Meme

Nerd or not, we all love a good meme – the web crazes so entertaining that the second we see them, we’re charging off to show our mates/family/coworkers/whoever happens to be in sight. For the lols of my audience today, I’d like to share my top 10 favourite memes of all time:

1. Lolcats
What it is: Photos of cats with amusingly-spelled captions
Why I love it: Kitties! Doing cute things! And my god, the captions make me giggle every time. It’s not just the cah-razy things those cats get up to, it’s the community of people that invent lolcat lore like the Basement Cat and Ceiling Cat as deities, or fusing computer jokes with the photos. Pure gold.

2. Rickroll
What it is: Originating from online noticeboard 4chan, Rickrolling involves enticing someone on the Internet to click a link that reveals itself to be a clip of Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’
Why I love it: “You know the rules – and SO DO I!” The fact that this joke has become so widespread that newsreaders, comedy shows and even presidential campaigns have been hijacked is a testament to just how infuriatingly funny it is to be on the end of a Rickroll.

3. Bed Intruder
What it is: A news report of an attempted abduction remixed into a catchy tune.
Why I love it: Apart from the fact this tune gets stuck in your head like nobody’s business, the pure outrage of the victim’s brother Antoine Dodson, as well as his drawled catch phrases, is awesome to behold.

4. Old Spice guy
What it is: In the most successful viral advertisement campaign on the Internet, Old Spice’s charismatic spokesman Isaiah Mustafa promotes the cologne.
Why I love it: “Hello, ladies. Look at your man. Now back to me. Now back at your man. Now BACK to me! Sadly, he isn’t me. But if he wore Old Spice instead of ladies’ scented bodywash, he could smell like me.”
Be still, my beating heart. The over-the-top fantasy elements, video editing that keeps you enthralled and one very suave gentlemen make this worth watching over and over.

5. Bananaphone
What it is: A looped animated video extolling the virtues of the fictional Bananaphone. Cellular! Modular! Interactive-odular!
Why I love it: Back before I was particularly computer-savvy (oh come on, not much has changed), a sneaky friend of mine changed the video to my homepage. Cue it being stuck in my head constantly until I figured out how to get rid of the bastard.

6. The rest of the Weebl and Bob world
What it is: Flash cartoons of various amusements including animated foodstuffs and two ovals that really, really like pie
Why I love it: It’s a treasure trove of comedy, this one. Weebl and Bob convey so much with such a minimal design, and there’s plenty of other laughs to be found on this one site. Worth a long browse.

7. Demotivational posters
What is it: The opposite of the spirited ‘90s ‘motivational’ posters, usually featuring a sunset and a phrase summarising a concept such as ‘teamwork’.
Why I love it: Although sarcasm is reputed to be the lowest form of wit, it definitely works here!

8. Greatest freak-out ever
What it is: A secret video of someone’s brother going into hysterics when his parents cancel his World of Warcraft subscription
Why I love it: There’s just nothing like a hearty tantrum, and this one spirals so far out of control it borders on insanity. What is this guy DOING? Why do his clothes vanish when he disappears underneath the doona? Does he really need to scream “I hate my LIFE” just because of a computer game? And by Great Odin’s Raven, does he REALLY need to push a remote up his bottom just to offset the agony?

9. Double rainbow
What it is: A video of two rainbows in the sky and a man enchanted by the sight.
Why I love it: Come ON! Look at this guy. Look at how happy he is that there’s a double rainbow in the sky! I don’t know or care what he’s on, it makes me laugh just watching it. This one has the extra value of having the phrase ‘double rainbow’ incorporated into daily speech, as in, “that is so double rainbow” when something goes well. Win.

10. Numa numa guy
What it is: One of the original memes, a dorky dude enthusiastically mimes to ‘Dragostea’ by Romanian group Ozone.
Why I love it: It makes you laugh because despite the silliness, it’s genuine. There’s nothing but pure joy on this man’s face as he launches into a finger-splaying, arm-pumping frenzy of lust for the featured tune.

Any memes that should be ranked higher? Any I’ve left out? Share your favourite memes below…

Trending

There’s a topic ‘trending’ on Twitter at the moment tagged as #AbortionClinicPlaylistSongs. For those of you who don’t know, that means about 100 people a minute post something on Twitter on the topic of ‘abortion clinic playlist songs’. Posts so far have included (with original spelling and grammar):

- There Goes My Baby/Usher
- “Mama Said Knock You Out” – LL Cool J
- Its not Right but its OK by Whitney Houston
- The KKK Took My Baby Away – Ramones
- cleaning out my closet — eminem
- baby – justin bieber. “And I was like baby, baby, baby, noooo!”
- Anything by Dying Fetus (too obvious?)

Someone with the username Jesus_M_Christ has even wryly contributed, “This #AbortionClinicPlaylistSongs tag is really making my decision of who’s going to Hell a lot easier.”

I have to say, when I first saw the topic I was pretty surprised so many people jumped on board with contributions of fitting song titles. Yes, there’s a certain irony in the way that the term ‘baby’ can apply both to a significant other and an infant. But what’s the word I’m looking for here? Trivialising. This lighthearted look at something so serious has been enough to raise more than a few eyebrows. Many other Twitter users have complained about the inappropriateness of the topic, with one commenting, “There shouldn’t b a playlist for murdering your unborn child and hurting women.. #abolishabortion”.

That topic is one of the top ten most talked about things on Twitter worldwide. While people are posting their latest song title, those people who constantly go on about how the Internet makes us stupid will no doubt be pointing triumphantly at Twitter, shouting about the downfall of humankind.

