Wait, Is PowerPoint Cool Now?

Washington Post, Wait, Is PowerPoint Cool Now?:

No longer the sole domain of Bob from accounting, the presentation software is being repurposed for parties, pick-up lines and the persuading of parents. ...

PowerPoints have long dredged up flashbacks of dull meetings and interminable briefings, with some even calling for it to be banned. But it’s gotten a makeover in recent years, with millennials and Gen Zers repurposing the presentation software for social entertainment: A workplace and educational tool by day has become a zany social game by night. Even PowerPoint’s developer, Microsoft, has cosigned the trend — offering a party template that participants can download (though some users are often turning to its rival tools like Canva and Google Slides) and imparting advice for creating a presentation. “Make it more visually appealing — this isn’t your Father’s PowerPoint,” notes Microsoft’s site.

Indeed, a scroll through #powerpointnight TikTok uncovers thousands of unconventional, unhinged and unserious slideshows presented at different parties. There’s “Men I Talked About in Therapy.” And “How My Friends Would Undoubtedly Die In The Hunger Games.” Others are thematic, such as a PowerPoint night to “finally figure out what all your friends do for work.” While “Pitch A Friend” lets presenters create slide decks to help their single pals find potential matches in the crowd. ...

[U]sers have turned to the software for planning friend group trips, celebrating bachelorette parties, persuade their parents to let a friend sleep over or buy them Taylor Swift tour tickets, coming out to their family members or revealing their job as a stripper. PowerPoint even played a role in Sydney Sweeney’s booming career: The actress revealed she once made a slideshow to persuade her parents to move from Spokane, Wash., to Los Angeles. ...

Users say that what makes PowerPoint a fun format for social activities is how easily the tool can be subverted, inspiring them to rewrite the rules of presentation etiquette and dream up NSFW topics that satirize the stuffy settings from which they originated.

“I think the fun part of a PowerPoint presentation is that it’s a topic you probably wouldn’t or shouldn’t present about in a lot of contexts,” Mathew said. “It’s the way a lot of fun performances are — it’s just turning something normal on its head.”

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