From Ace, who notes that as a nation we’re “amusing ourselves to death.”
I pledge allegiance to the Meme of the Viral States of America. And to the Listicle, for which it LOLs, one tweetstorm, under Buzzfeed, with liberty and gawker for all.
I used to be very optimistic about the Internet, and where it would take mankind. Then social media happened.
Not the best album, but still: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amused_to_Death
The internet is a tool, just like a gun. It can be used for good, evil, or banal and stupid.
Without it, I never would have found people that believe in conservatism like I do. Phil Donohue, Maury Povich, and Jerry Springer all brought deviance and spectacle to us before the internet
You speak the truth there. I guess what drives me nuts is that you have to play on social media these days to be relevant. Facebook is my number 2 referrer. I think SayUncle still tops that. But I wouldn’t say I have a social media A game going. I mostly get ignored on Twitter… but I spent a day arguing with CSGV (which kills brain cells), and now my social media profile on Twitter is up. The fact is that throwing chairs gets people’s attention.
And I’m not saying this like I’m above it. I waste a lot of time with social media bullshit too. I click on listicles. I know it is a waste of my time, but sometimes I can’t help it. Sometimes I can’t resist picking the chair up and throwing it either. And then I get to the end and realized I just wasted time I’m never getting back. Like like when I used to watch a lot of TV.
It beats the alternative. Sure, you have to be noticeable above the background noise; but prior to social media, you had to get a curator to notice and approve of you – the gatekeepers of media were all-powerful. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the anti-rights folks are losing hard in the court of public opinion after 2000.
I bet some version of Gawker was founded about 20 minutes after Gutenberg first introduced movable type to ink and paper. Unrestricted circulation of information may have kicked off an intellectual renaissance, but it also let the trash out.
The sheer scale of the internet makes global trailer trash accessible in milliseconds, which I think make it all seem worse. But it’s always been there. The difference today is you not only get to see your bad neighbors, but also my bad neighbors – despite the fact we sit more than 1000 miles apart. The Bell Curve hasn’t changed – we just see more of it.
Yeah, it’s a different world, but only because the communication path is shorter and faster. Trash has always been trash, and always will be.
Once teh Internets became cool, a ‘Tard-alanch was inevitable.
From my .sig file: