Imagine scrolling through Twitter, it's safe to say that everything there is more
or less exactly what you'd expect. A mix of jokes, posts about the holidays, the ongoing civil war among Star Wars fans,
People locked in heated debates, but then let's say you come across
this.
Whatever this is.
Of course it isn't graphic by any means, at least not on the surface.
So logic would tell us that it's nothing.
Just some random image that managed to sneak it's way into your feed.
But still, what is it?
"Cursed Image 9090."
That's all we're given in terms of context.
Now we know what it isn't, but we still have no idea what it is. And the caption really doesn't help.
Our imaginations begin filling in the blanks, conjuring up wild illogical theories as to what we're seeing despite our better judgment.
Why on earth is there what appears to be human hair being pulled out of an exhaust pipe?
Whose hair is it? More importantly, how did it get there? Was there an accident?
Of course there is clearly a logical explanation to this that doesn't involve a horrific accident or crime.
The image was actually posted by a user who discovered the strange mess protruding from the back end of his car.
Confused, he asked 'Reddit' if they had any explanation for it.
And they quickly informed him that what he was looking at wasn't actually human hair,
but dampening material from his car's muffler.
Now, without this information you probably carry on scrolling through your feed. You may even start some Twitter beef just for fun.
But despite all the distractions, you might not be able to help but wonder what the so-called cursed photo was all about.
Our minds love to play tricks on us.
Things that are mysterious or lacking in context are oftentimes way more interesting than things we understand.
Even seemingly innocent or comedic images can give off an unsettling and unnerving vibe when lacking a sufficient amount of context.
One anonymous Twitter user realized this and began an account dedicated to posting unattributed photos.
Labeling them only as "Cursed Image," followed by a number.
The account itself, of course, is simply named "Cursed Images".
Now if this is the first time that you've heard of this account,
then you may be surprised to hear that it was only active for roughly three months before going dark.
But in that short amount of time, it managed to accumulate a following of over
100,000 people. And even through interest from notable media outlets.
The account's final string of posts were made on Halloween of 2016. And one last post was made a year later.
Many eager fans hoped this would mark the comeback of "Cursed Images." But sadly, they were left disappointed.
So what is it exactly that makes this account so compelling to so many people? The thing is, labeling a seemingly nonsensical
image as "cursed," is actually somewhat of an old running joke amongst certain pockets of the Internet due to the sheer absurdity of it.
On top of this, a counter account called "Uncursed Images"
does exist solely to source and dig up the truth about the images posted to the "Cursed Images" twitter page.
So in a sense, none of the images here are actual mysteries.
It of course doesn't take the internet long to find the information they seek if they decide to go looking.
It certainly doesn't ruin the magic.
But of course. there are some people dying to see behind the curtain.
In an interview with "The New Yorker," the creator of the "Cursed Images" Twitter page, address the many rumors surrounding his or her identity.
Some claiming the account to be the work of a bot or perhaps someone posting out of sheer boredom.
"It's just like the lack of context for the images," the admin explains.
"Whoever you think I am, that's what I am."
In another interview, this time with "Gizmodo," the admin explains that the roots of the account traced back to just a few months before it
was created. While browsing on Tumblr he or she noticed a few photos captioned only as "cursed image" and quickly set out to find more.
Shortly after, the admin decided to begin compiling their own collection of so-called "Cursed Images." Eventually showcasing their findings on Twitter.
This of course begs the question of 'What exactly makes a "cursed image"?' The admin speaks about this in depth during the "Gizmodo" interview.
Explaining how the images are meant to have - a sense of discomfort. To make the viewer feel uneasy.
Not necessarily shocked, disgusted or scared, just
unnerved.
Many of the images even come off as silly. Something done deliberately to insert an air of mystery to the account as a whole.
Confusing users and leaving them unsure if the account is meant to be taken seriously or not.
What exactly makes a "cursed image" is probably best illustrated by the admin's favorite of the bunch, as explained to "Gizmodo".
"Cursed Image 474056."
I always hear stories about these beautiful and terrifying pools of water that go down forever.
Sometimes the lakes have a dark history.
Like a kid diving too deep and never coming back up. Or someone seeing an unrecognizable creature swimming down with them in the depths.
This definitely gives me that feeling. And I can't help but imagine this picture documents a body of water like that.
"Cursed Images" play with our wild imaginations and fear of the unknown. On top of this,
they're also a little peek onto how we as individuals
perceive different things.
Chances are, you and your friends won't be bothered by the exact same images on this account.
Our own personal backstories and histories play a huge role in determining
which directions our minds take when presented with images like the one we just discussed.
To some, simply a 'group of friends out for a little dip'.
The others, 'a gateway into darkness, where who knows what could be swimming right beside us'.
As stated earlier, the "Cursed Images" Twitter account is technically, currently inactive.
But I do recommend that you go check it out for yourself
and maybe even give it a follow as there still does seem to be a chance of a "Cursed Image" come back.
With all that said, thank you so much for watching. Stop killing each other over Star Wars, and I'll see you all soon.