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Internet Event of the Year: 2009

24

Posts

  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Dyvion wrote: »
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    Dyvion wrote: »
    I'm actually quite amazed that Iranians still have as much access to the internet as they do. It boggles my mind that the government hasn't clamped down on the ISP's over there. It's possible they think it's not a threat... it's possible they have no idea how to control it... or that they think information can't hurt them. In any case... it's amazing.

    They have.

    They can't clamp down on cell phone signal everywhere, and cell phones can text twitter. That's pretty impossible to stop at the moment, short of turning off the countries cell phone towers. And that's hard.

    Well wouldn't that be Mobile Internet then?

    Texting twitter and mobile internet are two different things.
    And mobile internet hasn't yet caught on to the large majority of people.

    That'll be next year.

    SniperGuy on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    tardcore wrote: »
    I'd say maybe Hulu and mobile internet.

    Hulu isn't available outside of the US. And not only that but it was launched two years ago. And it's not even close to being popular or groundbreaking enough to count.

    And mobile internet has been around for years. Even if you want to differentiate between some watered down cellphone browser and the full-blown super internet then phones have still had the latter for ages.

    Neither come close to internet event of 2009.

    The_Scarab on
  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    The rise of social networks as information highways.

    Impersonator on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Dyvion wrote: »
    I'm actually quite amazed that Iranians still have as much access to the internet as they do. It boggles my mind that the government hasn't clamped down on the ISP's over there. It's possible they think it's not a threat... it's possible they have no idea how to control it... or that they think information can't hurt them. In any case... it's amazing.

    Dyv...

    Every ISP everywhere does as little as possible when told to do anything by a government. Not out of any particular concern for the interests of their customers but quite literally due to the enormous infrastructure momentum they have to deal with.

    Employee: We're out of capacity, our customers are complaining.
    Owner: Here's some cash, buy more gear.

    Employee: Gov says we have to filter everything. We don't have the capacity.
    Owner: Are they paying us to do it?
    Employee: No.
    Owner: Then they can go fuck themselves.

    This arrangement is a near-universal constant in every commercial telco/isp around the planet. If the government won't pay private industry for doing the government's bidding, then private industry will sue the government until they don't have to do the government's bidding in the first place. When that doesn't work, private industry uses its backup plan, which is to do such a hilariously shitty job of doing the government's bidding that it has no impact.

    Yeah this isn't even close to being true for most places, and I would argue even for America. Governments have more control than you think. Not only that, but service providers might not give a fuck about what the government wants, but they always give even less of a fuck what their customers want. Because the customers aren't holding all the rights and distribution contracts for them to stay in business.

    The_Scarab on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Delzhand wrote: »
    Twitter? Really? I seriously doubt Twitter will be around in any serious capacity in a few years, which is why my mind boggles whenever I see some random company asking me to "follow them on Twitter." Seriously, Pepsi Co, I don't give a fuck about you so long as I can get a cold one from any grocery store or convenience shop around. CNN, I give precisely zero fucks about any of your correspondents unless it's in an article to which they've contributed.

    I heard some guy saying Twitter is great because he can see when Wil Wheaton updates his blog. I guess it's too much work to check the blog itself.

    It's pretty clearly "not for me", but I don't know that it's "for" enough people to be an event of any significance.

    Edit: Twitter is interesting in an "artificial constraints" sort of way. There's a certain art to conveying ideas in a set amount of characters, sure. It's like Megaman 9, in a way.

    Yes it will. It's a big deal. No where else can you get that direct of an interaction with celebrities, companies, or anyone else. It IS a huge website, and it grows every day. The fact that it shows up on fucking ESPN is proof right there.

    It's definitely interesting to enough people to be around for a looooong time. At the very least, it'll be the catalyst for alot more like it.

    And social networks like Myspace and Facebook have been around for years. So I don't think Social Networking on it's own is really the event of the year.

    SniperGuy on
  • LaPuzzaLaPuzza Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I have a hard time saying social networking, because "something big got bigger" is not really a major event. More specifically, though, Iran's revolutionary Tweetfest is worth consideration.

    Cuba getting Internet (some people, kinda) is pretty amazing to me. Small in scale, but I think it says a lot about the force of free speech.

    Moble web is cool, but I think other nations have been on that for a long time. It blew up in the US, but is it really any bigger in Japan or Europe than it was last year? I was under the impression they were cell surfing while I was on dial-up.

    I dunno, maybe that Google still hasn't put in banner ads?

    LaPuzza on
  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    [analogy] Was the first Model-T rolling off the assembly line any less significant because there were already cars on the road? [/analogy]

    Oh wait I got another!

