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So, does anyone remember Balloon Boy? Here's a quick refresher, but in short: back in ye olden times (2009AD), Colorado couple Richard and Mayumi Heene claimed that their six year old son, Falcon, had climbed into a homemade helium saucer that had torn loose from its moorings and was now airborne. I vaguely remember my 11 year old self being glued to the TV, scarcely able to believe that this poor kid was trapped in an out of control balloon (the same way 10-year old me had, several months before, stared in disbelief at US Airways Flight 1549 adrift in the Hudson...what a year 2009 was). When the balloon--tracked by multiple helicopters--finally landed, Falcon wasn't inside. People feared the worst, until it was revealed that he'd never actually been inside. The kid, now christened "Balloon Boy", had in fact been hiding in the attic the entire time--the whole thing had been a publicity stunt.
What happened to the Heenes afterward is a whole other story--then as it is now, social media is where the "true" story unfolded. I put "true" in quotation marks because analyzing social media reactions to the Balloon Boy hoax reveals an interesting phenomenon--one that arguably presages the modern day social media landscape. While online reactions changed as the hoax was slowly revealed, the situation's reality didn't quite seem to matter. Yes, most decent people were of course concerned for Falcon, but getting their metaphorical pound of social media flesh was also important.
This article details the ways Twitter (surely I'm justified in calling it Twitter instead of X since this was 2009, right?!) reacted as everything went down. You had parody accounts created (in fact,
this one still exists), memes shared, and Balloon Boy
merchandise, of all things, being sold. The article goes on to use these as "proof" of how social media is a great tool for putting yourself out there and engaging an audience--which, to be honest, kind of disgusts me. Sure, the whole thing turned out to be a hoax in the end, but at some point, people were genuinely worried about a child's safety. Using this as an example of how awesome social media is in putting your brand on the map just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Still, it's not wrong about how the Internet had an honest to god ball with the whole incident. Balloon Boy merch did indeed exist: take a look at
this shirt, and this
morbidly creative "Jiffy Pop" packaging courtesy of what I want to say is LA's version of the Onion. All corners of the web seemed hungry for any Balloon Boy tea (please excuse me for the Zoomer parlance) they could get their hands on. In fact, I uncovered an entire photo album posted on Flickr from a Reddit thread, apparently by the Heene's next door neighbor, containing almost 50 photos of cop cars, news helicopters, and interviewers. I'd link it, but it contains pictures of the Heene kids, and it just doesn't feel right.
And that's just the thing, isn't it? Those kids had no control over who would be taking pictures of them, or what would be said about them online. Once social media has sniffed out a potential hot new story, its core elements cease, at least partially, to matter. To partake in its discussion is more to perform your role in a online culture predicated not necessarily on truth but on presence and parody--a sort of parallelism in which memes, wit, and potential capital come to validate your online reputation as much--if not more--than the accuracy of what you're relaying. And I suppose that's how we get things like this
Balloon Boy themed parody of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's theme song on Facebook.
I found this fascinating article speculating on
how Internet reactions to the Balloon Boy hoax might indicate the formation of a new "mass brain" that transcends what any one human might be able to describe. More than 15 years later, it's pretty safe to say that social media has indeed taken on a life of its own. But is it a life--a mass brain--that expresses the truth, or a parody of it? In gaining access to a bevy of information, did we lose the kernel of truth at its center?
(On a entirely unrelated note, the article in the paragraph above mentions that the Internet circa 2009 might be in the "Precambrian age", which my paleonerd-self must inform you would have been about 540 million years ago and further back--all the way to the Earth's formation.)
Hi Kristen, thanks again for another wild and interesting post! I have actually never heard of Balloon Boy until today and the whole thing is insane to me (the rumored story and the Internet's reaction). I think what stands out most is that because of the Internet, we're often desensitized to things. Everything becomes a spectacle. Something to be debated, reposted, or as you joke, becomes the tea to be spilled. Our gut reaction is to meme something before reacting empathetically or giving people privacy or looking further into something to see if it's accurate- it's become the norm to use dark humor. Think about all the dead celebrities being reincarnated into Trisha Paytas's children memes (funny, but perhaps better told behind an anonymous screen that in person). That's why when using the library for social media, it can be hard to find the right tone. Should you meme away with the attitude if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, or will you dare use the full spectrum of human emotion while posting?
ReplyDeleteOh wow, your comment about Trisha Paytas's children reminded me of the morbidly memeful (Is that a word? It is now!) insanity that was social media right after Queen Elizabeth died. You have a great point in talking about how memeing is the go-to for social media denizens regardless of how heavy the content they're memeing about is. To some extent, I get it--dark humor is a way for people to cope with heavy events. On the other hand, it often comes across as extremely tone-deaf and insensitive--yet memeing proficiency is also a way of proving your social media "pedigree." In Queen Elizabeth's case, it's also a way to study how social media reveals attitudes about certain social classes or politicians (many of the memes were based on a negative perception of the royal family in general)...but that's worthy of its own post.
DeleteLibraries definitely face a challenge here. As professional organizations, we obviously can't be memeing away serious tragedies. On the other hand, memes can be effective if tactfully deployed and library-related--take the "this is fine" parody meme I featured in my last blog post about NYPL's budget being slashed. This meme utilized internet "lingo" to communicate the severity of the situation without going over the border into being distasteful. I think it's important to read the digital room before we decide about the voice we'll use to post, and also consider the reputational stakes at hand for us as organizations where certain standards are expected.
Ah balloon boy.. I remember it well. I was in middle school, and while I didn't actively seek updates on the case, I remember hearing bits and pieces in passing and being amazed that any of it went down. How was a balloon of that size actually holding anyone? Why aren't they trying to pull it to the ground? I wonder where Falcon is now..
ReplyDeleteAnyway, while balloon boy isn't the first internet sensation to take on a mind of its own and become a real meme (ie very demure very mindful, the storming of Area 51, the Harlem Shake), it was definitely one of the first that I became aware of (thanks Tumblr). It's so interesting how something can take off so quickly, whether it be a phrase uttered once in a video, a silly Tweet that went viral, or a dance trend. While it may have been surprising back in the day to see something as shocking and worrisome as balloon boy to become a meme, I think today we are much more desensitized to these sensational events and use memes to cope. Think memes about COVID or the Diddy trial. People were so horrified and upset that they found a way to make it funny. Anything these days can become a meme, but I think these sensational or upsetting events are especially susceptible.
I've also wondered how Falcon and his family is doing nowadays. Here's hoping they're living healthy lives away from the media spotlight!
DeleteI do agree that we've become more desensitized to these events, partially because social media and news coverage has evolved to the point where we're constantly bombarded with story after story. It's simply impossible to focus on all of them at once without becoming overwhelmed, especially since media coverage loves to focus on negative headlines that will generate clicks and content. I can see why memeing so profusely became a way to cope (and I've honestly seen some really funny memes). Yet it often seems that memeing is expected nowadays--like memeing is a kind of imperative for community engagement in regards to any breaking news story. Do people meme because they want to, or because they feel they have to? Is it what their userbase and mutuals expect? It's interesting to think about!