Reading Response
The Ugly:
This was sent to me from my brother, who often shares memes with me across various social media platforms. The image pushes the Internet Ugly aesthetic to a new extreme. It is clear that the creator devoted themself to fit as much chaos and "ugly" as possible within the four panel comic, drawing from various avenues of meme culture as points of reference and inspiration.
The Beautiful:
Published by Instagram user @hannes_becker, this image is pretty emblematic of what many would consider a beautiful image, curated for a social platform that primarily rewards and encourages content reflecting the idealized, or the "expectation" side of "expectation vs reality." Visually pleasing and color corrected for maximum appeal, the photo demonstrates skill and careful planning.