wip

About

I'm So Random / Lol So Random / So Random is a phrase that describes something/someone perceived as "random" via their actions, and is commonly paired with ironic usage of the emoticon XD. Online, the phrase is commonly used to mock people who use the phrase to describe something/someone and/or themselves.

Origin

The origin of the phrase is not known, but usage of the term is reported to be found around 2004. The earliest popularly-known example of 'randomness' on the Internet is the meme Katy t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m. Another speculated source of the rise of popularity of the phrases might be due to the Disney Channel show titled "So Random!"^[3].

Explanation of 'Random' Culture

'Random' culture refers to a group of people, usually within their teenage years, who do/say things unrelated to a conversation/action at hand and/or jokes that do not adhere to any types of humor, which they perceive as funny. They describe themselves as "random" due to the off-kilter, off-beat and unrelated style of humor they employ. They are commonly sources for cringe material, due to their sense of humor being commonly perceived as attention-seeking.

On January 30 2005, Urban Dictionary Pip uploaded the top definition for the term^[1] on the site describing the subculture, describing it as:

The latest buzzword used amongst mindless teenagers as a way of showing just so utterly irreverent their predictable sense of humour is. Particularly dominant among English teens and University students, the word "random" or the act of being "random" is a desperate plea for others to recognise how totally against the grain of the norm you are and that you're really crazy and out there. Trouble is, being "random" is predictable, boring, moronic and extremely sad indeed.

Spread

On April 16 2011, a page describing the phrase "I'm so random" was uploaded to Encyclopedia Dramatica^[4]. On November 24, 2013, Reddit user Redbingo posted a thread on /r/OutOfTheLoop, asking what "xD I'm so random!" mean^[5]. There are also many results for the phrase on Tumblr^[6] and 4chan^[7]. The webcomic xkcd also made a comic^[8] referencing the subculture and phrase.

On June 26 2011, an anonymous user posted the top definition for the term "lol so random xd"^[2] on Urban Dictionary, defining the term as:

A sarcastic statement mocking the type of netspeak that is popular among 12-17 year olds. When spoken in word, it is spoken in a serious (thus ironic) voice while pronouncing the "xd" as "ex dee".

Examples

im lazy but i'll probably add images to this later when i'm not sick

Search Interest

External References