Dhe difference between classic Boomer humor and Generation Z humor is often described as that between irony and post-irony. Irony: I love this blouse (meaning: this blouse is noticeably ugly, I don't love this blouse). Post-irony: I love this blouse (meaning: This blouse is noticeably ugly, but I still wear it seriously. Maybe I actually love this blouse). Post-irony is “ironic seriousness”; in the end, no one is sure what level of seriousness what has been said is. Voilà, you understand internet humor!
The mood in Elias Hirschl’s new novel “Content” could also be understood as “post-ironic”. The characters are social media editors, start-up founders, Twitter celebrities, gag writers for late night shows or bicycle delivery people for food apps, in short: representatives of the digital precariat. At the center of the story is a nameless first-person narrator who writes funny eleven-point lists (such as “The 11 Best Celebrity Breakups” or “11 Shocking Uses for Talking Parrots”) for a media factory whose business model she herself does not understand. Because “value” in the classic sense is not produced here.
#cat #videos #Content #Elias #Hirschl
