Another classic piece of internet culture has been
auctioned off for a six-figure sum, the latest viral sensation from the 2000s
to be eagerly snapped up by digital collectors of
NFTs.
اضافة اعلان
The home video “
Charlie Bit My Finger” sold for almost
$761,000 on Sunday, the 14th anniversary of its debut.
In the 55-second YouTube clip from 2007, a British toddler
named Harry holds his baby brother Charlie. But the adorable domestic scene
takes a sudden turn when Harry puts his pointer finger into his brother’s
mouth, and to his surprise, Charlie clamps down, spawning the much-memed lines:
“ouch, Charlie” and “Charlie, that really hurt”.
With more than 883 million views, it’s one of YouTube’s most
popular videos, though it will soon be removed from the platform. The
Davies-Carr family announced they would delete it following Sunday’s auction,
saying the highest bidder would become “the sole owner of this lovable piece of
internet history,” though of course it has been copied, shared, and reposted
numerous times across the web.
The auction drew offers from 11 accounts and sparked a
bidding war between users “mememaster” and “3fmusic,” the latter of which won
with a $760,999 offer.
NFT collectibles, essentially digital assets with a
certificate of authenticity created by the blockchain, have exploded in popularity
over the past year.
While the idea of buying something endlessly reproducible
may bewilder some, a manic appetite for NFTs has taken hold in markets all over
the world as buyers vie for bragging rights.
Early internet memorabilia, including memes, GIFs, photos,
and videos, have done particularly well. In March, Twitter boss Jack Dorsey sold his first tweet, from 2006,
which reads “just setting up my twttr,” for $2.9 million to a Malaysia-based
businessman.
An anonymous buyer snagged
Nyan Cat, a 10-year-old animation
of a flying, rainbow cat with a poptart body, for $590,000 the month before.
Read more
Lifestyle
.jpg)
.jpg)
