On a cold winter morning earlier this year a Toronto Transit Commission worker kicked up his feet, threw back his head, and tried to catch what appeared to be a wink of sleep on the job. Web-savvy rider Jason Wieler snapped a pic of the ticket collector and tweeted the controversial photo. The worker subsequently found himself as the star in a number of Photoshopped images, reminding the rest of us that an unguarded moment can lead to months of embarrassment online.
The latest Photoshop face is none other than Canadian Keanu Reeves. As web show Know Your Meme explains, a picture of the actor sitting alone on a park bench eating a sandwich has inspired design amateurs and professionals to create a viral collection of what one website calls “Sad Keanu.”
Although the meme started a few months ago, it's still going strong and has seen the actor sitting pretty among Lego characters, hanging with Leonardo and Kate on the Titantic and as a judge on American Idol. Each scene includes the same photo: a scruffy-looking Reeves, looking a little lost, as he focuses on food in hand. There is even a song dedicated to the Sad Keanu Internet craze. Oh, and let's not forget the various “Cheer Up Keanu” Facebook pages that brought together the star's fans.
While Keanu opened up this week about what he thought of the photos, he probably doesn't have much to worry about any more. Just as “Sad Keanu” is winding down, a new Photoshop sensation is heating up. This time, it's not someone famous, but instead it features an onlooker at the Ryder Cup. After a stunning photo of Tiger Woods' shot heading straight into a photog's camera circulated online, photoshoppers honed in on a smiling cigar-smoking guy grinning innocently behind the golf star.
In case you're wondering, “Sad Keanu” and the Smiling Cigar Guy do meet in cyberspace, standing next to each other in an awkward urban scene. Clearly, whether you're an innocent bystander, a city employee, or Hollywood star, these graphics geeks don't discriminate when it comes to creating the next viral star. So just when you think you're doing something private in public, cross your fingers that you don't end up as the next Photoshop victim.
