Locating humour in The Lonely Island: Absurdism and comedy in millennial humour

Abstract Humour traditionally referred to any type of speech, writing, or composition that was ludicrous or amusing. In the past few decades, humour has been rapidly included in the online world, often in the form of visual media. From stand-up and satire, to sketch comedy and parodies, YouTube has emerged as a flexible medium of communication. With the expansion of what is considered “funny,” various niche forms of comedy have emerged, including absurdist comedy. The Lonely Island is a sketch comedy trio comprising of Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone. It has gained massive popularity on YouTube and the American show Saturday Night Live. This paper attempts to understand the essence of the humour used by The Lonely Island by analyzing their most formidable digital short, The Shooting (Dear Sister), and two of their songs (Like a Boss, and YOLO). In this process, the paper explores how absurdist or ‘stupid comedy’ is rich with data that provides insight into millennial and internet psychology. The analysis of their original content is aimed at providing a deeper understanding of the manner in which absurdism can be transformed into a unique brand of humour that is both popular and contextually relevant.