Bushwick-Based Designer’s Bad Haikus Poke Fun at Our Obsession With Social Media and Pop-Culture
Bushwick based designer Abe Chuang was late to download Instagram when the app first dropped, so when he finally signed up for the photo sharing service, he knew he wanted to make a lasting impression. That’s why he started @Bad_Haikus, an account dedicated to butchering traditional Japanese poetry, but also one that pokes fun at society’s obsession with social media.
“There’s hilarious stuff on Instagram, but I feel like a lot of it is just passed around. I’m proud to say that I’m generating content, short/dumb as it is,” says Chuang.
Chuang, a graphic designer by trade, writes his bad haikus about a variety of subjects ranging from the weather to click-bait-y internet culture to some people’s vain selfie-snapping antics. He’s adamant however, that the haikus are supposed to be funny. They don’t represent some grand, philosophical statement about millennial self-absorption.
“The idea really is just taking the form and idea of a Japanese haiku, and fucking with it as much as possible to make it ‘bad. ’A lot of trends I don’t really understand, so like any good American I try to make fun of it,” he says.
Catch a glimpse of Chuang’s haikus below. They’re bound to make you chuckle.