# Is “No Context” Twitter Actually Peak Twitter?

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/is-no-context-twitter-actually-peak-twitter/
- Published: 2019-02-13T17:07:16-05:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

What is a story, a joke, or a question without context? More often than not, it’s
confusing, nonsensical, and probably not worth your time. Usually, context is everything.

But, alas, leave it to Twitter to break unwritten societal rules. After all, it’s
the social media platform where we can [get weird](https://twitter.com/BaveDender/status/902053097714933760).
[Really weird](https://twitter.com/sequeets/status/920145671360937984). Like, [really really weird](https://twitter.com/JillyKila/status/1085690167539757057).
You get the point.

Twitter humor is one of a kind, always evolving, and frankly sometimes unhinged.
It’s marvelous. It’s relatable. It’s a platform that I’m certain most parents couldn’t
even find on the internet. And recently I’ve come to realize that when the content
is good enough, it needs no caption and absolutely no context.

If you’re an avid Tweeter, you may have seen no context (sometimes referred to as“
out of context”) Twitter accounts gaining popularity on your feed. And frankly, 
I’m more than here for it. I mean, come on what’s not to like:

> [pic.twitter.com/FCTkWdM11U](https://t.co/FCTkWdM11U)
> — out of context the office (@officecontexts) [September 12, 2018](https://twitter.com/officecontexts/status/1039913118229508097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

You’d think as someone who writes social copy for a living that I’d hate the barren
place where captions should be and the down right simplicity of these accounts. 
How dare they strip the integrity of social media posting and good old fashioned
sensible humor!

But I don’t hate them. In fact, I _love_ them. I love them so much that I want to
take them out to a nice seafood dinner and laugh about the life, love, and the pursuit
of borderline happiness. Especially you, John Mulaney Out of Context. You crazy 
bastard.

> [pic.twitter.com/M0jMzoR4MK](https://t.co/M0jMzoR4MK)
> — out of context john mulaney (@nocontxtmulaney) [December 25, 2018](https://twitter.com/nocontxtmulaney/status/1077428568903184384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Aren’t these accounts simply regurgitating content that already exists on these 
TV shows? They’re just screenshots. You could just watch it on Netflix and appreciate
the joke in its entirety. Isn’t that how it was meant to be received?

I hear you. I _really_ do. But stay with me here. These accounts are giving these
jokes new legs. They’re evolving into their final forms. Without context, they’re
up for interpretation—even if you know the original joke.

Sure, a screengrab of _The Office_ will always be funny to me. I’ll admit it—I’m
that nightmare of a television consumer who spent several years binging that show
exclusively. Over and over. But when I can look at something without having seen
the episode, and feel a part of the joke? That’s comedy gold.

With that being said, I give you my favorite no context tweet of all time:

> [pic.twitter.com/5Cdz5HyLal](https://t.co/5Cdz5HyLal)
> — no context nathan (@NathanForYouOoC) [October 8, 2017](https://twitter.com/NathanForYouOoC/status/917100746532847616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Frankly, I don’t care what’s going on here. It’s incredible. It’s everything I want
it to be. And knowing _Nathan For You_, it’s probably elaborate, strange, and wouldn’t
end up making much sense anyway. Just enjoy it.

That’s the beauty of these accounts: we’re taking these jokes at face value. Sometimes
there aren’t even any subtitles, and that’s when things really get interesting. 
Leave it to _It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia _to gift us with the beauty of simplicity:

> [pic.twitter.com/CPougTAvMb](https://t.co/CPougTAvMb)
> — sunny out of context (@iasipmeme) [April 29, 2018](https://twitter.com/iasipmeme/status/990664765511892992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Relatable.

> [pic.twitter.com/nHi08ldgDQ](https://t.co/nHi08ldgDQ)
> — sunny out of context (@iasipmeme) [February 24, 2018](https://twitter.com/iasipmeme/status/967483015332073473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Aaaaand, relatable. Is it bad that I’m heavily identifying with the lifestyle of
Frank Reynolds, inarguably the biggest human garbage can on television? Maybe. But
it’s Twitter, baby! No rules.

The trend of these Twitter accounts has been on the rise, and some social media 
savvy companies have taken the hint. Netflix’s new (and utterly enjoyable) show 
_Sex Education_ actually made their verified Twitter account a full on no context
account for the show. Genius marketing.

> [pic.twitter.com/679iAthC2C](https://t.co/679iAthC2C)
> — sex education (@sexeducation) [January 26, 2019](https://twitter.com/sexeducation/status/1089283515844386816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

If you don’t know what’s going on here, it doesn’t matter. Send this to your enemy
and call it a day.

Twitter is a very special place for me. As a writer, it’s where I get to spew my
random thoughts and half-baked jokes. This has proven to be _slightly_ more gratifying
than keeping a journal and _infinitely _more embarrassing. But most importantly,
it’s where I can share an inside joke with millions of strangers, but never _actually_
interact with them IRL because, you know:

> [pic.twitter.com/9VnbMDJxqB](https://t.co/9VnbMDJxqB)
> — no context nathan (@NathanForYouOoC) [October 31, 2017](https://twitter.com/NathanForYouOoC/status/925184416695144448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

These accounts have taken what everyone loves about Twitter and wrapped it up into
a beautiful little package with your favorite comedians face all over it. You want
something strangely vague, definitely weird, undeniably shareable, and #relatable?
I give you:

> [pic.twitter.com/deFVMgVNmQ](https://t.co/deFVMgVNmQ)
> — out of context the office (@officecontexts) [December 6, 2018](https://twitter.com/officecontexts/status/1070711862239657991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Boom. Peak Twitter.
