Tag: fun
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The internet used to be fun. Remember?
In August, a TikTok video of a 7-year-old named Tariq whisked me back to 2013 when being online was actually fun.
Through a toothy jack-o’-lantern grin, he waxed poetic about the delights of corn with such unadulterated joy and sincerity that virality seemed almost inevitable. The video spread widely and soon Tariq became known as “Corn Kid” across the internet and beyond. He was featured on Good Morning America, rode in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, was named an official “Corn-bassador” of South Dakota, and gained further notoriety when YouTube creator Schmoyoho crafted a musical remix of his adorable enthusiasm that has since been used in more than 1.4 million TikToks.
For a moment, the internet felt warm and sweet. “Corn Kid” was a TikTok hit, the viral wunderkind of a platform that continued to feel thrillingly fresh and unpredictable this year, the way Vine did when it launched nearly a decade ago, and YouTube did until an influx of showy creators, political vitriol, and conspiracies ruined the fun for everyone.
Back then, the magic of the internet revealed itself every day. It was electric with possibility, and logging on was accompanied by the thrilling anticipation of discovery. New types of humor, new forms of self-expression through GIFs, videos, and photo sharing, and new ways to communicate through social media and instant messaging were taking shape online. The idea of an internet “trend” was brand new; we could now see something online — like “Gangnam Style” or the Harlem Shake — and replicate it ourselves. In 2013, what was big on the internet was big for everyone on the internet.
Back then, the magic of the internet revealed itself in new ways every day. It was electric with possibility, and logging on was accompanied by the thrilling anticipation of discovery.
That year’s YouTube Rewind, an annual video recap of the year’s most viral clips and trends, shows how united we were then by a shared cultural dialogue. The video was themed around Ylvis’s “What Does the Fox Say?” a viral hit played on heavy rotation, performed at awards shows, and parroted ubiquitously in daily life. The Rewind montage also referenced Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” music videos, a reminder that there was a time when releases were major monolithic events (and the general awareness of rape culture was low.)
By 2018, YouTube received so much backlash for its inability to capture the increasingly fractured expanse of the internet that it gave up on producing Rewind videos completely.
Today, Corn Kid’s glee over the buttery goodness of an ear of corn feels so precious because the internet now feels so sour and divisive. Politics embitters so much of our online experience, and the rest of it is suffocated by negativity or bullying. Meanwhile, cultural content has become so derivative, closer to regurgitation than reinvention. Marvel’s big-budget blowouts own the box office, and Broadway is flooded with jukebox musicals and movie adaptations. Skins walked so that the drug-popping, sex-charged teens of Euphoria could run, and HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot has yet to re-awaken the fervor for the original. Even the digital trends are repetitive.
On the charts, the explosive growth of hip-hop and Latin music, and the rise of K-pop — which has ballooned as a global economic and cultural force since Psy’s 2012 hit “Gangnam Style” — are all exciting developments. But much of the industry is still thriving on nostalgia where everything old gets reborn on the internet. The 1975, whose popularity surged alongside Skins GIF sets on Tumblr in 2013, are making horny tongues wag on TikTok again. Harry Styles is at the height of his power, 10 years after One Direction were at the height of theirs. Taylor Swift has managed to remain pervasive, a decade after Red became her first no. 1 album in the U.S. An emo-infused pop-rock resurgence led by newcomers like Olivia Rodrigo and the return of Paramore and My Chemical Romance has even woven its way back into the fabric of pop culture, 10 years after its dominance on our airwaves.
There is no longer a “mainstream” culture we all participate in.
In February, NBC shared that viewership for its 2022 Olympics coverage was 43 percent lower than that of the last Olympics. Some blamed it on COVID restrictions or on the time difference between China and the U.S., but the ratings also spoke to a loss of community, of singular cultural events that used to unite us.
There is no longer a “mainstream” culture we all participate in. The internet is algorithmic, thriving on niche interests and breaking down into smaller and smaller corners until we are all staring into our own highly customized feed. Being online feels less like a collective experience and more like a choose-your-own-adventure. That’s what makes Corn Kid so special.
