The Harlem Shake

Last updated on: February 28, 2013 at 1:01 am by Jonathan McKee

The Harlem Shake 2013-02-26T19:31:11-07:00 Jonathan McKee

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You might have seen it on the Today Show, or Dr. Oz… or if you are a parent of a teenager, you might have caught them watching it on YouTube. It’s not one video, it’s a viral craze that everyone wants a piece of. Right now you can find literally thousands upon thousands of versions of this on the web.

I’m talking about The Harlem Shake.

The song was released last year, but never gained any attention until the videos began going viral. Maybe Gangnam Style got old and people wanted a new song to dance to. Whatever the reason, the videos are all the same: one lone person will be on the screen, usually wearing a mask or helmet of some kind, with everyone else going about their business as if nothing is happening. Then when the beat drops… everyone goes crazy.

Sadly, “crazy” very often means PG-13 or worse. Sometimes the dancing is just “body quaking.” But often… it’s a little more. Here’s a version the kids at the high school down the street from me just made (I saw them watching this when I was on campus the other day).

Many have theories as to why these videos are going viral. No one really knows, but everyone wants to post one.

Some say the trend is already over. Sure enough, the song, which was #1 on iTunes last week, is already dropping down a few notches. But I wouldn’t call the trend over yet. I think we’ll be seeing more and more of these videos surfacing for at least the next few weeks.

The question is… what’s next?

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