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Notes -
Yesterday marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Harambe.
The White House has remarked on the occasion.
How much credence do you put on the idea that Harambe represented an actual sea change in American culture? At the time, it felt like a joke, but in hindsight, it feels like the first time that internet memeing bled over into real space. A lot of the people making jokes about a gorilla ended up making jokes about a former real estate developer and steak salesman that propelled him into the public eye. Was Harambe a watershed event, or just one where we look back and project meaning?
Not much. Weird to see the White House remark on it, even if it's only on Xitter. I don't really remember much bleed over into reality.
I think Kony 2012 is the first event I remember as internet mass hysteria where people acted like a freakout on the internet would somehow change real-life conditions on another continent.
It's interesting you mention Kony 2012. It rgas always felt to me like something broke in the world around 2010 - 2013. I can't exactly nail down what it was, the Kony phenomenon definitely comes to mind when I consider it. It was the first time I ever saw social media drive consensus in my social group to such an extent. In some ways, it felt like the prototype of ${CURRENT_THING} activism. It didn't matter that you had never heard about it yesterday - you had to have an opinion on it right now.
Maybe we owe the Mayan Calendar people an apology....
(What does 'rgas' mean? I couldn't find any relevant results....)
It means I shouldn't try to type on my phone in between sets.
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