by Kelly Kreiner
Many websites I’ve come across promote an addictive use of media. I know this because I’ve lost many hours to these websites when I should have been working on something. So, as a disclaimer, make sure your homework is done before clicking any of the links I’m about to mention.
New websites that I call “humorous life experience sites” are becoming very popular. Postsecret.blogspot.com is a site where anonymous revealing postcards are shown. People create postcards as a way to confess a secret and mail them in. the website is updated every Sunday, so many people will visit the website every Sunday—almost like a ritual. I think this is addicting because it’s real people’s thoughts and feelings and people can relate. Other people can be fascinating even people you don’t know. Waiting for the new postcards each Sunday can give people something to look forward to but also cause an addiction to the website because you check in every week.
More “humorous life experience sites” that are similar to each other are www.textsfromlastnight.com, www.fml.com, and www.peopleofwalmart.com. These websites are addicting because they are funny, simple, relatable, and not happening to us. This media allows anyone to post about an experience in their life. The addicting quality is that it is real and anyone can just keep scrolling though mindlessly while laughing. Texts From Last Night are text messages that people have received from their (typically) drunk friends. You can look for texts from your area code and texts voted on as “best night ever” and “worst night ever”. FML is similar, but is just anecdotes of people’s bad days/moments. They all end with “FML”, meaning “f*** my life”. The most recent and perhaps funniest of these websites I’ve come across is People of Walmart. People post pictures taken of the ridiculous people and things that they’ve seen at Walmart. This website is addicting because most can relate, having seen strange things at the local Walmart. One keeps clicking, even though some pictures hurt the eyes, because you think to yourself, “I cannot believe these people really exist.”
These examples of a part of the aughts represent the simplicity of using the new media and the addicting qualities of having a sneak peek into the good and bad of other people’s lives and experiences.
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