Carolyn Ahlers Do you hate it when your house is so big that it needs two wireless routers?

Or hate it when you tell them no pickles, and they still give you pickles? In the ironic and satirical sixty-second video First World Problems Anthem, the Twitter phenomenon of #firstworldproblems, of which two examples are shown above, is shown in sharp contrast to the decrepit situations of the poor in third-world countries. In this short video, poor men, women, and children regurgitate these #firstworldproblems tweets while standing beside their ramshackle homes. Produced by Waterislife.com, an organization dedicated to bringing clean water to those in need, this videos purpose is to garner support for its humanitarian projects and to give people a reality check. This purpose is accomplished by the videos form and content. By utilizing YouTube and a short video as its form of communication, and using unique Twitter wording, impoverished subjects, irony, provocative camera views, subtitles, and inspiring background music as its content, this video evokes a strong emotional response from its first-world viewers which causes them to reflect on their lives and to donate to this organization. The form of communication used by Waterislife.com in this video is YouTube. This is an extremely effective mode of communication because it allows for the wide distribution of this video and its message. Had the producers employed a different medium of communication, such as a TV commercial, they would not have reached such a broad audience, and subsequently, would not have raised as much money. The reason YouTube is such an effective mode of communication is its convenience; people can watch videos whenever it works best for them and as frequently as they want. Additionally, YouTube is very accessible. For example, I heard about this video

Carolyn Ahlers from my friends, and because it was located on YouTube, I could look it up quickly and watch it in my free time. In contrast, if Waterislife.com had used a different means of communication, I would not have had such easy access to this video. Another reason YouTube is an effective form of communication for this video is because of the audience that this video is geared towards. This audience is successful people who can donate to Waterislife.coms humanitarian efforts. Because wealthy people usually have Internet access and computers, YouTube is an effective choice; however, had this video been intended for poor people, YouTube would not have been such a good idea. The form of this video as a sixty-second YouTube blurb also makes it very effective. Because the video is so short, there are literally no dull moments, and the viewers are kept completely engaged. This briefness was effective because successful people, at whom this video is directed, usually do not have a lot of free time to watch YouTube videos. However, because this video is so short and to the point, many people can watch it. As you can see, the form of this video directly led to its effectiveness. The content of this video also played an enormously important role in this videos success. The first content component that I want to discuss is wording. This videos script is completely composed of tweets. In such a digital age, Twitter is a gigantic part of Western culture; the president of the United States, famous music artists, and world-renowned athletes all have Twitter accounts. With nearly 600 million Twitter users and the wide reference to social media on sports channels, news channels, etc., a majority of people know what Twitter is. Consequently, this

Carolyn Ahlers video creates such an emotional response from its viewers because it uses words that nearly everyone in the first-world can identify with. For example, I could connect to this video because I, along with nearly everyone I follow on Twitter, posts tweets like these. Additionally, the use of Twitter phrases is so effective because of its uniqueness. Instead of using overused phrases, the producers of this video are very creative and utilize a form of communication that is on the forefront of our societys social scene. By being unique and utilizing twitter phrases, this video catches peoples attention. In addition to Twitter phrases, another content component that leads to this videos effectiveness is the impoverished people stating the tweets. Two diminutive girls, five little boys, two women, one man, and one elderly gentleman all dressed in raggedy clothes recite these tweets in solemn voices. I am sure it was not a fluke that seven children and only four adults speak in this video. Nearly everyone hates seeing children in trouble, so using kids as the narrators was an effective way for making viewers feel guilty and want to donate. Another content element that leads to such a strong emotional response is the irony throughout the video. The tweet that each impoverished subject reiterates is the polar opposite of his or her current situation. For example, the little boy that says, I hate it when I tell them no pickles, and they still give me pickles is standing on a dirt ground while a pig rummages by his feet looking for food. Additionally, a young girl says I hate when I leave my clothes in the washer so long they start to smell while her family sits by a polluted river cleaning their clothes, and a young boy states, I hate when my leather seats arent heated while he sits on a pile of

Carolyn Ahlers rocks. The irony of these tweets makes viewers feel very uncomfortable which then causes them to want to aid these people. An additional factor that leads to the effectiveness of this video is camera views. Many times throughout the video, the camera starts out completely zoomed in on the persons face. Only as the punch line of the tweet is said does the camera zoom out and show how the persons living conditions are completely opposite to what he or she just stated. For example, the camera starts zoomed in on the face of the boy that says, I hate it when my leather seats arent heated, and only zooms out to show the boy sitting on pebbles when the boy says the word arent. This creates emphasis on the fact that his life and the tweeters life are so different. Additionally, the camera is zoomed in on the face of a man who says, I hate it when my house is so big, I need two wireless routers, until it zooms out between the words big and I to show his dilapidated, small, wooden home. The use of these different camera views gives the video an element of surprise; viewers do not initially suspect that what the people are saying will be so contradictory to their actual lives. Subtitles also lead to this videos effectiveness. Because the speakers talk in their native languages, subtitles are needed so that viewers can understand. This has two positive effects. First, because the speakers talk in their native languages, the authenticity of the speakers is enforced, and second, because subtitles are employed, viewers are forced to understand every sing word that the speakers utter.

Carolyn Ahlers Finally, the last content component that I want to elaborate on is the background music. Surprisingly, the music is pretty happy sounding. I believe the producers chose this music because they wanted to show that hope still remains. It is as if they are saying that even though conditions are bad now, with viewers donations, everything can be better. The producers were not trying to create a feeling of depression upon the viewers, but instead a feeling of hope and optimism because viewers have the ability to make a difference. The first time I watched this video, I was stunned. This videos form and content were so well employed that I literally just sat there and reflected on how my problems were so trivial compared to the immense poverty that still envelops some parts of the world. This is the exact reaction that the producers of this video were trying to achieve. By using YouTube and a video as its form of communication and utilizing tweets, poverty-stricken speakers, irony, camera views, subtitles, and background music, Waterislife.com created a video that is very to forget. I know that I for one will definitely never again complain about extra pickles or unheated seats.