3 Edgy 5 U, a World of Contrarians
http://i.imgur.com/TMNI8s9.jpg
Having
discussed Upworthy and the annoyance it provides, I feel it is worthwhile
discussing another prominent - and frustrating, aspect of social media, though it extends far beyond the scope of social media alone. I am drawn to write about this due to the recent crisis in Ukraine, and the many frustrating, self-aggrandizing and just plain incorrect statements I have seen on the situation.
Edgy content is something that is shared with the sole intention of distancing yourself from a perceived norm in society, often with the goal of seeming somehow superior to those within the norm. Additionally, the content is presented in a provocative way, because the edgy poster “doesn’t give a fuck what you think”. Finally, this content is usually implied to be an objective truth, which only an enlightened and free thinking individual such as the poster is willing to believe.
The first example of an edgy post I will examine is the "I don't care" post. This is some statement about some aspect of popular culture, Miley Cyrus, The Oscars, you name it, and how it is a complete waste of time and by the way did you know (ins. major news event), people should care about that. The problem with this style of post is that it puts forward a kind of cultural elitism. I the poster, am an informed, intelligent individual, as opposed to the unwashed masses who are only interested in that drivel. But this is in many ways a strawman argument. There are few people who only consume news about popular culture. The people who consume a bit of both popular culture and hard news in moderation (myself included) feel insulted, and lose respect for the poster. Further, posts like this serve no real purpose beyond pretentious self-promotion. If you want people to be more informed, you should direct them to reliable sources of information, not insult the things that they are informed about. Indeed, the poster is the one who is blinding themselves to information in our world, through their stalwart insistence that it is not worthwhile. Finally, there is an obvious hypocrisy to this statement, as if you truly didn't care about this, you wouldn't have broadcast that in the first place.
Another example that is quite widely seen is the "just sayin' " post. This is usually more insidious than the "I don't care", and is more frequently found with a layer of anonymity (ridiculously common on Reddit), thought this is not always the case. This statement presents the poster as an ordinary, down to earth guy who is just stating facts. "If woman don't want to get raped, they should be more careful at bars, just sayin' ", "black people commit more crime, just sayin' ", there are many 'controversial' opinions that are seen time and time again. This is troublesome for several reasons. First, it ignores context and phrases a discussion in a way to infer a certain result. Without actually committing to an offensive view, this person is trying to make a passive viewer come around to their view, in a way that they can back away from easily. Second, because it is said in such a casual way, it allows the poster to engage in the rhetoric of "woah, don't be so sensitive, I was just saying..." and then some long winded defensive argument. Finally, it is again a source of self promotion. You are claiming to be the voice of reason, someone who is "just sayin' " what everyone is thinking, who isn't afraid to rustle feathers. People who use this style of post are often fond of saying something like "it might not be P.C.". I could write an entire other essay about the problems with the concept of Political Correctness, but I am sure others have done it better - suffice it to say that you shouldn't not say bad things because of political reasons, you should not say them because they are bad things to say and hurt people. Ultimately, this group is a slightly softer version of the next group, ranters.
Ranters are people who just need to get their voice heard. And hell, I freely admit that I am one of them from time to time. Some would say this blog is purely for that purpose. But when a person's desire to rant meets their will to be edgy, it gets ugly. Rants usually come in the form of long blocks of text, frequently starting arguments with people of different opinions which drag long into the comments section below. Ranters are the peak of edgy content. They share the "I don't care" people's contempt for the masses, and the "just sayin' " crew's defiance of perceived cultural policing. When they are disagreed with, they are often contemptuous, often falling back on the "well if you believe that then it's not even worth talking to" line of reasoning. These are the people who create websites, groups, even entire communities. Sure enough, their fighting of the popular will develops around them into an echo chamber where they and people like them enforce their beliefs, leading to longer rants.
I am being a bit hard on edginess. It is important for our culture to be critical the status quo, and there is value in being vocal about this. The issue with edginess is similar to that of Upworthy however, it's usually a lot of talk, with very little action. Rather than supporting the cause of whatever they believe in, an edgy person is usually just trying to prop themselves up as an intellectual through their support in that cause by comparing themselves to the perceived norm.
I feel like it is worth while asking where edginess might come from. Inevitably, it is a part of any culture where dissent is tolerated, but why does it appear so readily on the internet? I'll propose a few possible causes. First, our culture has a largely individualist bend to it, springing from many different sources. The coolest character in Star Wars is Han Solo, the tough talking guy who doesn't play by the rules. Highschool movies and television often focus on the status quo being taken on by outsiders or underdogs. Nobody wants to label themselves as normal. So this leads to some people desperately trying to prove their individuality, and an easy way to do this is to attack cultural norms. Furthermore, as I referenced before, the age of the internet allows us selective media and echo chambers of discussion. When you hold a certain view, it is very easy to read and watch a lot of things that support that view, and then discuss how right that view is with your peers. Third is the protection of a computer screen. It is much easier to offend someone who you do not have to see the reactions of right away, and to fight against people's beliefs in the comfort of your own home.
