The internet is one of those things that I never feel I’m doing “right”. I watch my friends furiously scrolling through Instagram pausing every couple of seconds to laugh and I’m often left wondering why all I seem to see is wedding photos from Bali from a girl I hated in high school and blurry snaps of a border collie that I think belongs to a friend of my cousin’s?
Often I’ll sit down at my desk, open my laptop, type in “youtube.com” and stare blankly at the search button. How do I get to see a funny video? All I seem to see on the internet are the comments from people all over the world explaining just how unfunny they think I am.
However, I am lucky to have people in my life who are great at doing the internet (I think that’s the expression) and they take pity on my sad little online life and will occasionally send me videos and links. So although I am compiling this list of funny things I want you all to know that if I wasn’t surrounded by my lovely, funny friends this would be a list of links to Gmail, the Centrelink login site, and the analytics page of my extremely unsuccessful podcast.
1. The Francis family Instagram
My boyfriend first showed me this Instagram during the bushfires and it’s been one of my favourite accounts ever since. This kid sings, dances, talks shit about his teachers and whoever’s giving him grief. He lets you into his home as well as doing little pieces-to-camera about his musings on the world. It’s sort of like reading a kid’s diary except he has an audience so it’s actually entertaining. This clip he put out during the bushfires still remains one of my favourite things ever.
2. Rodney Stanger news fail
An oldie but a goodie. You’ve probably already seen it but it’s good to throw some old gold out there and besides, the internet moves so fast these days that often people haven’t bothered to educate themselves on the massive backlog of funny internet clips. I’ve taken this compilation task on not to prove to you that I’m watching cutting-edge comedy but as a resource to turn to when you’ve got the PlayStation remote in your hot little hands with the expectation of putting something funny on for everyone to watch.
3. Guy hanging from helicopter
Now I understand that this video is way too long, in fact, if someone puts on a “funny” YouTube that goes for longer than two minutes I usually tune out while I think about what video I’m going to play next. This video is actually not for everyone; it either makes you weep with laughter till you can’t breathe or you get to the end and think “wow what a journey”. But trust me, if it’s up your alley, it’s a joy to watch.
4. @kickoncameron on Instagram
Kickoncameron is an instagram account run by two Sydneysiders. They’re anti-cop, pro-drug socialists who have a more than comprehensive understanding of western Sydney rap and Russian literature. It’s not uncommon to find a Slavoj Žižek quote alongside a genuine plea for a dexy hook-up. If you get what’s going on, congratulations, your politics are correct.
5. God’s timing is always right
There’s a lot to love about this video. The way she does her makeup is mesmerising, the story is infuriating and the way she tells it is the funniest and coolest thing I’ve ever seen. The thing about TikTok and new technology is that yes, it can be bad, but it’s also the reason we get to see some of the most innovative and interesting stories told by people who’ve previously been ignored.
6. Shrek ruins party
The concept is simple: a children’s party where a man dressed as Shrek arrives. Is it the costume that terrifies them? Or is Shrek’s general attitude and demeanour? It’s hard to say. But to be fair to these kids, of all the characters that exist, why Shrek? He’s notoriously a party pooper and has a bad attitude! He’s the grumpiest ogre of all time and he lives in a literal swamp. This could be my own biases showing but … maybe Elsa or Ariel would have been a better choice? At the very least Donkey! That guy knows how to party.
7. Turkish man talking into a mushroom
We all play this role of being important and professional when really we live on a planet that’s spinning around and nothing means anything. I just love that instead of trying to plough through what appears to be a fairly dry interview, this man decides to just acknowledge and accept how funny it is. It’s so full of humanity.
8. Bondi Blackfella
ABC’s show Black Comedy featured a bunch of hilarious Indigenous comedy writers and actors including Nayuka Gorrie, Yaz Thorne, Nakkiah Lui, David Woodhead (just to name a few) and had, in my opinion, one of the funniest sketches I’d seen on TV for a really long time. It was so simple, so perfect, and everything an online sketch should be. This episode was written by Dave Human and the dude playing the lifeguard is the hilarious Gabriel Willie.
9. Tom Cashman’s graphs
Tom is a great friend of mine who is very smart and did very well at maths in school. I did not do well at maths in school, in fact, all I remember from maths class was to not sit at the desk fourth from the front because it had the most chewing gum stuck to the underside of the desk. Tom now lives in a world where he is rarely called upon to use any of the skills learned in maths class so he makes graphs full of absolute nonsense. Here are some examples.
