Is Social Media Killing Stand-Up Comedy?

Though it’s always been an issue, a number of comics say that heckling is on the rise. The cause is social media, a powerful means of promotion for comedians that has upended their professional lives.

“I’ve heard a lot from comics that audiences are more vocal,” says Graham Kay, a veteran comedian, who hails from Ottawa, Canada, but has been based in Brooklyn for a number of years. “The things that get promoted on TikTok and Instagram are mostly crowd-work videos, so people see people talking to the comedian and it normalizes it.”

The social contract accepted by most on either side of the mic stand is that the comic usually recites a string of words, which may have been toiled over for months in front of other crowds who did not react positively because the bit had yet to be honed. Then, eventually, the audience is compelled to laugh. However, as Kay and other performers say, social media, flush with clips of comics interacting with crowd members, of any age, appears to be changing audience expectations and eroding behavior standards. Of course, it’s the comedians themselves who are posting crowd work content to their social media accounts. But they’re left with little choice than to do so, forced to point guns at their own feet, thanks in large part to the rewards systems in place on the platforms.