    [analogy] Was WWII any less significant because there was already a WWI? [/analogy] :P

    I am of course joking, but I do still cast my vote for (the boom of)Social Networking.

    edit- Wait, are those analogies, statements, or questions? :P

    Axen on
    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • SaraLunaSaraLuna Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    the thing is, people were posting the same things about the omgfacebookboom in this thread last year. (probably in the 2k7 one as well, but I didn't read that one)

    same with hulu / "tv on the internets."

    I'd say the activity surrounding the iran elections was the event of the year. not just twitter, but cyber-everything was involved.

    SaraLuna on
  • ಠ_ರೃಠ_ರೃ __BANNED USERS regular
    edited December 2009
    Hulu is going to a paid model in 2010, so that was fun while it lasted.

    And facebook will probably not be around in a few years, neither will twitter.

    Google Wave was a flop.

    I'd say the iran elections pretty much defined 2009 as the internet event of the year.

    ಠ_ರೃ on
  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Y'know, when I was watching the news on the protests in Iran, I got the feeling that the real news story the reporters were most interested about was not that the Iranians were being beaten and gassed, but the fact that the Iranians were using Twitter and Facebook to tell the world they were being beaten and gassed.

    edit- Oh gee, a wonderful ToTP. :(

    Axen on
    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • TeeManTeeMan BrainSpoon Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    As an Australian resident, I've got to give the nod to the impending nationwide internet censorship, now that it's set in stone to happen.

    All I ever hear about is it's for blocking child pornography and protecting families. Are you saying children look up child pornography?? The message they're trying to send is so confused that even the Family First muppets can't get their story straight.

    TeeMan on
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  • The Rocking MThe Rocking M Brisbane, AustraliaRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    MrIamMe wrote: »
    The Australian Government announcing it is going to censor the Australian Internet, filtering out RC level material.

    RC is anything that falls outside our classification system.

    RC includes: World of warcraft, fetishes, pro-abortion, anti-abortion, youtube, wikileaks. basically anything outside a MA15+ audience.

    yeah.

    WoW was made exempt from classification and the filter will only block single web pages not web sites.

    The Rocking M on
  • EndomaticEndomatic Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I would echo that the Iranian Elections are 2k9's winner.

    Didn't really turn out so well for them, but I don't care who you are, it was a step in the right direction.

    Endomatic on
  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    i'm australian and i wouldn't vote for conroy's inane plan until it actually comes to pass. the media's pretty heated about it and it could be labor's workchoices at the next election unless they back off

    i'm tempted to say call of duty:4:2, if only because the online component is largely what propelled it to become the biggest entertainment release ever

    bsjezz on
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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    bsjezz wrote: »
    i'm australian and i wouldn't vote for conroy's inane plan until it actually comes to pass. the media's pretty heated about it and it could be labor's workchoices at the next election unless they back off

    i'm tempted to say call of duty:4:2, if only because the online component is largely what propelled it to become the biggest entertainment release ever

    Uh. The twilight movie made more money than Call of Duty.

    It's definitely not CoD. Or any video game this year. Sorry.

    SniperGuy on
  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    bsjezz wrote: »
    i'm australian and i wouldn't vote for conroy's inane plan until it actually comes to pass. the media's pretty heated about it and it could be labor's workchoices at the next election unless they back off

    i'm tempted to say call of duty:4:2, if only because the online component is largely what propelled it to become the biggest entertainment release ever

    Uh. The twilight movie made more money than Call of Duty.

    It's definitely not CoD. Or any video game this year. Sorry.

    okay boss

    but twilight 2 made in three weeks what mw2 made in five days

    edit: it's irrelevant. the point is that online console games have picked up in popularity to massive degrees, so much so that they are a hugely, demonstrably mainstream form of media. so, uh, don't be sorry. that's my pick.

    bsjezz on
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  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited December 2009
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    Uh. The twilight movie made more money than Call of Duty.

    The twilight movie made more money than all but 5 other movies released this year. It's a ridiculous comparison.

    Tube on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    bsjezz wrote: »
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    bsjezz wrote: »
    i'm australian and i wouldn't vote for conroy's inane plan until it actually comes to pass. the media's pretty heated about it and it could be labor's workchoices at the next election unless they back off

    i'm tempted to say call of duty:4:2, if only because the online component is largely what propelled it to become the biggest entertainment release ever

    Uh. The twilight movie made more money than Call of Duty.

    It's definitely not CoD. Or any video game this year. Sorry.

    okay boss

    but twilight 2 made in three weeks what mw2 made in five days

    edit: it's irrelevant. the point is that online console games have picked up in popularity to massive degrees, so much so that they are a hugely, demonstrably mainstream form of media. so, uh, don't be sorry. that's my pick.


