Working on the web, it’s very easy to get sucked into a weird sort of hive mind. Drama echoes around the blogs and think pieces of the contemporary internet in tones of angry indignation like the halls of a high school.
From career defining burnouts like Logan Paul’s trip to Japan to wide-reaching bugs and scandals like the Heartbleed bug, our industry seems to be the first to know and the last to forget about all kinds of terrible stuff. The recent revelations about Cambridge Analytica and its shady practices surrounding the 2016 US Election and the UK’s EU Referendum are following a similar pattern.
All of these things are terrible in their own way and I don’t mean to minimize them at all.
I am feeling a bit jaded by the current state of affairs online though. We’re three months into 2018 and so far it is not looking like a great year to be a creative on the internet.
Or is it?
In light of some of the frustrating and depressing news on the net I’ve consciously tried turning my attention to lighter fare. And it turns out there’s still a lot of great uplifting stuff online.
I wanted to share a short list of things that have been renewing my hope and excitement about the internet lately in the hopes that it might brighten your browser as well:
The Anthropocene Reviewed
Author, video blogger and podcaster John Green’s latest project is a monthly-ish look at the things humans have created or enabled in the world. Each episode includes historical rundowns of two topics which are then rated on a five-star scale. Topics range from Cholera to Diet Dr. Pepper. Like most things Green does, this podcast is smart and silly in a way that feels like it could only exist in the 21st century.
Cecil Robert
We’ve talked at length about the unique “music videos” of Cecil Robert on Dudes Brunch lately. This YouTube user’s unique ability to provoke an emotional reaction by placing music in desolate spaces is weird and wonderful. Some of the videos on this channel make me laugh, some make me want to cry, but all of them make me glad to live in a time where this kind of content is possible.
Africa by Toto Bot
It tweets lyrics to that one Toto song you like.
The Aunt Nancy
The impromptu resurgence and canonization of a stunt cocktail created on a goof for a podcast in 2003. John Gruber and Paul Kafasis discussed this at length on The Talk Show earlier this year and I can’t stop thinking about how weirdly charming segment was. Also, the phrase “fistful of maraschino cherries” always brings a smile to my face.
I’m always looking for new fun little things from the internet. If you know some good ones, leave a comment.