Corn Kid is nothing new himself. In fact, I’m probably endeared to his delightful little rant because I grew up on internet culture that valued the simple, weird, and irreverent. But that stuff can also be the purest form of entertainment, marrying the fun of 2013 with hyper-specific, algorithm-driven modernity.
If YouTube cut a Rewind for 2023, Tariq would undoubtedly be its star, thanks to the popularity of Schmoyoho’s remix, even though credit for his fame as the “Corn Kid” is owed to TikTok. But what else brought us together this year? The World Cup, sure. Mutual disdain for Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and the dying whimpers of cryptocurrency, fine. But beyond that, the internet has become so negative, or untrustworthy, or blasé, or simply too big for us to feel united by anything at all.
Except on TikTok, which has somehow combined the extremely niche with the widely relatable, and where a toothless little boy holding an ear of corn larger than his own face will tell you in earnest, “I hope you have a corntastic day!”
There’s great gunplay and fun characters in this sci-fi base building ARPG
Winning DIY game ideas that will keep the fun flowing this festive season
KEEP the family entertained over the holidays with plenty of games at the ready.
Here are three that are great fun and can be easily adapted to play for free . . .
Here are three ways to have a great time and enjoy your family festivities for free[/caption]
THE SOCK GAME: Fab for all ages.
Spin to determine which item you must find, then reach into a sock and feel around to locate it.
John Lewis has 20 per cent off the game, taking it to £15.99. But it’s easy to create a home-made version.
Find around 20 small items from your house — a button, coin and hair clip are some ideas — then take a big sock and pop them in.
Instead of spinning, write down items on folded pieces of paper, with each player picking from a hat.
Split into two teams and the first to find 11 items wins.
BAD PEOPLE: This hilarious game is better suited to adults.
Each player votes for a person in answer to a question from a randomly drawn card.
For example: Who would you call for help if you needed to leave the country?
The game costs £24.99, new at WHSmith — or download a list of questions for free at badpeoplegame.com.
Try coming up with your own questions if you are feeling inspired.
It is fun to vote and see who wins but you can also add a twist, with forfeits for players who secure the most votes.
HERD MENTALITY: This game is suitable from around ten years and above.
The aim is to give the same answer to a question as other players, to win cows.
If your answer does not match anyone, you get the “angry cow”.
Buy new for £20 at The Works or you can, again, create your own version for free.
Come up with your own question or search online for “family feud questions” and you will find lots of examples that work.
Instead of winning cows, award points and the player with the highest total wins. Simple — but fun.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
SAY hello to soft, nourished hair with Pantene’s Silky and Glowing shampoo.
Get a bottle for £2.75 at Wilko, down from £5.25
SAVE: £2.50
Cheap treat
This chrysanthemum pot is £4.99 at Aldi[/caption]
FLOWERS are always a good idea.
This Perfect Christmas chrysanthemum pot is £4.99 at Aldi.
What’s new?
GIVE your hands a party-ready make-over with new Time to Shine nail colours, £1 each, at Poundshop.com.
Top swap
Lindt’s chocolate reindeer is £2.50 at Sainsbury’s[/caption]
Or head to Tesco and save cash on its 89p version[/caption]
LINDT’S chocolate reindeer, £2.50 at Sainsbury’s, is delicious and makes a lovely stocking filler.
Or head to Tesco and save cash on its 89p version.
SAVE: £1.61
Leah’s little helper
IF you want to travel more in 2023, plan and book ahead to bag the cheapest flights.
Easyjet has now released flights for next autumn and there are lots of reasonable options for a budget getaway.
Shop and save
Save £5 on this paint- by-numbers set at Hobbycraft[/caption]
GIVE the gift of art with paint- by-numbers sets available at Hobbycraft, now half-price, down from £10 to £5.
SAVE: £5
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New World’s Winter Convergence Festival: Unwrapping the fun
That most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us once again, which means that the realm of New World is about to get festive with its annual Winter Convergence Festival. That jolly old yeti, the Winter Wanderer, will emerge once again to bestow blessings upon the inhabitants of Aeternum. At the same time, the devious Winter Warrior has also returned to try and plunge the land into Forever Winter.
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