Crowd Surfing

A question for you all: what makes the Harlem Shake so attractive? Is it the repetitive nature? The fact it's so easy to replicate? The song? The funny dances? Studies actually prove that it is a combination of them all. Many people enjoy the simplicity of the concept, whereas others find happiness in the dances that people make up coupled with the song. Whatever you find attractive about the Harlem Shake, there is bound to be someone in the world enjoying the same fact. In any case, the Harlem Shake has become widespread, affecting the famous, the average, the below average and even the animals!

For all those living under a rock, the Harlem Shake is an internet sensation. On February 2nd this year, a group of people decided they would create a dance that their viewers would enjoy. It starts with one person dancing a repetitive dance move in the company of seemingly uninterested peers to repetitive music, usually wearing a mask or helmet. About 15 seconds into the song, the bass drops and all the uninterested people in the video get up and dance with the original dancer, doing repetitive dances of their own. These people may be wearing costumes or outfits that they wouldn't dare be seen in public with, but they find no shame in doing so on video. The concept, simple. The video, about 30 seconds long. The entertainment value, high. The shame, non-existent. Just 9 days after the original video was posted on YouTube, there was over 4,000 new versions and covers of the Harlem Shake ... and it's only getting bigger. If that's not an epidemic, I don't know what is.

So I read an article about this pandemic (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21624109) and it got me thinking: what makes an internet sensation? With the Harlem Shake, it's the replicability and the freedom to act like a fool for thirty seconds with no judgment. With 'Gangnam Style'*, it was the dance that everyone could do. With the 'Nek Minnit'** guy, it was the comedy value that drew in crowds and beckoned for them to mimic the man. But what attracts people to follow the crowd, go with the flow, and submit themselves to that sort of humiliation with pride? Let's break it down, shall we?

Subconsciously, people want to look like idiots. It provides something to laugh at, and when people are laughing they're happy. Deep inside everyone (maybe not so deep for some people), there is a need to be liked. Whether it be an inside joke like Nek Minnit or a dance craze like Gangnam Style, people want to make others smile. Now, some people may go to drastic measures and act like idiots if they aren't getting enough attention, but the problem is no one wants to look like a maniac by themselves. Well, MOSTLY everyone. Enter the Harlem Shake. The whole concept behind the Harlem Shake is that a GROUP of people act like mental patients and entertain millions through the internet. You're lying if you say you've never reacted to the Harlem Shake. Whether you laughed, cringed or danced along, you had a reaction.

Mission accomplished. Well played Harlem Shake. Well played.

Below I've just got some links to my personal favourite Harlem Shake videos, one of which was filmed at JCU a few days ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95vZ0-C1Kho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS9z7rioauU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkNrSpqUr-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woZ4FjlTPk8

Feel free to let me know your favourite ones because I always love a good laugh.

Also, if anyone is interested in creating a Harlem Shake video please let me know because that would be epic to be in.

*Gangnam Style, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangnam_style
**Nek Minnit, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nek_minnit