'Jackass' and the rise and fall of prank content online – NBC News

Twenty-two years after “Jackass” debuted on MTV, the group who popularized pranking is back on the screen with “Jackass Forever.” But in the years since Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius and others in the original “Jackass” crew were last in the limelight, social acceptance of pranking has changed — especially online. Like the previous films, the nonsensical antics in “Jackass Forever” are meant to make the viewer laugh at the cast’s apparent suffering. As a review in the Hollywood Reporter says, “You either find humiliation, degradation and physical abuse hilarious or you don’t.” And these days, plenty of people don’t. While the reviews for the latest film are overwhelmingly positive, fatigue around content in the pranking genre online is growing.The “Jackass” franchise laid the foundation for the prank culture that long dominated YouTube and Vine. Some creators, like the Natural Born Pranksters (YouTubers Dennis Roady, Roman Atwood and Vitaly Zdorovetskiy) were so successful that their pranking content was developed into a movie, backed by Lionsgate and Studio71. Others, like Logan Paul, built a following on shocking prank videos before pursuing other genres of content.Although the pranks featured in the “Jackass” show and movies are less harmful than the ones in many…
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