Everything on the Internet Is the 'Best Ever' and That's Terrible

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By Todd Wasserman2013-08-17 16:57:47 UTC

This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.

If you were on Facebook this past week you might be led to believe we're in a golden age of media consumption.

First there was this segment from The Colbert Report on Johnny Cummings, the openly gay mayor of Vicco, Ky., that was dubbed his best ever. Then this Ashton Kutcher speech at the Teen Choice Awards went viral and was described as "incredibly insightful," "profound" and "as inspirational as it gets."

Elsewhere Jennifer Aniston had "the most awkward interview ever" with that weird BBC guy, we learned about what may be the "best Etsy store ever" and learned that Jennifer Lawrence's 22nd year (actually her 23rd — birth to one counts as the first year) was her "best ever" as well.

Often the sources of media trends are mysterious, but there's a simple reason for this superlative inflation: to drive page views.

No one wants to click on a story about the second-best this or that and there are very few people who will be curious about a mediocre clip from last night's TV shows. Hence the penchant for describing everything as "the best ever." But it's not just headline writers who do this. (And yes, we at Mashable do it too from time to time). Non-media people who post on Facebook often buy into the same language. No piece of media is ever just OK anymore. Everything has to set the bar ever higher for awesomeness.

For instance, several Facebook friends dropped that Colbert clip in my News Feed last week describing it in similarly gushy language and I was so intrigued I eventually clicked on it. And?

It was OK. But there have probably been thousands of clips from that show that have hit the Internet over the years. Is that really the best? If you ask me, this one from earlier in the month is funnier.

The Kutcher speech? Sanctimonious drivel about hard work from a guy who was discovered by a modeling agency scout during college. The same kids applauding that speech would have rolled their eyes if their Grandpa said it. Get a grip, people.

It's often said that "good" is the enemy of "great." I propose that "best" is the enemy of truth. Outside of sports, there usually isn't a way to tell that something is the best. (And even there, there might be a steroids-induced asterisk.) Even things that you think are the best aren't necessarily. For instance, do you have a favorite song? More likely, you have many songs you like a lot, but none that you haven't tired of hearing. (If not, why aren't you listening to it right now?)

The subjective nature of "best" means we'll continue to see it a lot, which means it will eventually become meaningless if it hasn't already. Still, I suspect we'll keep hitting that clicker like a monkey in a cocaine experiment, seeking those peak experiences, even if they turn out to be kind of ho-hum. Social media, it seems, is inherently optimistic.

Image: iStockphoto, Stacey_Newman

Topics: Business, Media, opinion