Zalgo: The Corruption Spreads
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Nearly two years after it began making inexplicable appearances online, the weird meme of Zalgo has expanded its internet empire, while developing certain features that are more definitive than ever. Most notably, it spawned a (now dormant) blog called Zalgo Approaches. For several months of 2009, this site did a great job of chronicling Zalgo related media across the web. Consider it the LOLCats of Zalgo. Now, it lurks in comatose inactivity, seemingly due to the keeper's belief that Zalgo has itself gone dormant. On this point, I disagree.
True, the meme has apparently sloughed off its earlier zeal. As it creeps into 2010, perhaps it will perpetually take on the character of other internet memes--a slow, but steady boil from the rocket ride it previously experienced. There's also the possibility that the meme will sit beneath the surface of conscious internet activity, only to burst into a flurry of new activity upon rediscovery in the coming weeks, months, or years. Although alien looking Zalgo messages (or is it spam?) no longer burn up the blogosphere, several artists are tending their fascination with Zalgo, and pushing it into new territory.
Perhaps Zalgo's quiescence is for the best, at least from an analytical viewpoint. With the library of Zalgo material produced, it's possible to pinpoint several commonalities shared by most Zalgo pieces in its current incarnation. As I noted from the beginning, it continues to operate with a relatively Lovecraftian aura around it. Zalgo, as a dark god or corrosive influence from another dimension, continues to reflect features of Cthulhu and other Old Ones, as well as other terrors of the weird aesthetic. Black tentacles, strange shadows, dark pitch pouring from the eyes, and yawning maws are the most common identifiers of Zalgo. Its aforementioned text logo is with a blocky, alien looking type of writing that also appears in a backdrop on certain images and videos. The phrase "He Comes" is almost expected.
More than anything, Zalgo has fully developed into a supernatural force of irrational corruption. This explains its popularity in parodies of comics and in original pieces of art. Look for the toxicity of this 'net creature to tunnel new pathways online this year. Cameo appearances by Zalgo in offline fiction, graffiti, and film is not entirely out of the question.
-Grim Blogger
4 comments:
Zalgo still shows up in photoshop and other threads on the Something Awful forums. Schmorky--the guy that started it--still does a few now and then, too. The newspaper comic strip threads will usually have a couple Zalgos.
I think the guy, Schmorky is it?, who started Zalgo said he didn't base it on Lovecraft because he's "not nerdy enough for that reference".
If that's the case, I do think that the Lovecraft style of horror has spread into a general zeitgeist enough to influence people even if they aren't familiar with his works directly.
Interesting. You both have my thanks for the background.
I would say a Lovecraftian vibe either influenced the originator indirectly, or co-opted it when others latched onto the Zalgo industry.
I did indeed abandon Zalgo Approaches for the very reason that you surmised. Zalgo burned out quickly and my attempts were focused on old niches such as shortwave radio. I felt that shortwave radio signals would be far creepier and interesting than altered text. It never caught on and I moved on to other things. I'm glad someone found some entertainment in it though.
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