Comedy Analysis: On-line comedy

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With the rise of the Internet and websites such as Blip.TV, Channel 101, Youtube.com, Escapist Magazine and Dailymotion.com, many people now have the possibility to upload and share their own work. Also because of the computer and the increasing availability of high-quality cameras and microphones as well as easy-to-use cheap (or free) editing software, many people are now able to upload their own hilarious work. This has helped create a thriving comedy subculture on the Internet.

Because (almost) everybody is now able to share their content, there are countless videos available where people show their comedic talents (or lack thereof) for the entertainment of the world. Parodies are among the most popular genre on the Internet. Television series, songs, films, other Internet celebrities, nothing and no-one is safe from the Internet comedians. Some great Internet comedians include Nerdcubed, The Key of Awesome, Epic Rap Battles of History, How it should have ended, Smosh, Channel Awesome and Thug Notes. The latter is not so much classic comedy; he provides summaries and reviews of famous literature in a true 'thug, gangsta-style' speaking in slang and appealing to a younger audience. His way of story telling and analysis is hilarious though.

Not only is the Internet a way to broadcast comedy, it is also a source of inspiration. On line comedians inspire others and as such the community keeps growing. But also the Internet itself is a source of comedy. There are more songs, sketches and mockumentaries about Twitter, Facebook and Myspace than there are stars in the sky,

Part of the success of on-line comedy is because the Internet is not only easily accessible, but comedians can even make money. On Youtube alone there are dozens of content creators who make upwards of 1 million dollars per year with their videos. Outside of Youtube there are even more, not all become millionaires but there are thousands of creators who make a living through creating and sharing content using the Internet.

To sum up, the Internet might be the greatest thing that ever happened to comedy and humour. People have more sources, more inspiration and can share and broadcast their work easier than ever before. Go try it, you might become the next on-line superstar!