Tag Archives: youtube

INFOGRAPHIC: Rebecca Black’s “Friday” vs. The Cure’s “Friday, I’m In Love”

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So, in the last few weeks, 13-year-old Rebecca Black’s song “Friday” has gone viral. It’s a song about an eighth-grader getting ready for school on a Friday and getting excited for the weekend.

Did I mention it’s by a 13-year-old?

In case you missed it:

For what it is, it’s catchy. But it’s catching lots of nasty comments for Black. Last week, she appeared on “Good Morning America” for a segment in which the reporter read some of the comments people have anonymously posted online about this video. Watch the interview, and you’ll totally feel for this kid. But for all the hate, she’s doing alright for herself. She’s passed Justin Bieber for iTunes downloads, or so say the talking heads on that ABC clip.

The last pop song about Friday I remember getting any attention was The Cure’s “Friday, I’m In Love” from the band’s 1992 album, “Wish.”

The Cure video’s embed feature has been disabled, or else I would have linked to it. But check it out, and then take a look at how each of these songs compare as odes to the last day of the work week:

So, from my estimations, here’s a breakdown of each song and its video:

Total mentions of “Friday”
Rebecca Black, “Friday”: 27
The Cure, “Friday, I’m In Love”: 9

Total mentions of any other day of the week
Rebecca Black, “Friday”: 4
The Cure, “Friday, I’m In Love”: 28

Verses sung by a rapper
Rebecca Black, “Friday”: 1
The Cure, “Friday, I’m In Love”: 0

Tween girl wearing braces
Rebecca Black, “Friday”: 1+
The Cure, “Friday, I’m In Love”: 0

Pasty white man wearing a wedding veil
Rebecca Black, “Friday”: 0
The Cure, “Friday, I’m In Love”: 2

So, Rebecca Black gets down on Friday, whereas Robert Smith gets down MOST on Friday. Of course, he also has been known to get down at “10:15 On A Saturday Night.” Rebecca Black, though, would not be getting down at that time, as she’d be in bed. Or at a sleepover, playing MASH.

“Jen Aniston sex tape” and 7 viral video traits

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If you clicked on any of the “Jen Aniston sex tape” links hoping to see Aniston having sex, then you did exactly what they wanted you to do.

“They” being Smart Water, who hired Jennifer Aniston to make a commercial for the company’s bottled water. The video is not a sex tape at all, unless you’re Ozzie and Harriet and can be aroused by hair and lipstick. No, this video was a spoof on viral videos — and an attempt to create a viral video.

I spent last week looking up what makes a viral video, hoping to pin down what made these things work. The guys behind this ad seem to know how to make a viral video. What resulted was a video that included references to general trends and specific viral videos. Some of the references might have been too specific for casual web users, though meme-savvy people will get it.

So, I give you the breakdown of this viral video from the perspective of a guy who trolls the Internetz, but who has never made a viral video. My only research — besides looking up “how videos go viral” and “how to make a viral video” — has been tracking lots of videos and memes.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s this: The Internet is a scary place. So, let’s go.

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1. REFERENCES TO OTHER VIRAL VIDEOS

Of course this video references past viral videos; that’s what makes it a parody. The whole video references trends, but I could count three specific videos referenced:

The “Numa Numa” video has been referenced before in a Geico commercial in which the zealous lip-syncing guy with glasses was shown with the Geico gecko. Funny or Die parodied the “David After Dentist” video with “Bieber After the Dentist.” That “David After Dentist” video was mashed up with the Christian Bale tirade video, and it was hilarious.

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2. CELEBRITIES

Would this Smart Water ad have been as funny without a celebrity? I don’t think so. The “David After Dentist” video inspired several parodies, but it was the Justin Bieber parody that went viral. The James Vandermemes video earlier this year worked because it featured a celebrity making fun of himself.

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3. KIDS

People love kids on the Internet. They don’t have to be cute or even well-behaved. Precocious kids, it seems, get lots of page views.

This kid in the Jennifer Aniston Smart Water video is especially precocious, lip-syncing to Far East Movement and responding with sass to Aniston’s questions. It was scripted, of course, but came off as real, which is another thing that can help videos go viral.

