The Internet is No Place For Comedy

The Internet has been accused of ruining a lot of things. Newspapers, the music industry, the film industry, the television industry, etc. So why not the stand-up comedy industry too?

It depends on who you're talking to whether or not the Internet ruined these things or made them way better. I think most users tend to lean toward the latter. It is usually the providers of these things that have a beef with the 'net. So naturally, this time it's the providers of stand-up comedy who are complaining. At least the old ones.

Michael Ventre at MSNBC TechDirt filed this story in the "when-I-was-your-age-I-performed-to-3-people-in-a-shack-and-I-liked-it department", and I kind of agree. I can see some of their points, but change is a fact of life, and those who do not accept it are more likely to get left behind.

In all fairness, there's a good chance that there are plenty of comedians out there young and old who view the Internet as a great place for opportunity. I would think that if anything, it would make young comedians want to strive to be the best they can be. The above comments of these comedians should serve as motivation for this very concept.

Like other forms of entertainment, the providers will likely have no choice but to embrace the Internet, and the booming popularity of online video will only ram that point home. It's not like the Internet is going to replace comedy clubs. As far as I know, people still enjoy going out.