I am going to get a very unpopular opinion out of the way right off the bat: I have never gotten the hype surrounding Vine. To me personally, I feel like the format has great potential to be funny, but often falls flat when too many people attempt a rushed, seven second joke execution. However, it is undeniable that there have been a handful of true gems, and it is apparent that the majority of the youth conglomerate of today can be found with more Vines quoted in their vocabulary than legitimate original thoughts. Vine really does appear to encapsulate the ‘voice of a generation’ more accurately than most of its contemporaries. While I would argue that, within the realms of popular phone applications, Vine was never even in the top ten, it has arguably spawned more lasting, quotable memes than any other app.
A topic that Testa brings up in her article (side note: Nikoleta Testa sounds like a reincarnated version of the famed inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla. I seriously cannot be the only one who noticed that, right? I thought it was wordplay or something. That is actually her name. That is incredibly rad.) that resonated with me initially was pointing out that Vine only gained its popularity once it had been discontinued. It seems that Vine became the voice of a generation not because of its widespread fame or its jokes, but rather as a martyr. People often do not think of the subject of an application as something that comes and goes, but Vine represents the side of society that we often do not acknowledge: how something pleasant and enjoyable can just be gone in a moment’s notice. I feel like the majority of the cult following Vine has gained in the last year or so relies on this subconscious process. By realizing that Vine exists no longer, the human brain feels nostalgia for it, enhancing its view in the public eye and ultimately skyrocketing it back into relevance.
Tom and Jerry are one of the most iconic, recognizable duos in all of cartoon history. The charming, animated, domestic ultraviolence of the age-old cat versus mouse tale has weaved its way into the hearts and minds of the last five generations or so. It relies heavily on simple, slapstick scenarios, often involving the pain of Tom the cat and pleasure of Jerry the mouse. Slapstick humor is defined as “comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and humorously embarrassing events.” This means that anything from The Three Stooges to Blazing Saddles has indulged in a bit of slapstick every now and then, even if it is considered to be childish and cheap to most critical audiences. However, despite the negative connotation associated with slapstick, Tom and Jerry has managed to not only create a formula that performs remarkably well, but also one that stands the test of time. Tom and Jerry continues to be a relevant series down through generations, constantly getting reboots, reruns, ...
Nostalgia does seem to be a large factor here. It does seem like the attitudes toward vine have changed. Perhaps nostalgia is related to grief and dark humor. They are both ways of coming to terms with loss and change. What do you think about how that influences our attitudes?
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