Digital Losers Anonymous?

Recently this question was rattling around in my head, “Do social networks (the likes of “MyFace” & “Youoogle”) and other so-called online communities legitmise, promote and celebrate losers, socially rewarding them with a new found desirability and popularity?”

This issue had arisen numerous times fuelled by my own experiences with online communities and also chats with friends where we kept stumbling on the curious and repeated “exaultation of losers “.

Quite some time ago now, Michael Wesch’s YouTube video “An anthropological introduction to YouTube” landed up infront of my eyeballs; it is a perfect example of the celebration of the lowest common denominator. Although very palatable and entertaining, what is hidden in plain sight and woven into the “happy, happy, freedom and flowers, huggy-world” is YouTube propaganda. Mr Wesch’s observations and findings maybe amusing and of passing interest but are hardly earth shattering revelations about humankind and thus, my reaction was “So what? That’s hardly news”.

However, left to ruminate I started to find the underlying sentiment somewhat unsettling. Why on earth are we supposed to celebrate and glorify “monkey see, monkey do” behaviour and be proud of ourselves for that? Or suddenly think we are so “special” because we may sometimes do and feel the same things as other humans beings on the planet? Mr Wesch’s YouTube advertising campaign screams “WOW, we’re/you’re so AMAZING!!!” but only if you can shove yourself in front of a webcam to be part of the YouTube “community”… but I hear you mutter “what’s wrong with that?”

What’s wrong with that is that we aren’t celebrating the things we should be celebrating; the great accomplishments that stand as testament to the human spirit and human endeavour that bring humankind nearer to achieving ever-greater pinnacles of evolution, intelligence and enlightenment. These “mojo-killer” loser attitudes are the epitomy of hypocrisy and encourage us to cancel out real aspirations and drastically lower our sights, goals and ambitions… Why? Because not only is it okay now to be a loser; “losers” have suddenly become somehow “cool”.

It’s no wonder we might get a little confused as these social values are insidiously promoted and endorsed. Losers are trying to make themselves acceptable online by making it easy for everyone else to think of themselves as losers (i.e. it’s supposed to be “cool”). They tell us we are all somehow the same, so no one is beneath anybody else (i.e. above them) and in a landscape of political correctness no one is supposed to speak up about how we are degrading ourselves. Nobody is allowed to say “there’s something seriously wrong if you’re proud to be a loser” because we might upset these losers’ overly sensitive dispositions. If you were to voice opposition to this new, creeping online social standard you’d likely be accused of being a “hater” and enthusiastically coerced into mistrusting your own judgement. My suspicion is that these losers would be extremely unlikely to be so bold in real life and instead choose to cower in the confines of the online, digital world where they feel there’s safety in numbers, and have plenty of distance and anonymity.

Unfortunately, what the “loser” groupies don’t understand is that all it takes not to be a loser is the courage to actually take a few risks and have the simple ambition and determination to constantly strive to be better than you are. If we can do that honestly, none of us are losers, no matter who we are or what we achieve.

dmojo

Below: Michael Wesch’s video illustrating “Anthropological propoganda and advertising for YouTube”

© Dmojo, 2008-2009.

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