Times Covers the Numa Numa Dance

What have we come to when The New York Times publishes a 1,000-word-plus article on a grainy video of a 19-year-old guy from Saddle River, New Jersey, lip-syncing a Romanian pop tune and doing a sort of chair-bound dance to it?

The point of the article is how embarrassed the guy, Gary Brolsma, became after he put his video online and it became the rage of the internet. A web site that features online videos and animation put the Numa Numa Dance on its home page, Gary appeared on Good Morning America, CNN and VH1, and parodies appeared on other people's web sites. Gary seems to have enjoyed it all at first but, according to the article, eventually became sad and withdrawn.

At first glance, it hardly seems like a New York Times story. And, for that matter, why am I writing about it?

I'm covering it because it's a great example of both the power of the internet and the fact that it's a medium no one fully understands. It's a place where the unexpected can get out of hand, and where the law of unintended consequences has full sway.

Oh, and besides, if you want to view Gary's video, click here.