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Transformations of humor under the influence of IT

31.10.2024

The article "The transformation of humor under the influence of IT" for the website Batona.net investigates the fascinating evolution of humor under the influence of IT, focusing on how social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and other digital platforms shape and amplify humor in today’s society. Traditional forms of humor—stand-up comedy, televised shows, and print cartoons—have expanded significantly with the advent of digital platforms. Today, humor is generated, shared, and adapted instantaneously online, becoming far more accessible and interactive. The internet enables virtually anyone to create and distribute jokes, memes, and comedic content, which spreads rapidly across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and others.

One significant point the article raises is the impact of memes. Memes, as concise visual or textual snippets, are emblematic of how humor is digested and distributed in the digital era. Unlike traditional comedy that relies on context and buildup, memes offer instant relatability and humor, leveraging cultural references, trends, and real-time events that resonate immediately with younger audiences. Memes’ appeal stems from their brevity and relevance, providing a quick laugh in a format that matches the fast-paced, information-saturated lives of internet users. The article underscores memes’ role in viral marketing, as their easily digestible format allows them to reach vast audiences quickly, helping brands, creators, and influencers convey messages with humor that sticks.

Further, the article delves into how AI and machine learning influence humor creation. AI systems can now generate jokes, captions, and even entire scripts for comedic content, drawing on data-driven insights. This process includes analyzing audience preferences to create humor that appeals to specific demographics. For instance, algorithms can track popular themes, formats, and even emotional tones that resonate most with a given audience. By using tools like natural language processing, AI detects and synthesizes humorous patterns, enabling content creators to enhance engagement and reach. This analysis-based content creation, while highly efficient, also poses a risk of depersonalizing humor, as AI-generated jokes may lack the unique touch and spontaneity found in human-generated content.

The article also explores how social media has reshaped humor’s structure. On platforms like Twitter, humor tends toward brevity due to character limits, fostering a style that prioritizes wit and conciseness. Conversely, TikTok promotes visual and situational humor, encouraging users to create skits, parodies, and mini-stories that convey humor through video format. This shift in format demonstrates how each platform cultivates a unique type of humor, influenced by the platform’s characteristics and user behavior. The internet’s anonymity has further enabled users to explore more unfiltered and provocative types of humor, which is both a creative freedom and a potential source of conflict. This anonymous humor often pushes boundaries, exploring themes that might not surface in mainstream media.

As the article notes, humor’s globalization via the internet also brings unique challenges. Humor that resonates in one culture may be interpreted differently—or even negatively—in another, necessitating sensitivity and adaptability from creators. As humor becomes increasingly global, adapting it to resonate universally without causing offense requires cultural awareness and flexibility. This has led content creators and brands to invest more in understanding cross-cultural dynamics and user sensibilities. The ability to create universally understood humor is a valuable skill, but it also requires a nuanced understanding of cultural context, social norms, and political correctness.

Another intriguing aspect covered in the article is the role of AI-driven personalization in humor. Algorithms on social media curate users’ feeds, selecting content most likely to engage and entertain. For humor, this means that people are shown jokes, memes, and videos that align with their interests and tastes, intensifying the impact of humor but also contributing to the creation of "humor bubbles," where individuals may only encounter content reinforcing their viewpoints. This personalization can limit exposure to diverse perspectives, potentially impacting the shared experience of humor in society, where laughter traditionally brought people together through universal themes.

Finally, the article touches on the possible drawbacks and ethical concerns of AI-created humor. As AI systems become more adept at generating content, there is a growing risk that humor could become overly formulaic or superficial. This raises questions about the long-term effects of humor crafted by non-human intelligence: does it truly connect with audiences, or does it fall flat due to a lack of authenticity? Additionally, AI might favor humor that is shocking or controversial, as these types of content tend to perform well online, though they also risk polarizing audiences and sparking conflicts. The article suggests that a balance is necessary, where technology aids humor creation without erasing its human element.

In summary, the article paints a complex picture of how IT has reshaped humor, expanding its reach and forms while introducing challenges in personalization, cultural sensitivity, and authenticity. Although humor continues to be a vital tool for connection, its transformation through digital technologies adds layers of complexity and potential. The integration of AI and machine learning in humor creation brings exciting opportunities, but it also prompts questions about the future of humor, originality, and shared experience in a rapidly digitizing world.