The internet has evolved over the years at an exponential rate. From what started out as a network of highly sophisticated mainframe computers at learning institutions back in the 70s and transitioned onto a network intelligent machines which helped business perform everyday functions with greater ease in the 80s and 90s, the internet has now become a global phenomenon.
While there are many companies which should be credited for boosting the popularity of the internet by making computers more accessible to the general public, it was Apple with its iPhone that made the internet truly mobile. People started taking the internet with them wherever they went, as the iPhone had internet connectivity built into it.
Of course, many may argue that the Blackberry brought the internet at the palms of mobile phone consumers, but that was only limited to emails and IM services. The iPhone made it possible for people to access the fun side of the internet, and later on, services like Facebook and Twitter developed applications especially for the iPhone to provide users with easier access to social networking.
The Changing Dynamics of How We Communicate
This social networking boom has changed the dynamics of how we communicate with people from around the world. We are no longer simply sharing our content as we did back in the day on MySpace. Instead, we can share our content and invite comments on it from people living in all parts of the world.
Not only people, but businesses have also established a very prominent identity on the internet. If anyone experiences a problem with, say, Uber, they can simply go on Uber’s Facebook page and write a critical comment which would be visible to all other consumers, both existing and prospective, of the service.
These comments help people make an informed decision about whether they want to purchase a product or service, which is why business have become very conscious about the comments they receive on the internet. However, not all comments are serious in nature, and as we have discovered, many of the comments are actually entirely fictional and absolutely hilarious due to their bizarre content.
The Comic Side of the Internet
There was this article published in the New York Times titled How Was Your Experience? Please Rate The Entire World by Hilary Sheinbaum back in November, and it received a lot of attention due to the fact that it highlighted a very common, very recent social phenomenon that has not been discussed in much detail as of yet.
In her article, Hilary talks about those online commentators who leave behind the wittiest comments you may have ever heard about some of the most famous places in the world. She gives the example of the Pacific Ocean, which is not a tourist attraction in itself yet has received a rating of 3.5 out of a total of 5 stars on Google with over 14500 reviews from people detailing their experience with the ocean.
For example, while most of the negative reviews cut points because of the existence of sharks in the ocean, some have even given the ocean a bad rating stating that it is perhaps too wet. Of course, that is one of the most bizarre things we have ever heard, but, then again, that is the kind of comedy which has become commonplace as far as the comments section of the internet is concerned.
This is true for many other websites which welcome user-generated comments section to allow other visitors to make an informed assessment about a product or service, such as Amazon or Yelp. In fact, Amazon receives such comments so much, and they receive so much attention from other Amazon visitors, that the company compiled some of the best, most funny user comments it has received over the years in a compilation called Did You Read That Review? A Compilation of Amazon’s Funniest Reviews.