iCarly is based on late 2000s social media culture, but it's more relevant than ever

[TMC]

https://www.insider.com/icarly-netfl...-reboot-2021-3

When "iCarly" premiered in 2007, it was a reflection of a mid-aughts aspiration: that anyone with a sense of humor, a camera, and internet access could become famous.

The series, which follows three teenagers who host an incredibly popular web show that's also called iCarly, is chock full of references to late 2000s and early 2010s humor. Bits like the show's iconic "random dancing" sequences, and the completely nonsensical shirts the main characters wear that say things like "Mister Duck Lumps," evoke the era's junior high culture.

But in the years since it debuted, it has taken on a peculiar kind of relevance. Despite the potential pitfalls of making a show pegged to a particular era of the internet, "iCarly" still feels more relatable than ever. That might help explain why it's been floating around in Netflix's top 10 in the United States since it hit the platform in early February.

While it doesn't map onto the current era of social media perfectly, its portrayal of internet drama, online personalities, and viral aspirations makes "iCarly" a surreal and valuable piece of media in 2021. These days, it seems to be one of the first representations of a possibility that has gripped generations even since — the idea that you have the agency to go viral and become famous from your own home.

'iCarly' was savvy about bridging the gap between viewer and star

YouTube launched in 2005, creating an entirely new avenue to attain fame. At that point, posting your content online wasn't just a way to get famous on TV or the silver screen. Instead, it was possible to build a fanbase from your own home with content tailored to the internet itself.

iCarly — the in-universe web show central to "iCarly," the Nickelodeon sitcom — is a livestreamed comedy show hosted by the titular Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) and her best friend Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy). Their AV-savvy friend, Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress), runs the technical side of the show and helps the crew stream on their own website, iCarly.com.

Occasionally, their videos end up going viral on SplashFace, a fictional platform that's essentially a YouTube clone.

"iCarly" capitalized on those early days of YouTube, both by capturing its spirit in the show itself and in the way it connected with viewers. Writer Jonathan Dee wrote in 2007 that "iCarly" presented an opportunity for Nickelodeon to engage cross-platform with their audiences. Teens watching the show could go online and visit the "iCarly" website, uploading their own comedy videos for a chance to be featured on the show.

Despite being a typical sitcom otherwise, it represented a new future of programming that played into the growing trends of the digital age.