Despite the rampant adoption of social media and mobile technology, there’s been a bit of a backlash against that shift recently, with Gary Turk’s Look Up clip being watched 35 million times on YouTube (as pretty much everyone has pointed out, it is slightly ironic that it’s likely being watched on the devices he hopes to get humans to put down). And now State, a “global opinion network” that allows people to “quickly state about whatever matters to you, get counted, and connect to like-minded people around the world. No need for hashtags, followers or fame”, has added another clip to the growing oeuvre of anti-social media.
According to Adweek, the app “allows you to rate and comment on topics without posting or sending your comments to social media, and then it turns those ratings into graphs”.
Like Look Up (as expected there have been more than a few parodies, like this one in support of virtual interaction), it does seem slightly ironic that a company using technology to create a network is laying into the behaviour of those who use competing networks. But pointing out the ridiculousness of modern life and the desperation of online braggadocio (or even humble bragging) is always entertaining, especially if it’s a parody of a Nickelback song.
