Different cultural and social backgrounds affect how people perceive the world. In the case of pranks, one person may respond with laughter and another may respond with anger. Pranks are typically viewed as forms of mediocre entertainment, but they offer insight into mediated culture and its societal implications. Hobbs’ and Grafe’s Youtube Pranking Across Cultures, examines cultural differences in online prank videos; they establish that pranks are a dark form of cyberculture, and I strive to further document their findings of how its negativity results in social solidarity and ethical discussion. The article changes interpretations and recognizes pranks as having more than entertainment value. Pranks have always existed in social culture.
…show more content…
This is seemingly natural to humankind. Social unity derives from prank videos because the victims lack control, “but when comedy and malice are linked, it’s possible that re-articulations of social power through humiliation serve to represent and share complex emotions through online circulation . . .” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para. 13). Prank videos are popular because the subjects in the videos are familiar to people: other humans. Viewers like to see what happens when someone is put into a situation without control. It is akin to reality where individuals can only maintain so much control over variables in their lives. The ending is always unpredictable. It is a thought often avoided, but indulged in when watching prank videos, due to its relatable “loss of control” factor. Viewers share the transgressive experience with others, despite not being the actual victim in the prank, “by making the target the victim of disparaging humor, other group members can gain a feeling of solidarity and cultural superiority” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para. 12). Thus, social solidarity is established from viewing these videos. It plays on familiar human attributes and brings people together. Furthermore, Hobbs’ and Grafe’s finding of social unity is a greater revelation, despite their research centered on pinpointing cultural differences across online prank videos. It is important to find these cultural …show more content…
31), the article recognizes that the videos of children as victims garner more attention. The study finds that the traditional lower status individuals humiliating higher status individuals is not recognizable. Instead, children are the common victims in the U.S. videos. Comments responding to these pranks either normalize or reject the video content. The rejection is the key aspect that launches a social debate on the topic of pranks. This in turn “may support the development of digital and media literacy competencies that promote critical thinking about a wide range of humorous but distracting media content” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para.
This is seemingly natural to humankind. Social unity derives from prank videos because the victims lack control, “but when comedy and malice are linked, it’s possible that re-articulations of social power through humiliation serve to represent and share complex emotions through online circulation . . .” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para. 13). Prank videos are popular because the subjects in the videos are familiar to people: other humans. Viewers like to see what happens when someone is put into a situation without control. It is akin to reality where individuals can only maintain so much control over variables in their lives. The ending is always unpredictable. It is a thought often avoided, but indulged in when watching prank videos, due to its relatable “loss of control” factor. Viewers share the transgressive experience with others, despite not being the actual victim in the prank, “by making the target the victim of disparaging humor, other group members can gain a feeling of solidarity and cultural superiority” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para. 12). Thus, social solidarity is established from viewing these videos. It plays on familiar human attributes and brings people together. Furthermore, Hobbs’ and Grafe’s finding of social unity is a greater revelation, despite their research centered on pinpointing cultural differences across online prank videos. It is important to find these cultural …show more content…
31), the article recognizes that the videos of children as victims garner more attention. The study finds that the traditional lower status individuals humiliating higher status individuals is not recognizable. Instead, children are the common victims in the U.S. videos. Comments responding to these pranks either normalize or reject the video content. The rejection is the key aspect that launches a social debate on the topic of pranks. This in turn “may support the development of digital and media literacy competencies that promote critical thinking about a wide range of humorous but distracting media content” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para.