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Me At The Zoo, if you did not know, is the name of the very first video ever uploaded to YouTube by one of the founders testing it out. Which is actually pretty misleading for the name of a self-funded documentary about one vlogger and his obsession with an International pop star? It suggests that somehow this movie is going to encapsulate the entire experience of the Internet as a vehicle for self-expression and a) no, it’s not, and b) I don’t think that Chris Crocker is particularly representative of the way that people express themselves in the year 2011 (or should I say 2007). For one thing, his intent from the very beginning was to get attention. The original Britney Spears video was well-calculated, and it was not his first video. He’d been trying to build a YouTube audience for awhile. I’m not saying this as a negative! Good for him. He wanted attention and he got attention. We should all be so lucky as to know what we want in this world and to succeed so decisively in getting it. But I don’t think that his aggressive attempts for on-line microcelebrity are in any way demonstrative of something bigger. There are other people like him, just like there are other people like everyone, but it’s not some kind of universal truth. All of that being said, I’m sure his story of social ostracism and the relief and freedom the Internet offered is an interesting one, and probably worth telling. Here are some other thoughts about the Internet:
The Internet is (somewhat) new and interesting, but it’s not nearly as interesting as it thinks it is. It’s the girl at the party who tells everyone that she’s totally crazy and you keep waiting for her to do something crazy and everything else that comes out of her mouth for the rest of the night is the most boring shit you’ve ever heard. Like, there are certainly some modern conveniences that we have VERY quickly come to take for granted, but most of that is speed and accessibility. YouTube, ultimately, is the world’s longest episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos. And I’m pretty sure people felt the same revolutionary excitement that they now feel about Twitter when 3M introduced the first pad of Post-Its. If the Internet is particularly good at one thing it is the constant creation and perpetuation of its own heroes. There are so many! Chris Crocker, Tae Zonday, Double Rainbow Guy, the list of people in a Weezer video from three years ago goes on and on. Epic WIN.
Obviously, I am being reductive. I’m sure someone much smarter than me will one day be able to explain WHAT IT ALL MEANS. But one thing that I think it would be nice to see, and maybe if the filmmakers behind Me At The Zoo get their full Kickstarter funding they can put this in the final movie, is an exploration of how the Internet DOESN’T matter. You know what I mean? Like, especially for people like us who spend all of our days wandering through this Garbage Forest, everything can seem so IMPORTANT and like it actually MATTERS to HUMAN LIFE. But most of it doesn’t. And when you finally log off for some holiday weekend or whatever, you are reminded of that in a really powerful and undeniable way. It’s all some bullshit graffiti GIFs on a Second Life dot matrix bathroom stall. The Internet takes itself so seriously, which is actually so OLD MEDIA of it. (Please see: all the stories the media is constantly publishing about kidnapped journalists, as if we are all journalists and we can all relate and we are all terrified of this. No offense to actual kidnapped journalists, please come home safe, but how many stories am I really expected to read about it? Bad things happen. Maybe you should have just gone to law school like dad wanted.) Relax a little, Internet! Put yourself in perspective, please.
I would like to see that in a documentary. It will be called Fake and Gay.
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Can we stop citing the number of views someone has on Youtube as though it’s impressive or has any correlation to quality? That’s like saying dog shit is important because tons of people step in it all the time. Over 300 billion people have stepped in dog shit over the course of humanity! Let’s put it on Jimmy Kimmel and then ask it what it’s “like” having 300 billion people step in you.
Jimmy Kimmel: “So, what’s it like being you?”
Guest: “Shitty.”
that guy must fuck like dogsh-GUNSHOT
Is it me, or does Crocker look like a Targaryen?
In the Water shots he looks like Jack from SALEM, a reference I don’t expect anybody to get BUT if I knew how to post pictures I would show you! Thanks guys, later.
