0 _.- _,. _ -_,- ._ _ .. _e .- .. - -.., _ _ _0 8B \ednesday, January 12, 2011 / The Statement PERSONALSTATEMENT VIRAL VICTIM OR VL LIA N? BY H E E A F F MAG:SA BIN CR A BY MA RISSA MCCLAIN A s a sfrequent visitor of the infor- mation superhighway, I have become quite familiar with what will garner a response from my fellow Internet junkies. Whether it involves uploading drunken or embar- rassing text messages or cute cats with idiosyncratic captions, when it comes to the Internet, the more preposterous or nonsensical, the better. In my years of scanning the web for new curi- osities, I couldn't help but wonder if I could do it myself. So taking a cue from blogs that had already reached Inter- net fame, I decided to put my hubris to the test by creating a blog of my own. I approached the endeavor as field research. I wanted to see a side of the web that I was unfamiliar with - authorship. My initial goal was to get 1,000 page views to become famous. With this goal in mind I wanted to make sure to focus my blog on some- thing that would appeal to the masses. There are three things that the Inter- netcommunity loves: irony, humor and things that are cute. My blog would have all three qualities by showcasing infants in unusual hats accompanied by socially relevant, but frequently controversial captions. With this brilliant concept in mind, I created GSI From Page 5B get. These unbudgeted costs have been a main deterrent for the University to employ a student with a disability. Kolbe said she was excluded from a summer research job because her accommodation would have been too expensive for the University. Other GSIs have had similar experiences. But creating a centralized accom- modation fund would remedy the situation and result in more job oppor- tunities for those with disabilities. GEO also wants the University to implement a standardized process that explains to graduate students where they should go if they need accommodations. Additionally, GEO desires a system that makes it easy to advocate for resources for the dis- abled. Increasingthe number of semesters in which graduate students can stay enrolled is also important, since peo- BabiesInCrazyHats.blogspot.com. My blog is classified in the blogo- sphere asa single-serving site - a page that serves a single, usually inane pur- pose, and really, what could be more inconsequential than babies in crazy hats? The blog's creation was a simple 10-minute procedure. I made a user- name, a URL, uploaded photos and just like that I had my own web-identity with no fees to pay and no questions asked. My first two posts involved chil- dren in hand-knit, multicolored hats that were described as, "real cute" and "slightly less cute." As I uploaded more photos the captions got more obscure and unrefined. I began using pop cul- ture references and Internet memes in order to make readers who are "in the know" feel likethey are apart of a small community with an inside joke. When my content was developed enough, I started going viral. I encour- aged all of my friends to post a link to my website on their Facebook pages and sent my URL to other well-known pop culture blogs urging them to fea- ture my site. Within minutes my site was sent to friends, their friends, their friends' friends and so on, to the point where complete strangers were soon posting my site on their Twitter and ple with disabilities have to interpret their course load in a different way. GEO is pushing for language about accommodations for students with disabilities tobe included in the letter that graduate students receive upon acceptance to the GSI program so that potential graduate students are aware that they can seek assistance. Lastly, since some students may feel uncomfortable disclosing their disabilities, GEO is striving for a rule that allows disabilities to remain unannounced to the departmental supervisor. Right now, there is no offi- cial policy, but the current procedure forces GSIs to reveal their physical or mental limitation. Above all, GEO hopes to change the way GSIs with disabilities are per- ceived. "You're oftentimes seen as a prob- lem person, as opposed to a person that really has something to bring,"Wernick said. "It feels like people with disabili- ties within academia are justbarely tol- erated." tive comments reassures creators that what they are doing is worthwhile. But I wasn't prepared for what hap- U D E N T'Spened when comments stopped being so complimentary. T S After one more week, my blog was endorsed by urlesque.com, a section of AOL News dedicated to all things Internet. The mainstream acknowl- edgment led 10,000 readers to my site Facebook pages. in amatter of hours. This was all well On the third day of its existence, and good until the crafting community my blog was promoted by The Daily caught wind of my cute, yet contro- What, a pop culture blog that has been versial site. The images I featured on recognized by Entertainment Weekly babiesincrazyhats.blogspot.com were and The New York Post. When I real- almost exclusively from etsy.com,- a social com- "Within six days on the web, I merce website that sells hand- had 14,500 views. At that point made goods. I n ,y ' c ,credited all the in my 'research,' I understood t he photographers psychological appeal of creating a whose images I acquired, blog - recognition is intoxicating." but after see- ing the way I ized people were responding to my spoke about the hats they were selling, site, I found myself obsessed with as well as what I was implying about the acknowledgement. I constantly the babies wearing them, it's safe to refreshed my site to see how many say they were less than amused. The more people visited it. Each new view mood of my blog was quickly begin- became an ego boost and I could not ning to shift. Instead of comments get enough. Within six days on the highlighting how "brilliant" I was for web, I had 14,500 views. At that point conceiving this witty contribution to in my "research," I understood the psy- the online community, the messages I chological appeal of creating a blog - received were quite the opposite. recognition is intoxicating. - It seemed as though my blog uni- Everyone wants approval from their fied mothers, photographers and peers and blogs provide the oppor- craft-enthusiasts alike all to cham- tunity for anyone, anywhere to get pion one common cause - clearing exactly that. The positive affirmation the Internet of any trace of me, my that comes with viewership or posi- blog and any further "exploitation" of their children. Groups rallying against my "baby bashing" sprouted up. I was called every awful name in the book. My Facebook inbox filled up with hate mail from strangers threatening to sue me for copyright infringement and slander. At one point, my mother even received a message asking her to pun- ish me for all of the pain I had caused. My immediate reaction to the onslaught of unwelcome critique was to fight back. I wanted to contact each naysayer individually and explain that my intentions were not to decimate the reputations of innocent children. I wanted them to accept my dark humor so I could continue blogging, but I quickly found that the people who comment on blogs are set in their ways. As soon as the army of opinionated mothers and photographers chose me as their villain, there was no hope in convincing them otherwise. Despite how well received my blog was by some people, a collision of con- cerned readers managed to dismantle it in a matter of hours. I was being cen- sored on the Internet - a place where I thoughtanything was fair game. While I found myself caught up in the glam- our of recognition, when I realized that my words were affecting actual people with lives outside the web, all of a sudden the initial acknowledge- ment didn't feel so good. I do stand by my work, but maybe next tine I make a statement on the web it won't be, "This baby sexts in all caps." - Marissa McClain is an Art & Design sophomore and co-managing photo editor for The Michigan Daily. 5 V WANT TO LIVE THE THRILLING LIFE OF A JOURNALIST? COME TO THE MICHIGAN DAILY'S MASS MEETINGS THURSDAY, JAN 13 MONDAY, JAN 17 WEDNESDAY, JAN 19 , :. 7:30 P.M. AT 420 MAYNARD ST.