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Keeping With The Times: Fitness YouTuber Cassey Ho (@blogilates)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9xld_2A0Y9/

Image Description: Above is a screenshot of Cassey Ho’s 14-Day Quarantine Workout Plan. 

While trying to maintain normalcy in solitude, I have been trying to stick to an at-home workout routine. Naturally, I gravitated toward Cassey Ho’s curated fitness plans. I have been a fan of Cassey Ho (@blogilates) for years - her videos are always so uplifting and motivational. Since the emergrence of quarantine culture, I have been amused by Cassey’s relevant (for lack of a better word) Instagram/TikTok posts. She has been posting fitness content with themes and puns related to the pandemic. The above workout plan is adorned with nods to the current toiletpaper and facemack shortage. Cassey labels many of the workout days with a pandemic reference - “Plump Pandemic Booty,” “Sleek and Sanitized Legs,” “Empty Shelves Sculpt,” “Social Distance Stretches In Bed,” etc. Personally, I have found Cassey to be a great source of levity and motivation to stay active during the quarantine. We all need a bit of levity when everything around us seems so bleak. Below, I have linked a few of Cassey’s pandemic-related TikTok/Instagram workouts. 

“The Empty Shelf Sculpt”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-AGJ1bgFGY/

“Quarantine Cardio”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zMuS5gMtB/

Ho, Cassey. “Cassey Ho (@Blogilates).” Instagram, Blogilates, www.instagram.com/blogilates/.

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Lending a Helping Hand? YouTubers, TikTokers, and Quarantine Culture

In this Mashable article, Morgan Sung talks about the recent trend of content creators using their platforms to teach people how to make their own face masks. It links and describes a number of TikToks and YouTube videos of creators teaching viewers how to protect themselves with materials they may have at home. I think that this trend is significant, as it speaks to the influence that COVID-19 has had on Internet creator culture. While one may be inclined to argue that creators are using the current mask shortage to their benefit (i.e. to acquire more views and followers), we have to remember we are living through a time where it is crucial to support each other. If people are truly helped by these videos, we should not begrudge any benefit that creators receive from them. 

“YouTube and TikTok Creators Pivot to DIY Face Mask Tutorials”

Sung, Morgan. “YouTube and TikTok Creators Pivot to DIY Face Mask Tutorials.” Mashable, 4 Apr. 2020, mashable.com/article/youtube-tiktok-face-mask-tutorials/.

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Honesty in Quarantine Culture

As I scroll through my phone, physically isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have noticed an interesting trend in mainstream digital media - honesty. I have observed several Instagram and YouTube users - some are my peers, some are celebrities - post photos/videos with disclaimers about when they were taken. This surprises me, as I have always recognized social media as a place that allows people to be dishonest about details like time. Aside from Internet trends like #throwbackthursday and #flashbackfriday, users tend to post in misleading ways that make their photos/videos appear recent. Even I’m guilty of this dishonesty. When I’ve been bored in the past, I have posted photos that were taken months prior, aware, but not caring about the fact that my followers will think they were taken that day. 

As our lives change in the face of quarantine culture, so do our social media habits. Users are posting photos/videos of them at bars, parks, with friends, etc. with captions clarifying that they are old images taken before the COVID-19 pandemic. I am amused by this, because I know that these users are likely posting the images because they are bored (just like I was every time I posted old photos in the past). The difference, however, is that they are being honest about the time at which they were taken. This trend is the result of the overwhelming push for honesty that has been born out of quarantine culture. People do not want to see social media posts about going out in large groups or visiting public spaces right now. Such frivolous interactions are morally wrong right now. Rather than bragging online about attending a party, users will appear more desirable if they make it clear that they are staying home. With this in mind, social media users are afraid to come across as people who are not cooperating with their communities’ pandemic restrictions. Thus, they opt to post with honesty, and often an implicit (or explicit) statement that they, too, are staying home. 

Quarantine culture has rapidly shaped the ways that we interact online. I am curious to see whether or not we maintain this trend of honesty when quarantine becomes a thing of the past. Only time will tell. 

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Check out this documentary about the role that TikTok has played during the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary follows comedian Jesse Appell as he studies the digital media produced by people quarantined in China. TikTok is examined as a tool for creating levity, unity, and productivity in the face of quarantine-induced boredom and fear. The documentary features many examples of popular TikToks that have come out of China’s quarantine, as well as an insightful interview with Violet Wang, a journalist from Wenzhou, China. After discussing her experiences with the pandemic and TikTok, Wang explains that “The way people on the Internet are sharing the fun, silly things they do at home, maybe opened up a tiny little bit of insight of what we’re experiencing and going through” (3:50-4:05). The documentary also provides a glimpse at a charity show that Appell hosted for COVID-19 relief efforts, which focused entirely on showcasing the TikToks created by China’s quaruntined population.

Koroma, Salima, and Vishakha Darbha. “The Art of Comedy in Quarantine.” The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/video/index/608485/tik-tok-quarantine/.

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Well, life sure has an interesting way of making things line up. Since devoting myself to running a blog on memes and internet culture, I have become witness to one of the biggest cultural moments of my lifetime thus far: the COVID-19 pandemic. The past weeks have seen a major shift in everyday Internet culture. My newsfeeds and timelines are filled with COVID-19 memes about self-isolation, online classes, panic buying, and being put in quarantine. We seem to be expressing ourselves over the Internet more than ever before, desperate to feel connected while social distancing. I expect my future posts to focus on Internet/cultural developments brought about by the pandemic. 

Image description:

A dog looks off-camera while making an anxious face. The image is accompanied by the caption:

 “Everytime I feel a lil tingle in my throat”

“Is that you rona”

Ford, Adam. “Comedy Break: It's Time for Today's Best Quarantine Memes.” Disrn, 20 Mar. 2020, disrn.com/news/comedy-break-its-time-for-todays-best-quarantine-memes.

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In this article, Amanda Mull sheds light on meme exploitation, examining its issues through the lens of corporate marketing. The article takes a look at the online marketing practices of brands like Drunk Elephant and Not Pot. It discusses numerous meme-entric marketing practices that I encounter on a daily basis while scrolling through social media. I am interested in the topic of “meme thievery” because it novelly (and appropriately) treats memes as an art form of sorts - as comedic pieces made by creators who deserve to be credited.

Mull, Amanda. “Why Brands Steal Viral Jokes and Memes.” The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/12/why-brands-steal-viral-jokes-and-memes/603169/.

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I stumbled upon Mackenzie Finklea’s TEDx Talk while gathering research for an essay on memes. Finklea shares the perspective that memes are like viruses.  She explains that the success of a meme - in other words, how “viral” it becomes - is contingent on how much it is shared on Internet platforms.

Finklea , Mackenzie, director. Internet Meme Culture | Mackenzie Finklea . YouTube, TEDx, 23 May 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MLjFNxi9Yo&feature=share.

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What a perfect card game to compliment my blog! The goal of What Do You Meme? is to connect phrases and situations to the Internet’s most famous memes. Players succeed in the game when their memes are chosen as ‘the funniest’ by their peers. Kind of sounds like real life, right? Making people laugh is tends to earn you popularity points with friends - possibly extra points if a clever meme is involved. What Do You Meme? is truly a testament to its time.

“What Do You Meme? Core Game.” What Do You Meme?, What Do You Meme?, whatdoyoumeme.com.

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“You're Not Relatable Anymore”

This video provides thoughtful insight into the question of YouTubers’ personal and digital evolutions. It examines topics of relatability and “flex culture” in relation to YouTubers’ economic growth. 

Ferg, Tiffany, director. You're Not Relatable Anymore. YouTube, Tiiffanyferg, 9 Nov. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UBBulOCI7I&feature=share.

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YouTuber Natalia Taylor comments on how easy it is to “fake it ‘til you make it” on the social media. She puts this idea to the test by staging a photoshoot at Ikea, posing to make her surroundings appear luxurious and unique. I highly recommend giving this video a watch! Natalia documents her experiment in an entertaining and insightful way, shedding light on the ways that social media can be manipulated to invent stories and identities. 

