In our current culture, people have the ability to go from unknown to super stardom literally over night! As exciting and awesome as that is, I also think it is quite scary because sometimes people go viral for being terrible or super awkward. The reason I brought this subject up is because of the Super Bowl.
Before I delve into the subject a little further, I want to introduce myself to you fantastic readers formally. Well, formalish I guess. First, as you can see from above, my name is Abbie Ruckdashel. Next, I want to thank you guys for reading. I hope you enjoy The Daily Cardinal as much as I do. I enjoy writing so I hope you all enjoy reading.
I’m a self-proclaimed music snob, adrenaline junkie and coffee addict. So if my columns ever seem crazy and manic, it’s because I’m either excited about the topic, on an insane amount of caffeine or a combination of both. Hopefully you’ll learn more about me as the semester goes on, and with that I’m going to continue on my current path discussing becoming internet famous.
The reason I want to talk about the Super Bowl is because of what it made famous. Katy Perry did an amazing halftime show complete with killer costumes, fierce shoes and an insane amount of special effects. Plus, let’s not forget the dancing sharks that are taking the internet by storm, and the surprise visit by Missy Elliott.
I was tweeting along with the rest of the country and throwing my two cents into the internet universe, but then I noticed something. Memes were starting to pop up all over social media. It got me thinking about how people come up with them so fast, and how quickly they become famous—I mean I get really happy when I come up with one kinda funny pun several hours later.
Seriously, memes are actually amazing when you think about them in that aspect. The makers of memes are so creative, and their products crack me up—most of the time. How do they come up with them so fast? The halftime show was still going on when I started to see memes from it. Do people just sit and wait with their phones ready thinking of ideas? Do they have their ideas planned out in advance? I don’t know, but the speed that certain things go viral blows my mind.
I think my favorite meme that appeared during the Super Bowl was the one that showed Katy Perry in her fire costume next to Will Ferrell as Chazz Michael Michaels from “Blades of Glory” asking who wore it better. Although I think that Katy Perry looked absolutely flawless, it’s hilarious to see that comparison. I never would have thought of that! Plus that meme has over two million shares on social media so clearly I am not the only one that thought it was entertaining.
Katy Perry’s fire costume wasn’t the only thing to become internet famous after that halftime show. The internet is still buzzing with memes, Vines and videos of infamous “left shark”. Apparently, “left shark” didn’t know what it was doing during the show, but it paid off for it because the internet loves it. People are talking about how they went “left shark” all day because they didn’t know what they were doing in class. I even saw a BuzzFeed video featuring “left shark.”
I saw on Twitter today the Ellen DeGeneres has booked left shark for an appearance, but just like the “Alex from Target” meme, “left shark” will die out in a week or two. Now that I think about it, who is “Alex from Target,” and why and how did he become internet famous? Why does anyone become internet famous, and more importantly how do I become internet famous? What do I need to do to go viral? Apparently the answer is dance around in a shark costume and not know what you’re doing. I mean, hey, if that gets you famous, all the more power to you.
After thinking about the idea of becoming internet famous, I was left wondering what the appeal is. I mean, yeah, you get “15 minutes of fame,” but what else? Do people get money once they go viral? Cat videos go viral. Do cats get paid? Why are cat videos so awesome? Why don’t people talk about dog videos? Isn’t that unfair to dogs around the world? Anyway these are just the questions that float around in my head after thinking about being internet famous.
If you liked what you read and want to hear more about the random stuff that floats around in my head each week, be sure to keep reading! I wish you many minutes of internet stardom!
Did you enjoy the memes from the Super Bowl? What is your favorite meme circulating online? Email Abbie at ruckdashel@wisc.edu.
