Doge Blocker ((new)) Today

The Doge Blocker is a piece of browser code that scrubs the internet of a specific visual vernacular: the Comic Sans, the broken English (“much wow,” “so scare”), the inner monologue of a golden-brown dog. To the uninitiated, it looks like digital book burning. To me, it looks like sobriety.

By blocking Doge, I am attempting to reintroduce into my digital life. The internet used to reward discovery. Now it rewards repetition. Algorithms have learned that the safest way to keep you watching is to show you a slightly altered version of what you already loved yesterday. Doge, the ultimate “safe” meme, became a crutch for a creative class that has given up. doge blocker

What I realized, staring into the void of my filtered feed, is that Doge was never a meme. It was a . Like “um” or “like,” it filled the gap between genuine feeling and the terror of being perceived. “Much wow” allowed us to express awe without vulnerability. “So scare” let us admit fear as a joke. By blocking the signifier, I didn’t destroy the emotion; I just stripped it of its armor. The Doge Blocker is a piece of browser

Copyright © 2012 Bryce Campbell. All Rights Reserved.