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The internet can be a frightening web of nasty opinions and ignorant declarations. A pleasant afternoon spent stalking exes can easily turn into a trip down a black hole of racism, misogyny and Trump ideology. Long Island resident Meredith Samuelson took all that ugliness and somehow made it both cute and poignant with a series of drawings.
“Against my better judgement, I often find myself scrolling through the comment section of all kinds of posts, even though I know it's a pit of hatred and despair,” explained Samuelson. “And no matter how often I do this, I'm continually shocked by how awful people are and the horrible things they say. I think it's an experience most internet users can relate to. I had the thought that the comment section must be the absolute worst part of the internet, and then I had the thought that the best part of the internet is obviously photos of baby animals. I thought pairing these two things together would sort of neutralize the comments and bring some humor to it. The animals help highlight how terrible the comments are.”
Samuelson has collected her quotes from her Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feeds as well as the comment sections on websites like Buzzfeed. She says that the project's title, "It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times" is a bit tongue in cheek, but is based in her real opinion of the internet's duality. You can see a few adorably horrifying pictures below, and find more on Samuelson's website.
Meredith Samuelson
Meredith Samuelson
Meredith Samuelson