Requiem for a Bzzzzzzzzz

Oh, vuvuzela. We hardly knew ye. It's a word most people in the world had never heard until early June, when people started Googling the word en masse in conjunction with the first days of the 2010 World Cup. But the "instrument," popular among fans at South African soccer matches (and now all World Cup games throughout the country) has actually been around for at least 20 years. Despite having a loyal following, the plastic horn that sounds like a swarm of bees has created quite a bit of negative buzz. Players say they can't concentrate. Coaches want them banned. Fans watching at home have turned down their TV volume. Some broadcasters even scrambled to create a vuvuzela-free filter on audio commentary. Seems like the only ones who love the vuvuzela are those blowing them. And, the Internet. The Internet embraced the vuvuzela warmly and has yet to let go. But the Web can be a fickle lover. Like most darlings of the Internet, we predict the vuvuzela's viral fame will die out quickly and quietly. As we prepare to never hear of this fad again after the final World Cup game this year, we bring you the vuvuzela, a life in YouTube.