We need more silliness on the web

When the internet began, nobody had the faintest idea what it was going to become. Nobody knew that we were going to be deluged by images of cats, that all the music from across the globe would be available in a heartbeat. Nobody knew that it would change politics, cause connection and isolation.

Nobody knew what the internet would become.

Looking back, one thing that saddens me somewhat is how the internet has become less silly. There’s far less silliness out there. It’s been replaced by so-much-seriousness.

It’s become a serious place first and foremost. We’re doing banking online, file our taxes online, attending job interviews online. We can now do all the serious things online.

I think that we forgot, or perhaps grew up never knowing, that you can do silly things online too. Magnificent, pointless, silly things. Just because you want to, just because you can. You need no permission. Your silliness will brighten up your day, and perhaps the brightness will spread to other people as well; people who enjoy the same silly things that you do.

You don’t need to keep a track of the number of people who consume it, that’s the serious side creeping in. Just do the silly thing. Revel in it. Go and find other people who are doing silly things, perhaps even let them know that you like what they’re doing.

I thought about ending this with a list of potential silly things you could do, but what do I know about what you enjoy? It’s up to you.

Here’s some silly things I did in the day.