Social:Smash Our Stuff
Smash Our Stuff is an internet phenomenon that features a group of Canadian men from planetboredom.net purchasing a popular product, and destroying it in front of other people who are waiting in line to purchase it.[1] The site started as "Smash My iPod", which involves smashing an iPod in front of the waiting crew.[2]
The true purpose of this act is cited as a "social experiment".[3] The video was so popular that it spawned spin-offs, "Smash My Xbox", "Smash My PS3", and "Smash My Wii", in which the same group of Canadians purchased Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles and destroyed them while onlookers waited in line to purchase them.[4] The money needed to purchase the items is raised by the donations of visitors to the website.[5]
Since the smashing of the Xbox360 the SmashOurStuff crew were paid by a company named Tromsolan to smash an iPod Nano, which led to a one-year ban from the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[citation needed]
On January 16, 2007, the forums was closed by the administrators, due to legal issues with Apple.[citation needed]
In response to Apple announcing the iPhone being launched in Canada, the SmashOurStuff team continued their legacy by assassinating an iPhone on the main stage at the Toronto Freedom Festival on May 3, 2008. The fans were so hyped that somebody threw their iPod on stage to be destroyed as well.[citation needed]
In more recent news, on March 4, 2011 the group launched a new project called SmashMyiPad2, aiming to be the first people in their country to purchase an iPad 2, solely to destroy it. This project is actively taking donations.[citation needed]
The background song used in each of the videos is titled "The Fallen" by Franz Ferdinand. The song was most likely chosen due to its lyrics at the beginning of the song which correspond to the project idea - "Just because you like to destroy all of the things that bring the idiots joy" is the focus point of the project - to smash items that "fanboys" love.[citation needed]
Today most of the websites are down due to legal disputes,[citation needed] but their entire video archive can still be seen on the SmashMyiPad2 website.
References
- ↑ "Smash my iPod" (in en-US). https://www.engadget.com/2005-10-20-smash-my-ipod.html.
- ↑ Tossell, Ivor (12 November 2005). "Get ready for the ant-iPod movement". The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/get-ready-for-the-ant-ipod-movement/article1331702/.
- ↑ Meyers, Michelle. "Smashing gadgets--social experiment or society crumbling?" (in en). https://www.cnet.com/news/smashing-gadgets-social-experiment-or-society-crumbling/.
- ↑ "The XBox files". The Times. 26 November 2005. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-week-on-the-web-nqrkpncdtgw.
- ↑ Terdiman, Daniel. "Smash my Xbox 360" (in en). https://www.cnet.com/news/smash-my-xbox-360/.
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