I’m not sure who’s responsible for this…
Originally uploaded by Kelly Sue.
The way LOLcats spread last year showed me that the increased growth of the Internet has both homogenized it and just allowed a whole range of subcultures to flourish and interact.
Or, to put it less wonkishly, it means the weird can spread.
This Obama poster is completely illegible to someone outside of certain Internet subcultures — in fact, I wonder if someone coming to it from “outside” would assume it was racist. But to someone inside any (or many) of those cultures, it’s — well, after a day spent talking to HIV treatment counselors who have to see 20 patients every single day, it’s a delightful change of pace.
And of course a reminder of how detached those subcultures are from the grim meathook future from where I’m currently sending dispatches.