Social Media has the ability to bring people from many different cultures and walks of life together. Having something that so many people can laugh about together releases the tension in many relationships and creates a bond between individuals.
These internet sensations give people a way to unwind and connect; in this world that is full of so much negativity and chaos, many people turn to their phones for a break from reality. Some people do this by playing games or reading online but most do it by scrolling mindlessly on social media.
When we begin to “doom scroll” on our phones, we see an endless stream of terrible things happening throughout the world and a slew of hate comments under posts of people who are just trying to live their lives.
But what happens when we see a silly video of a dog trying on human clothes or we see a baby calling his parents names? We take a second and stop; we have all become so normalized to negativity within the mainstream media that when we see something positive or funny, we take a moment to pay attention because we are now hooked. One example of try-not-to-laugh videos.
Try Not to Laugh videos started originating sometime in 2008. Essentially, creators would string together a compilation of short clips that were worthy of laughs in an effort to get viewers to laugh. This created a culture where creators would take these videos and react to them, proving whether or not they would laugh.
In the end, this ended up bringing people together with shared amusement, creating an easy way to connect with others, and helping us find humor and absurdity within the moments of everyday life.
Another way that people find amusement online is through memes. Devon Frye from Psychology Today says, “Memes don’t just spread for fun; they tap into parts of the brain evolved to help us learn from others, develop skills, and adapt to our social environment.” These memes are made to make us feel something and think about the world around us just a little bit harder you can go to debrief old memories with it; it is one way that people use social media as well. People use it to share ideas, spread awareness, and help them remember and share big life experiences with friends and family. TikTok is a great example of this; whenever you watch a video and it makes you laugh or relate or maybe even repost, it can be a way to meet new people and create new connections.
Think back to just a few months ago when TikTok was temporarily shut down; we all went to Red Note and began to connect there. In times where we are so polarized and everything is politicized, we take these platforms and build communities in order to make new memories and almost escape from our realities. This in itself even created trends like “TikTok Refugees,” “now that we’re all gonna die,” and the “now that the Americans are gone” videos.
90% of students at West High have had mostly positive or neutral experiences with social media in their lives. From students meeting new people to play 2K with to exchanging Minecraft movie quotes during passing time. If we look around mindfully, social media has so many opportunities for us to connect with our peers and even new people.
