DaenoJul 11, 2023

The last two weeks on Youtube have been a constant barrage about #colleenballinger / #mirandasings. I do not like it at all. I remember seeing some of *Haters Back Off* several years ago, but I never followed her stuff. There's been a lot of events, accusations of grooming, regret from former show participants, a ukulele song apology, whatever.

But the real thing I'm trying to figure out is the WHY. Why are so many videos devoted to this now, why are there so many comments that are "I never liked her, and now I know she's a horrible person, so I was right!" What's the point of all of it? There have now been videos taking apart the number of videos on Ballinger, so I'm not treading new ground here. There seems to be a ridiculous hunger for content, to personalize and universalize media personalities to dangerous degrees. I don't really see the point of morally weighing Ballinger at all. I don't know her. And yet, that's what so many of these YouTube commentary videos are doing.

Show threadDaeno

#colleenballinger #mirandasings
The overwhelming desire for content is driving us in some very strange and unhealthy places. Yes, it makes sense for everyone to make a video about Jordan Peterson because we're not really engaging with Jordan Peterson; we're engaging in the machine and ideology that he supports and sustains, which is a lot bigger than evaluating a single person. But what happens if the same critiques are leveled at a low-tier media personality? What's the machine here that people want redirected or abolished? Ballinger's online career? Is victory chasing her into another line of work? I guess that's what is happening now, so congrats?

I saw the same thing with the recent #illuminaughtii stuff too. And a whole lot of smug "I never liked her and now everyone knows I'm *right* to have never liked her." This can't be good for us as a media diet, as how cultural criticism is suppose to make us better. It exhausts, and that's how I'm feeling right now from all of it.

Jul 11, 2023 at 5:29pmWeb
Show threadkerysthemenaceJul 29, 2023
@branpuddy I’ve actually watched a lot of videos on this topic, and as far as I can tell, people DO NOT care to have her career destroyed, but at this point, instead, all they want is an apology. If you haven’t seen the ukulele video, then, god, you need to see the ukulele video. #colleenballinger
Show threadDaenoAug 15, 2023
@kthem I don't need to see it. It will not spark joy. What does it make sense demanding an apology from a celebrity? I can sort of understand people who have actually interacted with her, but what does it mean to be some Joe Shmoe making YouTube videos wanting an apology?