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4. AUTHENTICITY

The little kid might have been one of the only authentic things in this commercial, but at least we knew it was scripted from the beginning. Some of my favorite viral videos have that “Holy shit, is this real?” quality to them. And they feature people who aren’t afraid to do something silly (hence, “Numa Numa.”)

Newscasts with weird characters or mistakes are especially good for authenticity. Antoine Dodson became a meme after he was featured in a newscast about his sister being assaulted. I don’t think they’ve caught the perp, but Antoine Dodson has inspired several parodies (many including Dodson himself). The subsequent Antoine Dodson videos have not been funny, in my opinion, because he’s too aware that he’s trying to get your attention and make you laugh.

Other newscast videos that went viral:

A low-quality video that looks like it was shot on a webcam or camcorder can still go viral if it’s authentic, funny and worth watching through the end. Tay Zonday’s video for “Chocolate Rain” went viral, and many didn’t know why. It was a repetitive song with no chorus and was not sophisticated in its production value. But the guy was earnest and you couldn’t help but like him. The “Numa Numa” guy was very authentic, which is why his original video was better than his Geico ad.

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5. ANIMALS

If I’ve learned anything from I Can Has Cheezburger?, it’s that animals will get views. It doesn’t matter what kind of animal: it could be a cat, dog, bird, ferret or something else.

The only animal that wouldn’t go viral would probably be a dead animal. Fortunate for Jennifer Aniston, the folks at Smart Water went with live animals.

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6. VIOLENCE

Search for “kick to the nuts” on YouTube and you’ll find a bunch of videos. Most notable is this one, if for no other reason than the quote at 1:12: “No cup, no nothin’, bro, just straight up nuts.”

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7. SEX

This video takes advantage of several of Jennifer Aniston’s assets — her humor, her timing, her recognition — but also takes advantage of her good looks. There really is no sex in this video — the Herbal Essences commercials were steamier.

But if you add “sex tape” to anything, you’ll get views. Even if it’s on YouTube and people know they won’t get to see nudity. Even if it’s on my blog and they know it won’t be an actual “sex tape,” they’ll still click on it. You did, and so will others.

RELATED: My favorite videos of 2011 so far

My favorite videos of 2011 so far

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In conjunction with my musings on the “Jen Aniston sex tape” and seven traits of viral videos, I present my favorite videos to surface in 2011. Four of them have gotten at least a million page views apiece, and the fifth could eventually get that many views. The sixth one, though, will probably remain a cult favorite.

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1. ATLANTA WEATHER REPORT

Megan McGlover is not a weather lady or even a reporter, per se. She’s a woman with her blog and videos — and she’s hilarious.

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2. VOLKSWAGON COMMERCIAL: THE FORCE

This Super Bowl commercial actually appeared online a few days before the game. It was a wise move, because it generated a lot of hype. Thus, I think this is the most memorable commercial from this year’s Super Bowl.

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3. 5-YEAR-OLD NEEDS JOB BEFORE GETTING MARRIED

There’s another video where this girl explains why Seinfeld is a better comedian than she is. She laments that he can write great jokes, and she can’t. In this video, though, she explains that she’s going to be independent before getting married.

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4. ZACH WAHLS SPEAKS ABOUT FAMILY

In an address before Iowa legislators, 19-year-old Zach Wahls describes his life growing up raised by gay parents. His candor and passion make you want to give him a hug.

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5. SASSY GAY FRIEND: GREAT EXPECTATIONS

The Second City Network has produced a handful videos showing how women from literature would have fared had they had a sassy gay friend. This newest one is one of the best. It’s already had more than 100,000 views in its first week.

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6. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, “DANCE YRSELF CLEAN”

The video is nine minutes long, keeps the same pace throughout and is for a band that has cult status but not mainstream recognition, per se. Thus, this video won’t be viral in the way that these other videos have been and will continue to be. But it features Muppets rocking out and getting drunk on the beaches of Brighton in England, so it’s got that going for it.

In Case You Missed It: Xtranormal

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I’ve recently become obsessed with Xtranormal, a website that takes your text and turns it into a movie, usually with 3D-rendered characters speaking like voicemail messages. There are  tons of videos that have taken advantage of this “text-to-movie” site, and I’m loving them.

Particularly, I’m loving some of the journalism-themed videos.

