In the age of the internet and reality television, everyone is looking for his or her fifteen minutes of fame. For those who are motivated, lucky, and connected enough to wind up on a reality television show, that fifteen minutes comes quickly, and is often drawn out for far longer than initially expected. However, for those who do not immediately possess these qualities or connections, it is usually necessary to enter the public eye through some other means, such as a cooking blog, an anime review show, or a homemade comedy series on YouTube.
Back before the Internet existed or was widely available, people often dreamed of breaking into the public eye through cable access shows. These are shows broadcast on local cable networks which provide airtime to the public for free or at a very low cost.
On the popular satire sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, cable access was parodied through the sketch Wayne's World, which featured Wayne and Garth, two teenagers who hosted a weekly program on their local channel. The sketch was later made into a movie, which followed the pair as an executive from a national network picked up their show.
Cable access is still around, but not as many people us it anymore. These days, a more popular option is YouTube. Sometimes YouTube users have notions similar to those of the Wayne's World characters: getting famous by sharing their opinions. Other times, they have a serious message they want to convey. Regardless of the purpose, YouTube gives users the opportunity to connect with the public and make a statement.
When a particular video suddenly picks up a lot of traction on the web, and is circulated by many people through email and social networks, it is deemed a "viral video." Some of these videos, like "Friday" by Rebecca Black, have been designed to go viral in the first place. Others happen as the result of people finding humor in an interview or a news broadcast, like Antoine Dodson's comments to a news reporter which were eventually turned into a video called "Bed Intruder."
Blogs are another platform through which the internet has skyrocketed people to fame, seemingly overnight. An example of this is Nate Silver's political blog, which predicted election results using a formula he had developed for predicting baseball statistics. Silver not only became famous overnight, he also became a millionaire.
One of the reasons the internet has become more popular than cable access is that it provides the user with a wider audience. While cable access is a local thing, the internet broadcasts things all over the world. It is generally unlikely that cable access would connect an aspiring performer or journalist with the type of audience that could catapult them to fame. However, this happens all the time on the internet.
The World Wide Web has created a space where all kinds of people can share their ideas and display their talents. Whether your dream is to have an anime review show, to write about fashion, or to perform a comedy sketch, you can do it online. Sharing it with the world is as simple as using a webcam and clicking a few links.
Back before the Internet existed or was widely available, people often dreamed of breaking into the public eye through cable access shows. These are shows broadcast on local cable networks which provide airtime to the public for free or at a very low cost.
On the popular satire sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, cable access was parodied through the sketch Wayne's World, which featured Wayne and Garth, two teenagers who hosted a weekly program on their local channel. The sketch was later made into a movie, which followed the pair as an executive from a national network picked up their show.
Cable access is still around, but not as many people us it anymore. These days, a more popular option is YouTube. Sometimes YouTube users have notions similar to those of the Wayne's World characters: getting famous by sharing their opinions. Other times, they have a serious message they want to convey. Regardless of the purpose, YouTube gives users the opportunity to connect with the public and make a statement.
When a particular video suddenly picks up a lot of traction on the web, and is circulated by many people through email and social networks, it is deemed a "viral video." Some of these videos, like "Friday" by Rebecca Black, have been designed to go viral in the first place. Others happen as the result of people finding humor in an interview or a news broadcast, like Antoine Dodson's comments to a news reporter which were eventually turned into a video called "Bed Intruder."
Blogs are another platform through which the internet has skyrocketed people to fame, seemingly overnight. An example of this is Nate Silver's political blog, which predicted election results using a formula he had developed for predicting baseball statistics. Silver not only became famous overnight, he also became a millionaire.
One of the reasons the internet has become more popular than cable access is that it provides the user with a wider audience. While cable access is a local thing, the internet broadcasts things all over the world. It is generally unlikely that cable access would connect an aspiring performer or journalist with the type of audience that could catapult them to fame. However, this happens all the time on the internet.
The World Wide Web has created a space where all kinds of people can share their ideas and display their talents. Whether your dream is to have an anime review show, to write about fashion, or to perform a comedy sketch, you can do it online. Sharing it with the world is as simple as using a webcam and clicking a few links.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire