i think this is funny and there's really something to it: "I’m convinced the lack of face-to-face interactions in our society is why comedy crowdwork clips have become so popular. People are amazed to see strangers actually interacting with each other…'What’s THAT like!?'"
i think THIS is funny and says something specific about YOU that is interesting; "The problem with writing standup for the algorithm is it incentivizes writing jokes that people want to share (the digital equivalent of clapter) – and the best jokes are ones people are ashamed that they like so much."
it's interesting because i don't agree that those are always the best jokes! for me! i acknowledge that that may be true for you! (though IS it true? you often point to john mulaney's "horse in a hospital" as an example of a great joke, and that one is not shame-inducing at all, is it? ooh unless that's your misdirection, trying to get me to THINK that's your favorite when your REAL favorites are ones you'd never share because you're so ashamed?)
one of my favorite bits is doug stanhope's chunk about his mom dying, and i'm not ashamed to tell you! and so much of what maria bamford does! and paul f tompkins! i'm not ashamed to love that peanut brittle bit!
truly, you're really onto something with that crowdwork thought! AND the other one if you're hiding your secret shames from us all.
Yeah, those are def great bits. I was thinking more of Patrice (bear/salmon)/Stanhope ("the new pope was a nazi")/Giraldo (how he spends $)/Burr ("being a mom is the toughest job in the world") bits that are brilliant yet people would be reluctant to share (the main metric used for virality according to IG's head honcho). I fear that this incentivizes comics to "Disney up" their jokes instead of going for more provocative (in an interesting, non-edgelord way) material. You can disagree that these are the "best" jokes but I don't feel like caveat-ing every dumb take I post here lol.
I think your takes are smart and your caveats would be interesting! But I hear you!
New question: do you think people are writing jokes with this Disneyfication incentivizing in mind?
I can only speak from my personal experience about me... I'm writing and telling the jokes I want to tell, and then I'm making decisions about what jokes make sense to share as clips. And those two things are almost never going to be identical, right? Like, we see how crowdwork is so prevalent because a lot of comics don't want to burn all their material, so there is a lop-sided view of the material/crowdwork dichotomy. Is it possible that if you're seeing Disney-friendly clips, it's because those are the clips people are choosing to share out of the wealth of comedy they've been creating that includes the provocative stuff you love? Or do you think there are people who are truly writing for the algorithm, as opposed to merely writing what they want and then feeding the algorithm what they think it wants?
And how does this all connect to something ELSE you've talked about, which is that the videos that get the most engagement are often the controversial ones, the ones that people argue about in the comments?
I could see for example the Burr "being a mom is the toughest job" bit being one that goes incredibly viral for such reasons, no?
(That one I wonder about, in your assessment of it, because why wouldn't a bunch of sexist dudes happily share that video with their other sexist dude friends? Not saying that's the only people enjoying it, but you must admit there are sexist dudes enjoying that bit, and I doubt that's a small contingent of people enjoying it, and so would they really have the shame of sharing it that you're talking about? I understand this is a tangent off of a specific in a broader conversation that may not be entirely applicable, but also I often think specifics are the most interesting things. Because those are the real things we can point to.)
Yeah, I totally agree. It’s like the reality TV of stand-up.
dear matt,
another fun piece!
i think this is funny and there's really something to it: "I’m convinced the lack of face-to-face interactions in our society is why comedy crowdwork clips have become so popular. People are amazed to see strangers actually interacting with each other…'What’s THAT like!?'"
i think THIS is funny and says something specific about YOU that is interesting; "The problem with writing standup for the algorithm is it incentivizes writing jokes that people want to share (the digital equivalent of clapter) – and the best jokes are ones people are ashamed that they like so much."
it's interesting because i don't agree that those are always the best jokes! for me! i acknowledge that that may be true for you! (though IS it true? you often point to john mulaney's "horse in a hospital" as an example of a great joke, and that one is not shame-inducing at all, is it? ooh unless that's your misdirection, trying to get me to THINK that's your favorite when your REAL favorites are ones you'd never share because you're so ashamed?)
one of my favorite bits is doug stanhope's chunk about his mom dying, and i'm not ashamed to tell you! and so much of what maria bamford does! and paul f tompkins! i'm not ashamed to love that peanut brittle bit!
truly, you're really onto something with that crowdwork thought! AND the other one if you're hiding your secret shames from us all.
thanks for sharing! (all that you ARE sharing)
love
myq
Yeah, those are def great bits. I was thinking more of Patrice (bear/salmon)/Stanhope ("the new pope was a nazi")/Giraldo (how he spends $)/Burr ("being a mom is the toughest job in the world") bits that are brilliant yet people would be reluctant to share (the main metric used for virality according to IG's head honcho). I fear that this incentivizes comics to "Disney up" their jokes instead of going for more provocative (in an interesting, non-edgelord way) material. You can disagree that these are the "best" jokes but I don't feel like caveat-ing every dumb take I post here lol.
I hear you!
I think your takes are smart and your caveats would be interesting! But I hear you!
New question: do you think people are writing jokes with this Disneyfication incentivizing in mind?
I can only speak from my personal experience about me... I'm writing and telling the jokes I want to tell, and then I'm making decisions about what jokes make sense to share as clips. And those two things are almost never going to be identical, right? Like, we see how crowdwork is so prevalent because a lot of comics don't want to burn all their material, so there is a lop-sided view of the material/crowdwork dichotomy. Is it possible that if you're seeing Disney-friendly clips, it's because those are the clips people are choosing to share out of the wealth of comedy they've been creating that includes the provocative stuff you love? Or do you think there are people who are truly writing for the algorithm, as opposed to merely writing what they want and then feeding the algorithm what they think it wants?
And how does this all connect to something ELSE you've talked about, which is that the videos that get the most engagement are often the controversial ones, the ones that people argue about in the comments?
I could see for example the Burr "being a mom is the toughest job" bit being one that goes incredibly viral for such reasons, no?
(That one I wonder about, in your assessment of it, because why wouldn't a bunch of sexist dudes happily share that video with their other sexist dude friends? Not saying that's the only people enjoying it, but you must admit there are sexist dudes enjoying that bit, and I doubt that's a small contingent of people enjoying it, and so would they really have the shame of sharing it that you're talking about? I understand this is a tangent off of a specific in a broader conversation that may not be entirely applicable, but also I often think specifics are the most interesting things. Because those are the real things we can point to.)
Thanks for sharing as always!