There’s a culture that has developed on the web. Like any large group of people thrown together in loose association, societal norms have sprung up that dictate what’s considered acceptable behaviour. Over the last few years, April Fool’s Day has evolved into a collective excuse to let our hair down and do something a little silly for a few hours. It’s a pleasant tradition that I get a chuckle out of each year, and I’m sure many of you reading this feel the same way.
This year though, things seem a little different. There’s a cynical attitude being circulated around that April Fool’s is unprofessional or childish or somehow beneath us all.
In my opinion, that way of thinking is a little sad. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be sucked in by cynicism. We need these cultural touchstones. Depending on where you live in the world Christmas, Hanukkah, or Easter might be a part of your community’s cultural makeup. These events become landmarks in our personal histories that bind us to the people around us and become a part of our identities.
On the web there’s very little that binds us as a community, but April Fool’s Day has become a mostly harmless part of our way of life that we all get to be a part of, and I think that’s a good thing.
Alright, now with that out of the way, go laugh at Google Nose.