If you follow the world of blogging and trends on the internet itself, then you've probably heard about the whole drama with RocketBoom. If you haven't heard of RocketBoom, don't worry, you haven't misseed much. In fact, I hadn't heard of the website until a few weeks ago. It's referred to as a video log (vlog), but my take on it is that it's a daily news tidbits show.
As a vlog, I guess it's revolutionary. Apparently, it took the web by storm and was "the next big thing". Given those comments about the vlog, I had to check it out post-humously and well, I'm left wondering why it could be considered the next big thing. Like I said, as a vlog, I guess it's a big deal, but overall, it's not much more than a basic cable tidbit show.
It's produced pretty decently, but in the end, it's no better than most of the crap that's on Mountain View Comcast Channel 15 (that's the local access channel where people can buy TV time and host their own show). So why did it become a hit?
Well, the biggest thing behind it is the nature of the internet. Local access cable is, by definition, local. Only people in your general area are going to see it. If you make waves on local access, it's still a long, long way between your neighbors seeing you and the rest of the country seeing you. On the internet, your neighbors are all across the world. And if you make a splash, it's much less difficult to make a name for yourself on computer screens across the world.
And how does one make a splash on the web? Well, you can be funny/wierd (most of the stuff on YouTube), you can be insightful (several blogs). Actually you can just be consistent and build an audience. We're very used to seeing new versions of things on TV every day or week so we come to expect the same thing online. So if you post something every day or week, your audience will come to visit just be nature of habit.
So why did RocketBoom make a splash? Well, I think it's the last thing that can get you noticed on the web: Sex. Okay, so Amanda Congdon didn't strip on her show, but let's all be honest here, people wouldn't watch her if she wasn't cute with big boobies. Go watch her show. I watched a few episodes and the only thing I could imagine around why she's so popular is her looks. The actual content of her show is pretty annoying, to be honest. I couldn't watch a single entire episode simply because I find her mannerisms either copies of other stuff (SNL's Tina Fey on the Weekend Update skits) or just kind of annoying.
Okay, so maybe I'm being cynical and since I didn't follow thing vlog while it was still alive I can't really say why people found it so interesting. And what I find annoying could be in-jokes with the vlog for people who have followed for a long time. But seriously...go watch the archives. How many episodes can you find where she's not wearing an extra thin baby-T and where she's not showing her chest? How many times does she do something unique?
So now the big question for people who have been following this whole thing is whether she will succeed in "the real world" based on her internet success. C'mon...given the nature of Hollywood she won't be doing anything unless she continues to show off those boobies. From watching a few of her episodes, I can't find anything interesting about her. My guess? She'll end up on one of those tech tv shows as "the hot chick who digs tech".
Afterall, that's pretty much all she was on Rocketboom.
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