The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 9

October 6, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 6 Arts & Entertainment Sasquatch, frogs and the internet: The power of weird online communities The internet is a very weird place. In seconds, you can go from watching a video of a cat playing piano, to seeing a picture of an ancient artifact that has been discovered, to watching your family argue over a meme on Facebook. The internet certainly has the power to divide, but it also has the power to bring people together. Over the past few months, many of us have dived deeper and deeper into the internet, exploring those strange corners often left unviewed when we had other things occupying our time. Now that we’re all spending more time at home, we finally have the time to explore all the things the internet has to offer. It is during these times that I’ve discovered some of the strangest communities in the deep crevices of the internet. What’s even more baffling than the subject matter of these communities is the large follower count and number of active members who post on a daily basis. One such community is the fanbase of Saxsquatch. Saxsquatch is an independent band whose largest community following is on Facebook, where he is a verified public figure. Saxsquatch is simply a man who plays the saxophone in the woods dressed in a sasquatch costume. As his nearly 600,000 followers would ponder, though, is it really a costume? Saxsquatch is so popular that he has his own merchandise, a five star rating on Facebook and is even on tour promoting his original mixtape. The ticket prices to see Saxsquatch live range from $40 to $240, and his first three tour stops in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky are already sold out. The final four By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor stops of his tour include Ohio, Virginia and South Carolina, but according to his Facebook page, he is looking into adding more locations as his performance is in high demand. Facebook seems to be the home of many of these strange figures and communities. One such community is a public Facebook group called Frogspotting. Much like the popular page Dogspotting, Frogspotting is for people to post pictures of frogs and frog related content. The group boasts nearly 300,000 activemembers, with an average of 3,000 people joining on a weekly basis. The group, while quite niche, has become so popular that its users are starting to spread the content onto other social media platforms. A trend has emerged on Tiktok where people go to Michaels craft store and buy the large plastic frogs -- which are meant to be Halloween decorations -- lovingly nicknamed the ‘Michaels Frog,’ and make TikTok videos dressing them up, having tea with them and even turning them into purses. The popularity of these frogs originated from the Facebook group Frogspotting, where people excitedly posted about their new froggy friends. The trend has become so popular that some Michaels stores have run out of stock. Strange communities such as these have taken the internet by storm. There are hundreds of groups just like those aforementioned where people interact on a daily basis and develop personal bonds over the weirdest interests. The question still remains: what draws people to groups such as these? Things can change with “Us Kids” On Feb. 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 students and injuring 17 others. Mass shootings are a tragedy and have unfortunately become a somewhat common occurrence throughout the United States. These events inspire countless news articles, short films, podcasts, documentaries and movies. They often ask questions like “Why did this happen?” and “How could we have stopped this?” They focus on the tragedy. “Us Kids” is not one of those films. “Us Kids” is the latest documentary by director KimA. Snyder, American filmmaker and producer. The film isn’t one that focuses on the tragedy, but instead, the hope that rose from it. Snyder hasn’t shied away from the issue of gun violence in the U.S. She previously directed and produced a documentary called “Newtown” in 2016 that focused on the mass shooting in Newtown, CT. Her latest film chronicles the rise of a youth-led movement filmed over the course of 18 months. “I thought I was done with that issue, but I was really left asking myself the question, ‘How many kids -- not just in schools, but throughout the country -- are left traumatized in the wake of gun violence?What does that provoke?’” said Snyder. On that fateful day in February, Snyder was working on a separate project in Tallahassee, FL. She happened to be there with a camera in hand as busloads of students from Parkland were driven up and joined with students throughout northern Florida. “I really saw the birth of the movement, and I said ‘Something is different here. Something has changed.’ It inspired me to make a film that I really think is about a generation; it’s not about Parkland, it’s not even about guns, it’s about a generation of youth that have grown up or that are coming of age against a background of trauma. I really wanted to stand by those youth and give them that voice to carve out a story that is a transformation from trauma and rage to one that is of action and hope,” said Snyder. The film follows student activists from Parkland and other areas affected by gun violence in the U.S. as they pull off one of the largest youth protests inAmerican history, visit over 50 cities across the nation and form what would ultimately become the March For Our Lives organization. The documentary takes a beautiful and unique angle, often juxtapositioning the incredible power of the movement that these students created while reminding the viewer that they are just coming of age themselves. It offers viewers a look into what it’s like spearheading a cause based on hope while many had none. For a full version of Things can change with “Us Kids”, be sure to check out The Current’s website at https:// nsucurrent.nova.edu/. PHOTO PRINTED PERMISSION BY US KIDS FILM “March for our Lives co-founders, Emma Gonzalez and Jaclyn Corin march in Sioux City, Iowa during Road to Change By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor