I've been spending a lot of time watching video clips on a site called "Nico Nico Douga (ﾆ男ﾆ坦ﾆ男ﾆ坦窶慊ｮ窶ｰﾃｦ）" these past few days. It is sort of like YouTube but there is a big difference.
While on YouTube, people can leave comments on the videos and they appear in a little section below the video screen, on Nico Nico, they can actually post their comments ON the screen itself. This gives you an illusion of watching the video with a bunch of your friends.
For example, I was watching a music video for a song titled "Suerte" by the Colombian Sex Tornado known as Shakira. The moment the song starts, I see someone saying (posting) "Ohhhhh〜〜〜I love this song!", which is followed by a coment by another saying "Wow....look at that A#S!!!" as Shakira does what she does with her hips.
You see, the point is these comments are displayed on the screen as the posters react to what they are seeing THEN and THERE. A moment or two before the chorus, there are a few comments on the screen in anticipation of it.... "Here comes!!!!" "Get ready!!!". Then, when the big sing-along chorus that must set any concert venue on fire finally comes, the screen is literally FILLED with people posting the lyric in unison. It is as if....yes, they are singing along. I found it most exhilarating. Of course, these comments had been posted at different times, but it really does give you this feeling that it is happening right now, in real time. As a result, you get this sense , albeit a false one, of being a part of a communal experience.
The thing is, though, as with any online "communities", the comments are laden with site-specific lingos that a newbie like myself needs a little time to get used to.
One such term I keep seeing used is "窶堙､窶堙??堙ｨ/Yutori". Although I didn't know what that meant, I could see that it was being used as an insult. It turns out it refers to those who were/are students after the public grade schools implimented the so-called Yutori Education ( "Relaxed(?) Education) that eliminated certain subjects all together in ealier grades and cut down the school week from 6 to 5 among other things to releave some of the pressure that the kids had been supposed to be under. So, when someone posts right after a comment that is a bit off, "A typical comment by a Yutori...", what he is really saying is, "Shut up, you idiot". I should be careful what to type because I would never want to be called a Yutori....
I am sure many of you already watch videos on Nico Nico, but if you haven't, do check it out. It is a lot of fun. Just perfect for killing a few minutes (or an hour) on a slow day at work. 😊
While on YouTube, people can leave comments on the videos and they appear in a little section below the video screen, on Nico Nico, they can actually post their comments ON the screen itself. This gives you an illusion of watching the video with a bunch of your friends.
For example, I was watching a music video for a song titled "Suerte" by the Colombian Sex Tornado known as Shakira. The moment the song starts, I see someone saying (posting) "Ohhhhh〜〜〜I love this song!", which is followed by a coment by another saying "Wow....look at that A#S!!!" as Shakira does what she does with her hips.
You see, the point is these comments are displayed on the screen as the posters react to what they are seeing THEN and THERE. A moment or two before the chorus, there are a few comments on the screen in anticipation of it.... "Here comes!!!!" "Get ready!!!". Then, when the big sing-along chorus that must set any concert venue on fire finally comes, the screen is literally FILLED with people posting the lyric in unison. It is as if....yes, they are singing along. I found it most exhilarating. Of course, these comments had been posted at different times, but it really does give you this feeling that it is happening right now, in real time. As a result, you get this sense , albeit a false one, of being a part of a communal experience.
The thing is, though, as with any online "communities", the comments are laden with site-specific lingos that a newbie like myself needs a little time to get used to.
One such term I keep seeing used is "窶堙､窶堙??堙ｨ/Yutori". Although I didn't know what that meant, I could see that it was being used as an insult. It turns out it refers to those who were/are students after the public grade schools implimented the so-called Yutori Education ( "Relaxed(?) Education) that eliminated certain subjects all together in ealier grades and cut down the school week from 6 to 5 among other things to releave some of the pressure that the kids had been supposed to be under. So, when someone posts right after a comment that is a bit off, "A typical comment by a Yutori...", what he is really saying is, "Shut up, you idiot". I should be careful what to type because I would never want to be called a Yutori....
I am sure many of you already watch videos on Nico Nico, but if you haven't, do check it out. It is a lot of fun. Just perfect for killing a few minutes (or an hour) on a slow day at work. 😊