This concludes my analysis of Edginess. It comes in many forms, but all of them share a similarity in self promotion. There are many sources in our time that lead to it. Ultimately, being edgy is a pointless, and often hypocritical pursuit, which can blind you to multiple different views. Thanks for reading, I really welcome any comments on the writing, your own feelings on edginess, or any improvements that could be made to the layout of the blog.
Edgy content is something that is shared with the sole intention of distancing yourself from a perceived norm in society, often with the goal of seeming somehow superior to those within the norm. Additionally, the content is presented in a provocative way, because the edgy poster “doesn’t give a fuck what you think”. Finally, this content is usually implied to be an objective truth, which only an enlightened and free thinking individual such as the poster is willing to believe.
The first example of an edgy post I will examine is the "I don't care" post. This is some statement about some aspect of popular culture, Miley Cyrus, The Oscars, you name it, and how it is a complete waste of time and by the way did you know (ins. major news event), people should care about that. The problem with this style of post is that it puts forward a kind of cultural elitism. I the poster, am an informed, intelligent individual, as opposed to the unwashed masses who are only interested in that drivel. But this is in many ways a strawman argument. There are few people who only consume news about popular culture. The people who consume a bit of both popular culture and hard news in moderation (myself included) feel insulted, and lose respect for the poster. Further, posts like this serve no real purpose beyond pretentious self-promotion. If you want people to be more informed, you should direct them to reliable sources of information, not insult the things that they are informed about. Indeed, the poster is the one who is blinding themselves to information in our world, through their stalwart insistence that it is not worthwhile. Finally, there is an obvious hypocrisy to this statement, as if you truly didn't care about this, you wouldn't have broadcast that in the first place.
Another example that is quite widely seen is the "just sayin' " post. This is usually more insidious than the "I don't care", and is more frequently found with a layer of anonymity (ridiculously common on Reddit), thought this is not always the case. This statement presents the poster as an ordinary, down to earth guy who is just stating facts. "If woman don't want to get raped, they should be more careful at bars, just sayin' ", "black people commit more crime, just sayin' ", there are many 'controversial' opinions that are seen time and time again. This is troublesome for several reasons. First, it ignores context and phrases a discussion in a way to infer a certain result. Without actually committing to an offensive view, this person is trying to make a passive viewer come around to their view, in a way that they can back away from easily. Second, because it is said in such a casual way, it allows the poster to engage in the rhetoric of "woah, don't be so sensitive, I was just saying..." and then some long winded defensive argument. Finally, it is again a source of self promotion. You are claiming to be the voice of reason, someone who is "just sayin' " what everyone is thinking, who isn't afraid to rustle feathers. People who use this style of post are often fond of saying something like "it might not be P.C.". I could write an entire other essay about the problems with the concept of Political Correctness, but I am sure others have done it better - suffice it to say that you shouldn't not say bad things because of political reasons, you should not say them because they are bad things to say and hurt people. Ultimately, this group is a slightly softer version of the next group, ranters.
Ranters are people who just need to get their voice heard. And hell, I freely admit that I am one of them from time to time. Some would say this blog is purely for that purpose. But when a person's desire to rant meets their will to be edgy, it gets ugly. Rants usually come in the form of long blocks of text, frequently starting arguments with people of different opinions which drag long into the comments section below. Ranters are the peak of edgy content. They share the "I don't care" people's contempt for the masses, and the "just sayin' " crew's defiance of perceived cultural policing. When they are disagreed with, they are often contemptuous, often falling back on the "well if you believe that then it's not even worth talking to" line of reasoning. These are the people who create websites, groups, even entire communities. Sure enough, their fighting of the popular will develops around them into an echo chamber where they and people like them enforce their beliefs, leading to longer rants.
I am being a bit hard on edginess. It is important for our culture to be critical the status quo, and there is value in being vocal about this. The issue with edginess is similar to that of Upworthy however, it's usually a lot of talk, with very little action. Rather than supporting the cause of whatever they believe in, an edgy person is usually just trying to prop themselves up as an intellectual through their support in that cause by comparing themselves to the perceived norm.
I feel like it is worth while asking where edginess might come from. Inevitably, it is a part of any culture where dissent is tolerated, but why does it appear so readily on the internet? I'll propose a few possible causes. First, our culture has a largely individualist bend to it, springing from many different sources. The coolest character in Star Wars is Han Solo, the tough talking guy who doesn't play by the rules. Highschool movies and television often focus on the status quo being taken on by outsiders or underdogs. Nobody wants to label themselves as normal. So this leads to some people desperately trying to prove their individuality, and an easy way to do this is to attack cultural norms. Furthermore, as I referenced before, the age of the internet allows us selective media and echo chambers of discussion. When you hold a certain view, it is very easy to read and watch a lot of things that support that view, and then discuss how right that view is with your peers. Third is the protection of a computer screen. It is much easier to offend someone who you do not have to see the reactions of right away, and to fight against people's beliefs in the comfort of your own home.
This concludes my analysis of Edginess. It comes in many forms, but all of them share a similarity in self promotion. There are many sources in our time that lead to it. Ultimately, being edgy is a pointless, and often hypocritical pursuit, which can blind you to multiple different views. Thanks for reading, I really welcome any comments on the writing, your own feelings on edginess, or any improvements that could be made to the layout of the blog.
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