Media Sensationalisation

Or shall I just say YouTube sensationalisation? Well, it is directly and indirectly connected with YouTube only. Isn't it? And, more than that it revolves around the basic human nature of us that loves this phenomenon of sensationalisation. But I’m not going to concentrate here on this very human nature. Instead I’m going to recollect all the sensationalism that happened in the past couple of years, minus the excessive use of this ‘S’ term. ;)

And as I write this piece, I remember this chapter from my English book back in school. The chapter was ‘Cutie Pie’ by Nicolas Frisk and I don’t remember the line word for word but I do remember it talked about how much we love sensationalism and how short-lived a public memory is. And, honestly, I can’t seem to disagree. Neither would you once you finish reading this blog.

So, without browsing much on internet, if I look into the past and recollect all the hullabaloos, the first thing that I can remember is ‘Why this Kolavari-Kolaveri Di’. Remember? It started with Rajinikanth’s SIL, Dhanush in late March 2012 and after that many an amateur singer including Sonu Nigam’s son tried his/her hands on it. The song and versions of it account for more than 50 million of YouTube's total views. And that’s really something.

The next on my list is ‘Oppam Gangnam Style’. And I must confess I was head over heels for this one. The song by South Korean musician PSY was released in July 2012 and it became a rage in no time. ‘Gangnam Style’ became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views. Its signature moves were attempted by many notable political leaders such as the British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. President Barack Obama, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who hailed it as a "force for world peace". Long story short and thus PSY became an ‘international sensation’.

Last but not the least, it’s Harlem shake meme that is the ‘in’ thing. A little history: The song ‘Harlem Shake’ by American electronic musician Baauer released in 2012. It didn't gain much popularity until when a group of five teenagers from Australia known as The Sunny Coast Skate uploaded a meme in February, 2013. The video has become viral with many people replicating the same concept on their video. Still too early to give it a YouTube count!

So, these are a few that I can remember. I’m sure there are many that I've skipped but then again they were supposed to be forgotten. Ain't they?

- G