Why do you follow lolcows?

  • 🏰 The Fediverse is up. If you know, you know.
  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
I follow lolcows because they collectively are a glimpse into a reality and lifestyle that I almost fell victim to. I had the foresight (and luck) to be able to put myself through counseling and therapy for a very long time to help out on a lot of my emotional, psychological, and social problems and I am better equipped to deal with life now because of it. Without treatment or guidance I'd have easily fallen into a really bad socioeconomic rut, probably still live with my family (I am "around 30" now), I'd have let my hobbies go completely haywire, etc. They let me take a glimpse into where I'd be had I not shaped the fuck up and gotten my act together.
 
I have four different reasons for why I follow lolcows:

1) Their lifestyles are quirky and interesting. Sometimes they blow my mind.

2) I like to read their posts when they arrive on the forums to see how they act around other people.

3) Whenever I feel down or screw up, I sometimes go "At least I'm not CWC, GK, or -insert lolcow here-." Basically to feel good about myself.

4) Just plain boredom.
 
For me, a lot of it is reassuring to see people act dumber and crazier than I do. I may be insecure and have my own issues, but at least I'm not Chris, Jay, Jace, etc.

It's also fun to watch these people and see what they do next.
 
It's funny, I don't so much as follow lolcows as I do the things people have to say about them.

I don't really have a fascination in Chris himself, but I find what people who do follow have to say to be very funny. I'm too lazy to 'follow' Chris myself.
 
I'm still relatively new to lolcow worship, but this whole experience reminds me of when reality television came about in the early 90's, when we still thought it was real. It also feels like I'm participating in one of the broadest psychological studies ever conducted on an individual. I feel like there's something to be learned here.
 
Grand Number of Pounds said:
I do it because it's entertaining, interesting and I enjoy discussing the cows with the people on the forum.

It also serves as a warning for me to be more careful of what I post on the internet. I see a bit of myself in the cows, and it scares me.
Click to expand...

The cows are only (barely) human.

Saying that, a part of me began following the forums just because of how amazing the dedication to CWC there was. It's just so candid, so out there. I follow the forums also because I want to see how CWC ends. It's as Truman Showy as real life can achieve.
 
The reason why I'd follow lol-cows is because it's interesting to see just what it is they do and I mean lol-cows like SJW's who always think there is something patriarchal and oppressive, complaining about something like gamers being CIS-scum overlords that keep females down within the industry. Another reason is the same as others, it's schadenfreude. Some of these lol-cows are those train-wrecks that you can't look away despite how cringeworthy or laughable their attempts are such as reading A-Log's fan-fic's and cringing or even watching Jace do a stream only to have a meltdown when someone trolls him on Skype. Also, as some have said, these lol-cows are in a way a lesson on how not to act on the internet.
 
Cuddlebug said:
I dunno if there was a similar thread made specifically about Chris in discussion or not, but with the new Lolcow General subforum I thought it might be interesting to look at it from a broader angle.

It's something I've been thinking about over the past week. Is following what stupid people on the internet do or say inherently bad in some way? Why do I and other people do it?

I've actually been kind of split recently on the whole thing. Since it is a bit of schadenfreude either way. On the one hand, people are always going to make fun of others. And that ultimately we're being more open about something other people just don't speak about. That and how this sort of thing might encourage people to make better choices in their lives and "not turn out like that Our Pet Lolcow guy"

On the other hand it is low hanging fruit so to speak, and it breeds things like negativity and harassing others. Even if they bring it on themselves.

What are your opinions? Why do you follow lolcows? Is it just "because it's funny :ween:" or do you have some broader motivation in mind?
Click to expand...

Because of the lessons we can all learn from them, for their failures and successes. Analyzing the lolcows teaches us so much - from the ones like Chris, who are inspirations to essentially not be that Chris guy (to quote a small child at the school I work at), to the ones like Gonterman who push themselves towards something greater. Each one has a story to tell, each one teaches us things we can learn, and each one usually brings us a fucking ton of laughs and tears in the process.
 
What a lot of people said in this thread. Bizarre curiosity and a form of entertainment that is just too hilarilous and cringey at the same time to not just ignore.

Lolcows are also a reminder to not be a sperglord, both on the Internet and real life.
 
I follow lolcows because they entertain me, and in the cases of the lolcows who have Autism, I can sometimes see where they are coming from (but usually not). The funny thing about Chris especially is that a couple of the things he has done are things that I thought about doing when I was younger, but thought better of. I also get a feeling of relief from seeing that, no matter how lazy or bad I may be at some things, I will never be as bad of a person as a horrorcow like Nick Bate. That really brightens up my day for some reason when I'm depressed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom