This video has 1.2 million views. Was 'Idiocracy' prophetic?
This post is mainly a think-aloud, so take it for what it's worth. I saw this on Mashable not long ago but completely forgot about it. Today, I saw remixes of this very video re-surfacing on my Facebook feed today and it made me stop and think.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's not a video about what foxes say. It's a video of a waffle falling over. A full seven seconds of dramatic footage. Observe.
If that wasn't captivating enough for you, dont worry. There are remixes. Like the Inception remix:
Or this rendition. Everybody do the flop.
Maybe it has something to do with having a really random and warped sense of humor that I laughed when the waffle finally landed. I think I laughed at the "okay, that's it" aspect of it. Someone took the time to sit a camera on a counter for several minutes to capture that moment.
Was this type of viral content predicted?
Many years ago, Mike Judge looked into his satirical crystal ball with the movie 'Idiocracy.' It's a film (if you haven't seen it) where a remarkably average man wakes up 500 years into the future and is the smartest person on earth. The film shows how over the course of many years, the human race has gradually become dumber and dumber due to automation and laziness.
In that fictional world, one of the most critically acclaimed movies is the one described briefly below.
Sure, this idea for a hit movie is way out in left field.
But if a waffle falling over is a viral hit today - will Mike Judge be far off on his prediction?
There's no real philosophical point I'm trying to make here. Putting these two very different ideas together in my head today made me think for a minute. Maybe it'll make you think too.
What will the future of content look like?