Adventures in Freelancing, Part I: The Trend Story

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So You Want To Be A Journalist

“If I do not get a job at The New York Times right after graduation, I will go to Columbia Journalism School. Then I will get a job at The New York Times.”

And…

“Do you even read the newspaper?”
“Of course I read the newspaper. I love the New York Times.”
“Do you have a subscription?”
“No. Why would I pay money for a subscription? I read it for free online.”

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Snake on an MBTA train

Joel Abrams of Boston.com put together a dramatization of the snake on the red line using direct quotes from Eric Moskowitz’s story, my account or the Craigslist ad.

To read more about Xtranormal, go here.

Celebrities reaching out to LGBT youth

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By now you’ve heard about 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, but just in case you haven’t, he was outed as gay on the Internet and subsequently jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” project. That was triggered by Billy Lucas’ suicide, which was one of a few in the last few weeks. Just this past week, even after the news of Clementi’s death, another gay youth’s suicide was reported.

Ellen DeGeneres felt moved enough to record a video about these events:

Her last line echoes the sentiments of Savage’s “It Gets Better” project:

“Things will get easier, people’s minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.”

Savage created “It Gets Better” for LGBT adults to create videos to let the youth know that no matter how shitty it might be now, “it gets better.” When I posted about it a few weeks ago, Dan and his husband Terry were the only ones to have posted a video. Now there are several videos. Take a look, as they are quite encouraging and representative of the richly diverse possibilities you can have as an LGBT adult. But, you need to be alive to see it.

Elsewhere on the Internet, I found this ad from the “Give A Damn” campaign:

The “Give A Damn” project has an impressive roster of celebrities — gay and straight — who are lending their name and time to this cause. From the website:

The Give a Damn Campaign is for everybody who cares about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

But, it’s especially for all you straight people out there! Whether you’re already an active supporter, want to show your support for the first time, or hadn’t given equality a lot of thought before and now want to learn more, we are here to help you get informed about the issues and get involved, at a pace that works for you.

You’ll find a lot of useful information throughout this site—information that’ll engage you, surprise you and move you. You will also find a bunch of ways to get involved and show your support and encourage your straight peers to show theirs as well.

For all you gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender folks—we need and want you here, too! Because this site is also for you. Not only will you learn new things that might surprise and interest you, you’ll also find a lot of useful tools and resources that will help you encourage the straight people in your life to give a damn.

And then, through my friend Greg, I found this PSA on behalf of the Trevor Project:

If you’re in Jacksonville, Fla., the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network can be reached at (904) 389-0089. Nationally, the Trevor Lifeline can be reached at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386), where youth can speak with a trained volunteer counselor.

I know firsthand how it can suck to be an LGBT youth, but it gets better, and we need you around to see it.

“It Gets Better”: Being A Gay Teenager

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Sex columnist and gay icon Dan Savage has created a project to let LGBT teenagers know that while life may be difficult now, “it gets better.”

Savage started the “It Gets Better” project after 15-year-old Indiana teenager Billy Lucas hanged himself in his family’s barn after enduring bullying from his classmates. In the weeks since Billy’s death, Savage has written about the incident in his Slog, inspiring multiple comments.

One comment struck a chord with Savage: the commenter expressed regret at not being able to tell Billy that things get better for gays and lesbians after high school. Savage explained on his podcast how this inspired him and his husband to create a video. They wanted to share their stories of how they were able to experience happiness as openly gay adults, despite the bullying they received as kids. Their hope is that other gay and lesbian adults will upload similar videos so that LGBT youth can know that despite how tough things might be now, it gets better.

I hope more LGBT adults will post videos to the “It Gets Better” channel. I’ve always said that it’s incredibly helpful for people to be open and accepting so that others will feel less isolated. Dan and Terry endured some difficult things in high school, but they got through it, found each other and have great lives. Hell, even I was inspired by their stories, and I had a good high school experience and come from a very accepting family. I can only imagine how helpful this could be for someone whose high school experience and family sucked.

Side note: If you’re a longtime Dan Savage devotee and groupie (like me), then you’ll relish the opportunity to finally see Terry. I’ve read almost every Dan Savage book, so I feel like I know Terry, D.J., Judy and the rest of Dan’s family. Terry looks nothing like how I pictured him to look.

Anywho, check it out. It’s an interesting use of the Internet and a hopeful event in an otherwise sad story.