The Internet and Michael Jackson Manifesto

Wow, Internets….You never cease to amaze me

I got the news of Michael Jackson’s death via the Internet. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Things like this are always being said on the Internet, everyday. I said the same thing and disregarded it. Then, I saw a couple other reports that Michael Jackson (I refuse to call him “MJ”, as I reserve that for another Michael…..of the Jordan variety) was in the hospital appearing on my Twitter (yes, I have a Twitter name. Shut the Hades up) feed. I then started to do a little bit of digging around. I searched my usual channel for news information. These consist of (in no particular order): CNN, MSNBC, 4chan, and ABC News. Well, 4chan was the first to break it to me. Follows soon thereafter by MSNBC. I then turned on the television, and found that none of the news stations even had any inkling about what was going on. They were still incessantly reporting on Iran. Heck, 30 minutes went by before they even reported anything about Michael Jackson.

This just goes to show you that a revolution on all fronts (even news) is happening. It’s not being fought with blood, guns, and bombs, however. This revolution is in technology. This revolution’s weapon? The Internet. It was amazing to see that news about this ordeal had reached the Internet a whole half hour before it hit the traditional news sources (radio and television). I took that time to reflect on how the Internet has shaped our lives today. Think about it. We are inundated on a constant basis by information. The Internet has leveled the playing field in many aspects. It allows for some small curmudgeon (like, for instance myself, or even you) to be able to report anything they see, say, or do instantly to the world. It can turn any diminutive person into an instant celebrity. This fame isn’t Hollywood style fame, but Internet style fame. Being replayed, copy-pasted, quoted, and even mocked on the Internet is the sincerest form of flattery the world can give. This “going viral”, as it’s called, is a great thing. It’s how a couple of the “stars” got their start. (It’s also how some have kept their careers alive.) It’s also why some words like “google” and “woot” have been added to the dictionary. They get used so many times in this world we call reality that it would be asinine to not to add them. I’ve found myself at many times repeating acronyms and other nuggets from the Internet in real life. Of course, this baffles many of the people I have talked to, and has accidentally alienated me from most of society. I’m labeled as “quirky” or “eccentric” because people don’t exactly understand my brand of humor. If you are reading this, you understand it (of course, you are on the Internet right now, if you are reading this). Of course, all of my humor is not derived from the Internet, but the Internet does play a role in my everyday life.

Ask yourself one question: “How many hours a day do I spend on the Internet?” This includes Twitter, Facebook, email, MySpace, and anything else you are doing. Also ask yourself how long you are on a computer everyday. If you’re anything like a normal person, your answer is probably around 2 to 5 hours a day. Me? I’m on the Internet anywhere from 4 to 18 hours a day. There have even been a couple of days where I have spent 22 hours on the Internet (yes, no sleep for this Internet junkie). It is true that the Internet has started to engulf our entire life. Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. I find the Internet to be a great tool for everything I want to do in life (except seeing the light of day). I think it’s hilariously cute to see all these news stations and older people on television attempting to appeal to a younger audience. Especially when they say “see our MySpace and Facebook pages” or (which nearly made me wet myself to hear one CNN anchor say) “follow us on Twitter at @CNN”. Yes, he said the “at” twice. It’s quite funny to see that they have already missed the train, yet are still running to try and catch up with it. It’s also pretty funny to watch as news stations scramble to try and keep up with “breaking news” they just got from the Internet (which is generally about 30 minutes to 2 hours old already). Fox News is a prime example. Either way, the Internet is the way to get food (pizzas, for me), shop, (re)search, communicate, and connect to the world. Imagine the surprise when I heard the news about the deaths of 3 big celebrities within a day of each other on the Internet. It was epically funny, because when that news broke on the Internet, I couldn’t even load GOOGLE. That’s how many people were searching for it once the news broke on the news stations. Literally, when that news broke, the Internet stopped for a while. I couldn’t load 4chan or anything. It was purely amazing. My Internet just stopped. That’s what happens when you upset the established chaos that is the Internet.

A Piece Missing

If I’ve said this once, I’ve said this a thousand times: When Michael Jackson died, a chuck of my childhood died, too. Say what you will about the person (and about me, I could care less), he music was great. I hope that is the legacy people will keep of him. He was given the title King of Pop for a reason. WE are the ones that gave it to him. His music kept me going in my childhood. My childhood wasn’t the greatest in the world (but not the bottom of the worst, either). Even with that, I had music to keep me company when no one else would. I remember the first song I ever heard when I was a kid was “Smooth Criminal”. I remember, even way back then, that was the moment I loved music. I do some music composition when I’m not doing anything else on the computer (or when I am bored). I am constantly listening to music throughout my day. When I was a kid, I used to listen to Micheal Jackson all the time in my Walkman. I remember the first mixed tape (yes, I typed “tape” there) I ever made was of Michael Jackson songs from all the albums made by that point. It was 1991. I’m sure you’re aware that Dangerous came out that year. It wasn’t the songs from that album that got me hooked. It was the songs from Michael’s “Bad” album. “Bad”, “Smooth Criminal” and “Man In The Mirror” really resonated with me. I was only a kid then, but still, the message had been made. Micheal Jackson’s music had made an impact on me. Not only him, but Stevie Wonder, Kenny G, NWA, 2Pac, and EWF (Earth, Wind, & Fire, for those of you who don’t know), too. It became a staple of my childhood. (That, along with Sonic the Hedgehog, Nights, Mega Man, and Streets of Rage.) With Michael Jackson’s death, that bit of my childhood is also extinguished. Is this going to stop me from doing what I do? No. Am I going to off myself because this is sad? Hell no. It IS sad, but you just have to remember that his legacy lives on through his music. That’s a better legacy than the scandals and other drama that surround him. I bet you if I look back on this 50 years from now, I will still be playing Michael Jackson music on the new iPod. (or whatever new hot music player is out. Maybe they will finally beam music directly into our brains or something, hell, I don’t know.) You can hold me to that. Some artists like Justin Timberlake and Anthony Hamilton wouldn’t have existed if it weren’t for Michael Jackson. It’s true that Michael Jackson was surrounded by controversy. (Heck,I still think he molested those boys, personally.) Controversy or not, people listened to his music and liked/loved it. Other countries loved him, but we saw him as a social pariah for a while. Doesn’t matter, his death just goes to show us that one person can profoundly affect the world. I hope his legacy will be the music he made. It will be with me. Here’s a small discography in case you want to see it:

* Got to Be There (1972)
* Ben (1972)
* Music & Me (1973)
* Forever, Michael (1975)
* Off the Wall (1979)
* Thriller (1982)
* Bad (1987)
* Dangerous (1991)
* HIStory (1995)
* Invincible (2001)

~ by LB on June 29, 2009.