From visiting a theatre to watch the latest comedy film, or binge-watching your favourite sitcom that never fails to give you a good laugh, humour and comedy have come a long way—all the way to the comfort of your social media feed, to be precise.
Is there too much funny content out there?
As content fatigue catches onto social media users, so does the overload of humorous content. Quick comic relief in the form of Tiktok videos, and now Instagram Reels is one of the most common examples of short-form comedy content. With humour so easily available to consume, it won’t be surprising if users felt the genre was saturated. We asked fellow content consumers, Lisette, a Fashion Consultant as well as Nikita Sachdev, an Art Director, and here’s what they had to say…
“Funny videos are everywhere, be it Instagram or YouTube, especially the short videos that last a few seconds. Not that they aren’t funny, but yes it’s definitely a saturated genre when it comes to social media,” says Nikita, who tends to consume funny content only when she comes across it.
Lisette, on the other hand, thinks differently, “I wouldn’t say it’s very saturated. Funny, short format content is required every now and then. Plus, I think there’s enough for everyone to joke about.”
Can quick, funny videos triumph over a classic comedy film?
A comedy film is often made with the goal of making people laugh, or for entertaining them. But so is a short 15-second reel, for instance. While the duration of content is one of the most crucial differences in the two forms of humour, a movie is often more prepped for, involves a story, funny characters, as well as a strong script. One would imagine that a film would be the more obvious choice of entertainment amongst most, but that’s not always the case. “I love shorter videos. There’s always something new out there! Plus, it’s best to take a quick break when you’re bored. You can share it with your friends and have a good laugh about it too,” says Lisette.
There’s nothing more subjective than what makes a person laugh. A joke you find funny might not even get a smile out of others. With increasingly controversial subjects taken up by comedians and content creators today, not everyone is able to not take offence, and with good reason. In America, about three-in-ten Asian adults (31 per cent) said they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the COVID-19 outbreak began, according to the Pew Research Centre.
For others, however, a two-hour classic comedy film might win over a reel binge session, like it does for Nikita. “There’s no way I would trade a good comedy film for anything else. I’ve watched Home Alone more than anything else, and I still find it more entertaining than most other videos.”
So is too much not too good?
They say too much of anything is a good thing, so does that apply to the concept of humour as well? “Humour, as such, is a more complex function. When we say humour we use it as a blanket term, and more often than not, it’s not,” says Dr. Mehezabin Dordi, a clinical psychologist at Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital. She goes on to explain how there are essentially four types of humour:
• Self-deprecating, which involves putting yourself down in the form of a joke;
• Affiliative humour, which focuses on finding humour in everyday life and telling jokes about things that everyone might find funny;
• Self-enhancing humour, which involves pulling a joke on oneself or being able to laugh at yourself; Aggressive humour which means jokes or insults targeted toward other individuals.
“Depending to the type of humour, it’s impact changes,” adds Dr. Dordi, “when it comes to forms of fast humour, like the self-deprecating or aggressive kind, might dull down over a time in impact, but if you look at healthier forms of humour, then there is no real evidence to show that it will cease to engage people.”
Our content consumers seem to agree, “Everyone should have access to good humour. Everything said and done, I think it’s a good thing, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone,” says Nikita.
According to Lisette, it’s the variety that takes the cake. She says, “With so much content out there, most of it is set apart in its own way or has a unique touch to it which is where the difference lies.”
So what do you think? Have you had enough of funny content? Or can you not wait for more every day? Tell us in the comments below!