    You claimed it was the largest entertainment release ever, which is simply incorrect.


    Given that this thread is about the largest internet event of the year (Of which neither Call of Duty nor either Twilight movie are) it's also rather pointless.

    SniperGuy on
  • GothicLargoGothicLargo Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    You claimed it was the largest entertainment release ever, which is simply incorrect.

    Whereas DNF was the longest lived piece of vaporware in history. Twelve years. It was announced BEFORE Clinton's sex speech.... I still think the big thing is Delve is Goons. Since it doesn't seem like ACTA* is going to drop this year.

    *America's conspiracy to make everyone else enact the DMCA.

    GothicLargo on
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  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    You claimed it was the largest entertainment release ever, which is simply incorrect.

    Given that this thread is about the largest internet event of the year (Of which neither Call of Duty nor either Twilight movie are) it's also rather pointless.
    Wikipedia wrote:
    The total revenue from first day sales in the U.S. and the UK was $310 million, making Modern Warfare 2 the biggest entertainment launch in history ... Activision also claims that Modern Warfare 2 had 8 million players online within the first five days, constituting the largest 'army' of players in the world.

    pretty important

    bsjezz on
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  • EliminationElimination Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    bsjezz wrote: »
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    You claimed it was the largest entertainment release ever, which is simply incorrect.

    Given that this thread is about the largest internet event of the year (Of which neither Call of Duty nor either Twilight movie are) it's also rather pointless.
    Wikipedia wrote:
    The total revenue from first day sales in the U.S. and the UK was $310 million, making Modern Warfare 2 the biggest entertainment launch in history ... Activision also claims that Modern Warfare 2 had 8 million players online within the first five days, constituting the largest 'army' of players in the world.

    pretty important

    It's the largest entertainment release ever in terms of money made, it's not quite there yet in units sold. It's current beat by some harry potter book or some crap. But that won't last long.

    Elimination on
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  • ArkanArkan Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Neli wrote: »
    "2a0i93m.gif"

    what the fuck is this from

    some kind of parrot dancing competition

    Arkan on
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  • UnbreakableVowUnbreakableVow Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    It's current beat by some harry potter book

    8-)

    UnbreakableVow on
  • XagarathXagarath Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    An internet campaign successfully upsetting the Uk christmas number 1 contest?

    Xagarath on
  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Ok, not big anywhere else but I still giggle at Laughing Man.

    Mr_Grinch on
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  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Xagarath wrote: »
    An internet campaign successfully upsetting the Uk christmas number 1 contest?

    Yeah this.

    Rage Against The Machine; Killing In The Name for xmas number 1 over the latest X-Factor song.

    If you'd have told me this would be the case this time last year I'd have asked what you were smoking.

    fragglefart on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Xagarath wrote: »
    An internet campaign successfully upsetting the Uk christmas number 1 contest?

    Yeah this.

    Rage Against The Machine; Killing In The Name for xmas number 1 over the latest X-Factor song.

    If you'd have told me this would be the case this time last year I'd have asked what you were smoking.

    I've been away from the UK for three years and I'm about to move back.

    Holy shit, tell me more.

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Xagarath wrote: »
    An internet campaign successfully upsetting the Uk christmas number 1 contest?

    Yeah this.

    Rage Against The Machine; Killing In The Name for xmas number 1 over the latest X-Factor song.

    If you'd have told me this would be the case this time last year I'd have asked what you were smoking.

    I've been away from the UK for three years and I'm about to move back.

    Holy shit, tell me more.

    A Facebook group (link here) snowballed to 1,000,000+ members.

    Over £90,000 got donated directly to shelter http://www.justgiving.com/ratm4xmas.

    Killing In The Name sold over 500,000 copies beating the X Factor by 50,000 copies (also thanks to some heavy snow preventing CD sales) becoming the biggest-selling UK download single and only download-only number in the UK for Xmas!

    Became a bit interesting in the papers and media leading up to the chart (there was actually a good, old-fasioned chart battle for once!) and due to the support Rage are going to do a great big free gig sometime in 2010!

    Here's the BBC's take on the result;

    Rage Against the Machine beat X Factor winner in charts

    Edit: Personally, I contributed 13 downloads to that total on my todd!! :P

    fragglefart on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Awesome.

    I'd seen a couple of UK friends on facebook sign up to the group in the run-up to xmas but I had no idea it actually got there. Just awesome.

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • TeeManTeeMan BrainSpoon Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    That's some good work right there.

    TeeMan on
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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    bsjezz wrote: »
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    You claimed it was the largest entertainment release ever, which is simply incorrect.

