Well, here are the writing requests
Oct. 13th, 2005 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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crackedwraith
Memes? Why they're around/so popular?
I'm a serial offender when it comes to memes. My personal favorites are quizzes that could be in some issue of some cheesy girl magazine, challenges to write about a topic, and questions about deep personal stuff. I know why I like to take all these quizzes, surveys, and dares that float around my friends list. However, I cannot say why others do it.
Maybe for other people, it's quick amusement to justify staying on the computer for a few minutes. For other, it is a poster paint Rorschach into their psyche. Maybe it's a way to announce allegiances, showing how much they like LCD Soundsystem and hate Avril Lavigne, or whatever. Maybe people like sticking pretty stolen anime on their friends list, announcing which yaoi seme they are.
Here's my reason. It's not so much being like everyone else, but being better than anyone else.
Let me explain. You know that gadget that made a fictional band out of people on your friends list, with all the foul-mouthed assessments of that fictional band's career? Oh, yes, when I saw it in that friend's post, it was funny. However, if I put a band with actual musicians on my friends list, or people who just look like rock stars, I could make it even funnier.
Then there are lists having to do with geography, or fandoms, or any markers of personal preference. Hey, that "You know you're from [this state]" was funny, but what do they say about my state? Never mind you, let's talk about me.
We can't forget tests. "Hey, my friend got a good score on that quiz. I bet I can test as having better grammatical skills/being less of a Nazi/knowing sources of Firefly quotations." Some people aren't thrilled when it isn't so; some consider it somewhat dishonest not to cop to your shortcomings, at least in the comments.
These are all short ways to distinguish you from being another whiner with a keyboard. You are smarter, funnier, grosser, more sensitive, more sexually liberated than your friends. Or maybe you take a certain pride in being duller, neater, more callous, and more prudish than your friends. At least everyone knows you are different.
I also like the memes involving writing for that reason. I had wanted to be a writer the same way some kids wanted to be fire fighters, astronauts, dancers, or fairy royalty. I am not a self-supporting writer the same reason that not many people are fairy royalty. However, I get into people asking for writings the same reason weekend athletes get into pickup games. If I could do it there, maybe I can do it in bigger settings.
Yet, I think of a chimpanzee researcher saying "One chimpanzee is no chimpanzee." If we didn't have people around us, we'd have no idea how far we can go, how much of ourselves we can develop. So, one person takes a quiz on "Which British serial killer are you?" You may laugh, you may mock, but you might take that quiz. All just to see how apart you are from people you know without being isolated.
crackedwraithMemes? Why they're around/so popular?
I'm a serial offender when it comes to memes. My personal favorites are quizzes that could be in some issue of some cheesy girl magazine, challenges to write about a topic, and questions about deep personal stuff. I know why I like to take all these quizzes, surveys, and dares that float around my friends list. However, I cannot say why others do it.
Maybe for other people, it's quick amusement to justify staying on the computer for a few minutes. For other, it is a poster paint Rorschach into their psyche. Maybe it's a way to announce allegiances, showing how much they like LCD Soundsystem and hate Avril Lavigne, or whatever. Maybe people like sticking pretty stolen anime on their friends list, announcing which yaoi seme they are.
Here's my reason. It's not so much being like everyone else, but being better than anyone else.
Let me explain. You know that gadget that made a fictional band out of people on your friends list, with all the foul-mouthed assessments of that fictional band's career? Oh, yes, when I saw it in that friend's post, it was funny. However, if I put a band with actual musicians on my friends list, or people who just look like rock stars, I could make it even funnier.
Then there are lists having to do with geography, or fandoms, or any markers of personal preference. Hey, that "You know you're from [this state]" was funny, but what do they say about my state? Never mind you, let's talk about me.
We can't forget tests. "Hey, my friend got a good score on that quiz. I bet I can test as having better grammatical skills/being less of a Nazi/knowing sources of Firefly quotations." Some people aren't thrilled when it isn't so; some consider it somewhat dishonest not to cop to your shortcomings, at least in the comments.
These are all short ways to distinguish you from being another whiner with a keyboard. You are smarter, funnier, grosser, more sensitive, more sexually liberated than your friends. Or maybe you take a certain pride in being duller, neater, more callous, and more prudish than your friends. At least everyone knows you are different.
I also like the memes involving writing for that reason. I had wanted to be a writer the same way some kids wanted to be fire fighters, astronauts, dancers, or fairy royalty. I am not a self-supporting writer the same reason that not many people are fairy royalty. However, I get into people asking for writings the same reason weekend athletes get into pickup games. If I could do it there, maybe I can do it in bigger settings.
Yet, I think of a chimpanzee researcher saying "One chimpanzee is no chimpanzee." If we didn't have people around us, we'd have no idea how far we can go, how much of ourselves we can develop. So, one person takes a quiz on "Which British serial killer are you?" You may laugh, you may mock, but you might take that quiz. All just to see how apart you are from people you know without being isolated.
