events, namely the “Harlem Shake,” I have been pondering the idea of just how much the Internet has changed our society. Sure, you get the all the usual jazz about the Internet being the “information superhighway” and blah blah blah about news breaking faster than it ever did before, but I’m really more interested in the entire subculture that grew from the ability to speak freely and anonymously about almost anything.
I like my “interwebz” as much as the next guy and spend a fair amount of time viewing pictures of cats and other goodies on various websites. What I’ve come to realize is that the people who are commonly found in these environments are best summed up by a quote from Obi-Wan Kenobi: “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.” And it’s true. People become pretty freaking ruthless when they no longer have to expose who they are and speak to people they know. In some ways it’s entertaining, but in other ways it’s downright depressing to see how low people can be.
However, one positive of this is that celebrities, politicians, and other notable people are now held to standards that they never were before. In the day and age where mainstream media is becoming more and more politicized and dumbed down to horrifically low levels, you can pretty much guarantee that you can trust the Internet to rip into individuals when they deserve it. For example, Chris Brown is pretty much back to being socially acceptable in the world of hip-hop, and Rihanna further confirmed this by taking him back. However, I still see Chris Brown jokes on a nearly daily basis. This is not to say that beating your girlfriend/wife/whoever is funny. It’s certainly not. But it’s something that Chris Brown needs to be ripped apart for on a daily basis.
Another beauty of the Internet is its ability to shape popular culture. I’ve already mentioned the “Harlem Shake,” but there are countless other fads such as planking, gallon smashing and screaming goats (watch the new Taylor Swift screaming goat video that’s making rounds; you won’t regret it).
Similarly, I know people who use Instant Messaging lingo (lol, brb) in their everyday language. Another favorite of mine is expressing emotions through rage faces because they are easily relatable and are often better suited for conveying emotions than words. These all arose out of the Internet shaping the way we think, feel, and express ourselves because we have the ability to experience them and quickly share them with our friends. They travel through society at a rapid rate and affect just about everyone. My dad now intentionally tries to “troll” my brother and I on a fairly regular basis (I’m still not sure how I feel about this).
Regardless, I find it fascinating how subcultures of the Internet grow and affect pop culture in general. I hope that by the time I have kids, they are so immersed in the Internet that they are blown away when I tell them that I came from the land before the world wide web. I hope they view me as some post-apocalyptic survivor. In reality, it just means I used to spend less time watching videos of screaming goats singing Taylor Swift songs.
Shameless Plug of the Week: URHC is hosting a Dive-in Movie at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center today at 7:30 p.m. Come on down to watch “Shark Week” and eat popcorn and candy while swimming or hot tubbing. It will be fun.
— Hunter Tipton is a senior in microbiology. He can be reached at [email protected].