    Given that this thread is about the largest internet event of the year (Of which neither Call of Duty nor either Twilight movie are) it's also rather pointless.
    Wikipedia wrote:
    The total revenue from first day sales in the U.S. and the UK was $310 million, making Modern Warfare 2 the biggest entertainment launch in history ... Activision also claims that Modern Warfare 2 had 8 million players online within the first five days, constituting the largest 'army' of players in the world.

    pretty important

    It's the largest entertainment release ever in terms of money made, it's not quite there yet in units sold. It's current beat by some harry potter book or some crap. But that won't last long.

    No it isn't! Movies have made faaar more money. Plus, Modern Warfare won't have a lasting effect on anything internet related. Or even video game related honestly. At best you could argue that the lack of dedicated servers heralds a new trend, though we're all hoping it doesn't. Plus, the vast majority of those players are on the Xbox and most of them don't even know what a dedicated server is.

    Also, this is one of those times that quoting Wikipedia isn't working out. You have a better source for that?

    Also, World of Warcraft has over 10 million subscribed accounts. Isn't that the world's largest "digital army"? http://www.wow.com/2008/12/23/world-of-warcraft-hits-11-5-million-subscribers/

    SniperGuy on
  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Awesome.

    I'd seen a couple of UK friends on facebook sign up to the group in the run-up to xmas but I had no idea it actually got there. Just awesome.

    the irony of the whole thing is sony and simon cowell won out anyway

    considering the aim of the venture was to 'rage against the machine' i don't think it was particularly well thought out

    bsjezz on
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  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    bsjezz wrote: »
    Awesome.

    I'd seen a couple of UK friends on facebook sign up to the group in the run-up to xmas but I had no idea it actually got there. Just awesome.

    the irony of the whole thing is sony still won out

    considering the aim of the venture was to 'rage against the machine' i don't think it was particularly well thought out

    argh cmon. how many times do people have to go over this? the goal of the whole thing was not to deny anyone money. heck, it was the exact opposite. it was about taste, sending a message to both the record labels and to the rest of the country that x-factor prefab pop does not represent the entire nations likes.

    everyone thinks they're some kind of internet detective when they find out that both competing singles wound up giving money to the same company and everyone has known that already since the start of the entire facebook group.

    The_Scarab on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    And sony cackled and rubbed their hands together the entire way?

    SniperGuy on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Except the machine in question was the X-Factor, which was successfully churning out christmas pap every year even when I was still in the UK.

    So, uh, machine successfully raged.

    edit: beat'd

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    And sony cackled and rubbed their hands together the entire way?

    no because even though bmg is the parent of everything here they don't directly get the money. plus, all the rage against the machine members said from the start they'd give the proceeds to charity, so they got even less from that single.

    The_Scarab on
  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    bsjezz wrote: »
    Awesome.

    I'd seen a couple of UK friends on facebook sign up to the group in the run-up to xmas but I had no idea it actually got there. Just awesome.

    the irony of the whole thing is sony still won out

    considering the aim of the venture was to 'rage against the machine' i don't think it was particularly well thought out

    argh cmon. how many times do people have to go over this? the goal of the whole thing was not to deny anyone money. heck, it was the exact opposite. it was about taste, sending a message to both the record labels and to the rest of the country that x-factor prefab pop does not represent the entire nations likes.

    everyone thinks they're some kind of internet detective when they find out that both competing singles wound up giving money to the same company and everyone has known that already since the start of the entire facebook group.

    if it was about taste the internet should have rallied around new, inspiring independant talent rather than cliched 'alternative' dogma that's almost twenty years old and can only these days represent the appropriation of rebellious philosophy by commercialism*

    i mean, yeah, it was a good example of social networking enacting real change, but the way it played out was so predictable that it made me cringe.

    * which, as it turns out, is exactly what happened with the facebook group

    bsjezz on
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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    And yet again, not the Internet Event of the Year.

    SniperGuy on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited December 2009
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    And sony cackled and rubbed their hands together the entire way?

    no because even though bmg is the parent of everything here they don't directly get the money. plus, all the rage against the machine members said from the start they'd give the proceeds to charity, so they got even less from that single.

    They would have given their proceeds to charity. The record company's profits aren't theirs to give.

    Tube on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    And sony cackled and rubbed their hands together the entire way?

    no because even though bmg is the parent of everything here they don't directly get the money. plus, all the rage against the machine members said from the start they'd give the proceeds to charity, so they got even less from that single.

    They would have given their proceeds to charity. The record company's profits aren't theirs to give.

    as far as i remember they simply said that and some rep from epic said they would chip in too, so they didn't look like some heartless assholes. i dunno, you're probably right that no-one lost money on it but it's not like sony planned the whole thing, or they were the only ones to profit.

    The_Scarab on
This discussion has been closed.