It’s not pleasant. But, if you thought the dreaded crutch of cringey sitcoms went out of style in the ‘90s, think again.
The internet has developed its own “organic” laugh track — and it’s the secret sauce of some of our favorite viral videos.
There’s a little more subtlety involved
The internet laugh track could be the cameraman reacting to the magnificence of his own work, like the infamous “double rainbow” video, wherein a man screams joyfully to the heavens at the sight of a double rainbow “all the way across the sky.”
Or, it could be the subject and the narrator breaking character, like in the famed “damn daniel” video, where the narrator repeatedly compliments his friend Daniel’s white Vans in an unplaceable accent until they both catch the giggles.
Then there’s the straight-up “reaction video,” where the entertainment value is in literally watching someone watch something else (re: old people reacting to a haunted elevator prank show).
Point is, our tastes may have evolved, but we’re still suckers for a chuckle.