Is is bad news that people are making fun of abortion? It’s not just online that people get inappropriate, comedians and columnists have been skirting the edge of the offensive line since they started doing their jobs. Abortion is one of those debates that rages without a clear answer – it seems that the thorns of controversy haven’t died off the rose of choice just yet. Although it has been legal in America since 1973, it continues to be a hot topic among ethics debaters, policy makers and people with an opinion about what women can and can’t do with their bodies.

Abortion is important again now that screening foetuses means that genetic defects like Down syndrome can be identified. This knowledge gives women the option to abort the disabled foetus if she doesn’t want to bring up the child. Given the traumatic nature of abortion and its consequences, as well as the moral and ethical concerns for a mother-to-be, talking about abortion should happen – perhaps even if it has to be dumbed down.

Personally, while I think the topic is in fairly bad taste, I’d rather see people trivialising a serious topic like abortion that getting serious about something entirely trivial – it doesn’t matter how people are talking about abortion, as long as they are. Give me a post with ‘Life for Rent – Dido’ over a discussion about how fashionable four-year-old Suri Cruise is ANY day.

On being switched off

I recently completed a 24 hour electronic media fast, which involved me driving to a beach house for the day and quietly existing without my phone, iPod, radio, TV, CDs or the Internet. It was a silent day that mostly involved me reading, playing guitar, walking around the beach and heaving loud sighs because I was so damn lonely.

I wasn’t sure what would come of being switched off for a day, and I have to say I didn’t enjoy it much. Just the drive down without any music on in the car was enough to get me in a pretty flat mood, which stayed with me until it was over. During all the nothing that went on, I did think about something that a friend of mine told me recently: that I’m a reactive person by nature, not a proactive one. I didn’t like hearing this at all, but after about four hours of sitting in the same spot on the couch, I was forced to agree. I’m someone who is most comfortable going with the flow of life. That’s not to say that I don’t start new projects, invite people out, have ideas or make new friends – but that in the overall scheme of things, I tend to react to environmental and social happenings rather than starting my own. That’s something I’d like to change about myself, and like any change that will work, I’m starting today.

Surprisingly for me, the first thing I did when my 24 hours was officially over wasn’t immediately ninja-leap across the bed and grab my phone to check Facebook – I was actually in the middle of a pretty exciting part of my book, and I was also pretty comfy where I was. But I did very much enjoy having the radio on while I was driving home – and when I got back home, my laptop was switched on straight away. What can I say, I love my digital life.

Quiet

Switching off

Partly inspired by this blog, and partly due to my own recognised tech-addiction, I’ve decided to switch off for a day: I’m going on a 24 hour electronic media fast.

In the aforementioned blog, Tom writes about media ecologist Neil Postman, who said that media was a Faustian bargain, as it both giveth and it taketh away, and says that Postman had his students forsake all use of media technologies for a specified time period.

For the next 24 hours, I’ll be disconnected from my phone, the Internet, TV, radio, iPod, CDs, Facebook and Twitter. Just for the sake of the challenge, I’m also doing it alone. One day might not sound like much, but just the thought of going without music in the background is making me feel like it might get difficult.

I’ll post the (handwritten) results of what I get up to today – and at the moment I’m just hoping they don’t include going a little bit crazy.

Over and out… *static noise*

The Facebook Rules

For a website that’s only a few years old, there’s already a strong sense of what is and isn’t appropriate to post on Facebook. One only has to have a giggle at all the people getting it wrong on sites like Lamebook to realise that when it comes to social networking, there are rules:

If you’re going to post something on Facebook, make sure it’s something you want everyone seeing
This is the big one. Facebook is a public forum – post at your own risk.

Relationship changes have to involve two people
There is nothing more awkward than being dumped online – except for being dumped online where everyone can see. A more moderate amount of awkwardness can occur at the beginning of a relationship, where only one person is convinced it’s ‘official’. Have a chat about it first.

Facebook is for adults, so write like you’re an adult
Look at the interface. There’s a distinct lack of sparkles, loud backgrounds and animated GIFs. That’s because we’re not on MySpace anymore. Abbreviations are fine; but there’s no need to update your status like a fourteen-year-old sending a text message.

Make sure it’s okay with your friends before friending their friends
Not everyone loves it when their friends start hanging out without them knowing about it. Sure, some people love sharing friends. Others feel a bit left out. Probably best to double-check.

Be aware of the complete lack of privacy you have
If you’ve never read the End User License Agreement on Facebook, (come on, who actually has?) the short version is: they can and will whore out every single piece of personal information you give them to the highest bidder, and there’s nothing you can do about it – except avoid giving them personal details in the first place.

Double-check before you post
Because typos can be hilariously inappropriate.

Learn how to recognise a status hijack
Someone updates their status as ‘…smells like arse LOL’ at 3am on Sunday morning? Look straight for their drunken friends.

Family on Facebook can be tricky
Having your dad, sister, grandmother, aunt etc. on Facebook isn’t necessarily going to cause you any trouble – in fact, it can be a great way to keep in touch. But if you’re not sure, ask yourself: do I feel like I have an adult relationship with this person? If not, you could end up with some awkwardness when your mates post drunken photos of you after a party for all to see, including mum.

Don’t post embarrassing photos of other people
Or you may end up finding unflattering ones of yourself.

Facebook enhances your relationships, not replaces them
I know I’ve been guilty of some serious Facebooking in the past – hell, I’m alt-tabbing between Facebook and blogging right now – but the people I talk to most on Facebook are the ones I see offline. For me, Facebook is an online conversation between my friends that never stops; I love being part of that.