Browser choice is something of a status symbol, like e-mail services or operating systems, to the tech-savvy: Gmail, Apple, Chrome, and Firefox are for the young and hip, while Hotmail, Windows, and Internet Explorer are to be scoffed at. (Nerds, all around.) But while Internet Explorer, like Windows, remains on top in terms of market share, the company is acknowledging its dusty reputation by positioning itself as an underdog in a new marketing push that, like most marketing, tries appealing to youth. Obviously it’s on Tumblr.
The Browser You Love(d) to Hate launched this week with an About section reading, “Some people are trying the new Internet Explorer and actually liking it. Not that they would say that out loud. Curious? It’s a new browser.” Sections include “It’s Good Now” and “No, Really.” Interspersed with positive testimonials are meme-looking charts that are supposed to prove a return to coolness over time for certain signifiers: mustaches, homebrewing, PBR … you get the idea.
Internet browser-as-trend is a ridiculous concept on its face, sure, but while the layout of the blog is slick and the jokes are self-aware, forced corporate hipness almost always commits the worst sin of all: trying too hard.
