Browse Exhibits (2 total)
YouTube Top Comments
The growth of the Internet and social media has allowed a massive amount of online interaction to occur on a daily basis. Obvious examples of such would be Twitter threads or Snapchat and Instagram stories however, comment sections stand out as the largest mixing pot of online interactivity. On popular social media pages or YouTube channels there can be comments from tens of thousands of individuals that vary greatly in content. Some people self-promote their own pages, others may make an insightful observation, there could be racial slurs or derogatory language, it is truly a mixed bag. However in every comment section there is a diamond in the rough. The top comment.
The concept of a top comment is incredible. One single comment climbing it’s way to the top of a comment section, rising above the many other puns, statements, and shameless plugs to be deemed the top comment. Comment’s find their way to the top for a variety of reasons, but ultimately it is up to the individuals that compose the comment section to “thumbs up” or “heart” a comment to the point of virtual superstardom. These top comments are frequently even funnier than the content the comment is about, and that is the glory of the Internet. Users determine the popularity of a comment through a discrete and unbiased democracy. Compiled here are some of my favorite top comments.
Twitter: A Stream of Consciousness - Covid-19
Twitter, as of November 2019, has taken on a new life, reinvigorated by thousands of users that have taken to the platform to express themselves in the midst of the Coronavirus. Twitter users use their tweets to connect with others during a time when isolation is no longer a safety precaution, but a requirement by law. However, the personal and psychological effects of the pandemic were not always so evident in the tweets of the majority of users and instead seem to have slowly grown and shifted over the months. This change in the tone of the general consensus on twitter is what this exhibit focuses on, using tweets from popular users as well as not to paint a picture of what life was like for people during the Coronavirus pandemic. The tweets range from humorous to deadly serious, covering only a tiny scope of the range of personal expression during such a challenging time in history. A platform like Twitter allows tracking of the changes in the general consensus by tracking dates and the reach that the tweet has- through the likes and retweets! The situation in early 2020 was unprecedented for the general populace and it is interesting to see how people have taken to social media to react to it.