I'm popular...on the internet: When internet hype fails to mirror real life

As much as some lonely people want to believe the real world is entirely concentrated within their tiny computers, the popular trends that float across our computer screens don't always translate well into other mediums. Remember when bloggers couldn't stop talking about Snakes on a Plane? Did anyone in the real world bother to watch it? Below are a list of some of this year's biggest internet hypes that suffocated outside the safe, padded walls of the internet.


Gossip Girl
The New York Time Magazine calls Gossip Girl the "Best. Show. Ever." without the slightest hint of sarcasm. Meanwhile, entertainment bloggers work around the clock to keep up with their one-Gossip Girl-post-per-day quota. But in the real world, Gossip Girl only averages 2.6 million viewers an episode, less than all the major North American television shows, such as Dancing with the Stars or Lost. Apparently Gossip Girl's young fans would rather watch episodes for free online.


Ron Paul
This wannabe Republican candidate started an internet phenomenon as rabid supporters trolled blogs and message boards posting one out of hundreds of Ron Paul videos circulating YouTube. Through his website, he was able to rally his supporters to donate $6 million dollars in one day, prompting ABC News to mockingly ask, "Who keeps giving money to Ron Paul?" Of course, when the primaries rolled through, all of Paul's Myspace friends must have been inconveniently busy, and he only scored 2-4 percent of the votes.


Magibon
The mysterious Magibon, a supposedly Japanese girl who records short videos of herself looking up into a camera and saying absolutely nothing, has baffled the entire YouTube community for months. Despite the negative feedback, Magibon's videos received millions of curious viewers who wanted to know who she was and why she wasn't talking. When Magibon was invited to be a guest on a Japanese talk show, people were shocked to see that online Magibon was different from real world Magibon. The real Magibon was actually an awkward 20-something white girl from Florida who looked horrifically different from the Magibon online. Millions of creepy guys silently wept.