Taylor, Natalia, director. i FAKED a Vacation at IKEA. YouTube, Natalia Taylor, 10 Feb. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz42PrqWq-g&feature=share.

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Memes Take Practice

When I think about digital communication, I find myself reflecting on my school years. My elementary and high school experiences highlighted my love of English and creative writing – especially writing fiction. Looking back, I am amused as I notice that each of my English teachers shared the same sentiment about story writing: the best way to become a better writer is to read more books. I was always tempted to roll my eyes at this advice. I would think to myself, “the only way to improve my writing is with more writing, not reading.” Today, I realize that I was wrong; writers improve when they are exposed to literature to writing other than their own. This logic can be applied to the topic of digital communication as well, and in particular, to memes. In their simplest form, memes are images, phrases, songs, narrative concepts, and visual cues that Internet users employ to communicate different emotions, typically with humour and irony.

Memes most commonly shared on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, often treated as a universal form of communication. However, this universality is not borderless. One’s understanding and appreciation of memes can be swayed by different factors, including their exposure (or lack thereof) to the platforms that memes are most prevalent on and the age at which they were first exposed to meme culture. For example, my mother – who has an impeccable sense of humour – does not get memes. When I show her a ‘funny’ meme, she tells me that she does not get the joke. When I explain the joke to her, she still does not find it funny. Having only been exposed to social media and memes in recent years, my mother was not brought up in the grasp of meme culture. In contrast, I came of age being spoon-fed memes every day by way of social media use.

Ultimately, I do not believe that my mother’s generational difference is the reason for her misunderstanding of memes. the culprit us her lack of long-term exposure. Drawing on my teachers’ advice about story writing, one cannot develop an understanding of meme humour by only examining a few memes; they must expose themselves to such humour in larger quantities over longer periods. Like books, memes communicate perspective and emotion; they are stories. The understanding, creation, and establishment of such communication take time to develop. I expect that over time, my mother will grow more accepting of memes and the humour associated with them. I am fascinated by this topic and am eager to delve deeper into the dynamics of meme culture. 

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Meme Culture as Teen Culture

This article by Jennifer L.W. Fink provides valuable insight into the ways that meme culture and teen culture intersect. It examines the practice of joking and making memes about serious topics. The article breaks down teenagers’ gravitation toward memes and explains the varying roles that they play in the teenage experience.

https://nyti.ms/31vqK0y

Fink, Jennifer L.W. “The Role of Memes in Teen Culture.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/well/family/memes-teens-coronavirus-wwiii-parents.html.

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Honey, I’m Home

The last time I used Tumblr, I was fifteen years old. For me, Tumblr was a form of catharsis - and looking back, potentially unhealthy meditation. Tumblr provided me an avenue to live in my “aesthetic.” Rather than blogging my own thoughts, I reblogged photos and GIFs that, as a collection, created an environment different from my own. My blog’s content shifted with my style and emotions. I alternated between a series of themes - beaches and rainforests, pastel inanimate objects, and grungy rebellion. That said, I never reblogged anything that interested me. When I look at my old blog today, I do not see myself. I see images of people I do not know, posed in random locations with artistically placed accessories and desserts. Each image, however, was undeniably appealing. The people were beautiful; the objects were beautiful; everything was perfect. I spent hours persevering over my blog, tweaking its fonts and colour schemes as if they determined life and death. From a self-aware perspective, perhaps they did. Each exhausting day at high school ended with my eager submersion into a teenage Tumblr fantasy. I would compartmentalize my off-screen life, scrolling miles in a mindless focus. Logging out was a return to pressure, a return to homework, a return to a less perfect reality.

Today, I return to Tumblr with new intentions. I plan to share my thoughts about digital media and its place in contemporary society. I am interested in topics like meme culture, youth media consumption, social media trends, and the digitalization of daily life. I want to critically analyze our relationships with digital media, considering their causes and implications. While I used my old Tumblr blog to escape real life, I hope for this blog to act as a bridge between the digital and tangible worlds.