So let me get this straight. This one time a few years back, an overly dramatic weirdo posted a video of himself acting like a weirdo. Fast forward to the present day, and now I am being asked to give a shit about that one time we all said “hey, get a load of this guy”. Compelling stuff. It really makes you wonder what all of those lolcats are up to these days.
They all choked to death on cheeseburgers sadly
This, yes. Making fun of something does not always indicate genuine interest. You’d think Chris Crocker would’ve learned from the “Grape Stomping Lady: 3D” movie that flopped so bad.
My mom just discovered lolcats for the first time two days ago. She sent me a mass-forwarded email, and then immediately called me to gush about it. Oh, moms.
“Oh mom, you’re so 2000 and LATE.” – Hopefully not you
the true story of one man’s voluntary pursuit of attention…wait, no. not that kind….stop…no….he….this is horrible! he doesn’t want attention anymore!!! NO!
Gabe are you saying you’re unimportant? Because you’re not, no preachmo but you make us all very happy with your funny words and good writing and I am glad you do this
I second this. But I think Gabe was more trying to avoid artificially inflating his importance. As much as I like Gabe and think what he does here is great, I doubt I would pay $9 to see a movie that he commissioned some art school sophomore to direct for him and about him.
You are lying.
We would download it via BitTorrent, Kelly. Are we not monsters?
*rips up first draft of “Birdie and Me”*
I think he’s more just commenting on the tendency of people to gush about how Youtube or Chatroulette or whatever is Important and The Future and Fundamentally Changing Society As We Know It and it’s very easy to get swept up in those Big Ideas until you go on a trip or spend a week at your parents’ house for Christmas and not much has changed in real life, not really, except there’s maybe someone on the local news telling you to tweet @nbc15 if you have any cool pictures of that crazy storm from last week
I think he’s commenting on time distortion, space is the place and the beat goes on and on..
His family knows what’s in his heart.
So Gabe and Max DON’T like the Internet? Ugh.
Thumbs up if the Internet brought you here.
17 people hate the fact that the number of downvotes on a comment is invisible.
co za asy
What a Crocker shit.
‘I realized it was time to stop being the Chocolate Rain guy and start MAKING A DIFFERENCE.’ – A quote from the ‘Chocolate Stop Acid Rain’ documentary
Shouldn’t this be called ‘Me at the Me’?
For me, while I think it’s silly, if the internet wants to talk among itself about how important it thinks it is, fine. Gotta keep that bottom line of attention dollars or whatever. But it drives me bonkers when outside factors pimp it, like how cable news will feature tweets or how presidential debates now incorporate various internet inclusions. Sometimes there is a legitimate connection between online activity and the real world, like Facebook’s role in the Egyptian revolution, but that makes it a story. It shouldn’t be a regular feature. Viral marketing is also completely groan worthy to me.
I know what you mean. Sometimes the only way I can deal with it is to sit back, close my eyes, and enjoy some Swedish Snus.
Start the countdown before Spike TV comes out with a “Behind The Meme” series, chronicling the life stories of people who were slightly infamous a few years ago.
*bites lip bites lip bites lip*
Gahhh, I can’t help it. This looks interesting to me, at the very least thoughtfully done. It doesn’t to me seem like a movie about Chris Crocker, it looks to me to be more a film about the relationship between YouTube and the media, be the media television or celebrity or, hey, why not a movie. Chris Crocker is the ideal face for that. I’m hoping this doesn’t turn out to be a blowjob to Chris Crocker, and that it does reveal his attention whoring, because *ahem* “Bitch. Please.”
I just want to know how those lightning bugs tie into the overall narrative.
But Gabe, you like the internet.
Quick side note: Best / Most insane profile pic ever. Loving it.
Fake and this
I first came to know this Chris Crocker character in 2004 when he was kicked out of a LiveJournal art community (artily called, cellardoor_ ) we were both part of for posting too many mirror pics of himself in little underwear. He freaked out and went on some blahblahblah my body is art rant after his expulsion and everyone was all, uggghh shut up 16 year old Chris Crocker.