The Age of Parody in Modern Media

Parodies are a great way to kill several minutes time; just kick back, relax, and have a few laughs. We all know that parodies are funny, but why do we ACTUALLY enjoy them as much as we do? For one, it gives us a sense of control. The original content caught our attention, and whether we liked it or not, it stuck with us in some form or another. But when we see a spoof of that original content, we almost feel as though WE the consumers are in control of how we choose to perceive the content.

But in a way, although we have some control over how a brand is perceived, we are also promoting the brands and their original content by watching and sharing their associated parodies. Sure, we're making fun of the brand by encouraging parodies, but we also put the spotlight on the original content, which is basically just free advertising for the original creators.

Take, for example, Rebecca Black's "Friday". I'm fairly certain we all remember when this gem of a song surfaced on YouTube, and I'm also sure we all remember how much pain was inflicted upon us that we first time we watched the music video. I know I do. I wish I didn't, but we can't always get what we want.

Actually, the first time I heard anything about it, it was a parody of the song I heard first. It was entertaining, definitely, but I couldn't believe it when my friends told me "No no! That's just a parody! Wait until you hear the real thing!" Needless to say, the parody had caught my attention and had peaked my interest just enough that I searched for and watched the original music video.
That was back in 2011. Currently, the song has over 72 million views, and almost everyone knows about Rebecca Black. And in case you forgot, no worries- it's linked here for your viewing pleasure.

Another parody that puts the original content in the spotlight is the bad lip reading of the movie Twilight. Everyone already makes fun of Twilight, but with every view that the parody receives, it only puts the Twilight franchise on people's radars more and more. Some say that the Twilight parodies go too far, but let's be honest, who doesn't like making fun of Edward and Bella?

In a nutshell, The Age of Parody may highlight the flaws within the brands, but ultimately, it draws attention back from the parodies to the original brands themselves. Whether this attention ends up being positive or negative is up to us, the consumers. We have more influence now over what others will think about a brand more than we ever have.