I think digital media is particularly well suited to observing the ordinary because it is so prevalent in modern society. Part of what makes something ordinary is its commonality, its ubiquity, and these sorts of things are more easily captured in the moment and posted within 5 seconds to multiple social media sites. Take, for instance, the latest slew of “Sh*z So-and-So says” videos on YouTube, such as “Sh** Silicon Valley says” or “Sh*z Mormons say.” These videos are nothing more than collections of sayings that are stereotypically ascribed to certain groups of people; they’re often funny because we understand the sayings, and we understand the sayings because we’ve heard them often enough before—at least, as long as we have some interaction with the group being stereotyped. Some things are only funny (or interesting or cool) because they are commonplace. Nobody could make “arrow in the knee” jokes if that Skyrim quirk wasn’t so well-known.
Maybe this is a stretch too far; are commonplace things automatically “ordinary?” Perhaps not. Some things could be commonplace and still extraordinary. Like Tom Brady’s performance. For him it’s typical, but it’s never just ordinary…
I guess it’s a matter of semantics. That aside, most down-to-earth people with YouTube channels seem to be apt observers of the ordinary. Most YouTube vlogging (is that the term? It sounds right…) is about ordinary, day-to-day sort of things. Even our class has a good example of this; Parker’s YouTube videos feature him commenting on ordinary things, like dealing with injuries and painkillers. Here’s a little video that I think is quite charming and focuses on one of the most ordinary things out there: the high five.
One last thought: digital media, especially omnipresent social media, has a lot of opportunity to capitalize on the ordinary because other forms of media often ignore the ordinary. Sure, sitcoms are mostly about ordinary stuff, and some movies focus on ordinary stuff, but social media dominates the field in terms of sheer tonnage of ordinary coverage. It prolly helps that it’s so easy to make and share.
Now for something much more elegant: some haiku.
A veritable
Swath of knowledge, quiet snow
That sits and is waiting
Opening its halls
A portico beckoning
Wind rushes through it
Hours spent clicking links
Wikipedia bears no
Fault, which is your own
The Fresh Prince! Haha, love it.
ReplyDeleteSomething so simple seems to play into such a large part of our culture. I can only question now, "Where did the high-five originate?" Magic Johnson claims it was he who first concocted the prevalent high-five. Lamont Sleets claimed that he learned it from his dad. Perhaps we'll never know. And, honestly, does that even really matter? Until it morphs into some pseudo-new culture thing: "Up top!"