“Ah heyorrr, leave it bleedin’ ouuuuh!!” – is the now comedic phrase that has taken over social media, and our brains, in recent weeks. If you are unaware of it, it may be time to crawl out from your technology-absent cave and log onto the World Wide Web.
The YouTube video, which is poetically titled “Skangers get a kicking on Talbot Street”, has racked up 166,000 views since it was uploaded just over 2 months ago. While at first the video is shocking due to its aggressive content it is the dramatic shouting female voice that has catapulted the video into the viral hall of fame.
Although appearing on YouTube in early July, the video has only recently started making waves online. The continuous cries of “Ahhh leave it out!” have been turned into an hilariously musical heckle being dubbed over other videos. There is a lengthy list of “Ah here, leave it out” parodies- some funny, others questionable. In typical internet fashion some of these videos take the joke a step too far but there are a large number that are undoubtedly entertaining. The Saved By The Bell version is particularly LOL inducing. Hearing the stereotypical Dublin accent alongside Zack Morris’ and A.C Slater’s American drawl makes it almost impossible for anyone who remembers the cheesy US sitcom not to laugh.
Due to the phrase’s huge popularity, it has been remixed into a dance track getting airtime on many radio stations. Memes have been created brandishing the now nationally recognised tagline and it is safe to say that the video is well and truly everywhere. Such is the power of viral.
This video, however, is not the first of its kind. Again, unless taking home beneath a large rock, the video made by Invisible Children Inc. namedKony 2012 was the talk and “shared item” of everyone with access to a computer in March of this year. The video gained critical acclaim worldwide due its heartbreaking yet inspirational content and became the most viral political video in history after it gained 32 million views during its first week online.
Despite the extremely successful viral video of Kony 2012 being serious in subject, overall they are more likely to be humorous in content. Another video that has experienced rapid recognition in the past number of weeks is Korean musician PSY’s latest single, Gangnam Style. The video, praised for its catchy rhythm and hilarious dance routines has been viewed over 270 million times on YouTube. Due to his video being shared across social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, PSY has seen his song receive a number of accolades. Gangnam Style has topped the iTunes charts in 31 countries worldwide, flash mobs doing the hilarious dance have appeared in a number of the world’s major cities and the video has been recognised by the Guinness World Records as the “Most ‘liked’ Video in YouTube History”.
Viral videos have the ability to take over the internet sites we all view every single day. Anyone, if in possession of digital camera equipment, can showcase their talents and opinions online. It is then up to us viewers to determine the video’s success. The power lies with us.. Well with us and the ‘Share’ button.
Megan Ecock is our Deputy Flux Editor
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