People are watching a puddle on the Internet.
A livestream on Twitter-owned Periscope.tv of a small puddle on an English pedestrian walkway has drawn thousands of viewers as well as all the international commentary and emotional roller coasters that typically comes with such an event.
At least 19,000 people have tuned in to the live video of the puddle in the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne, broadcast by marketing agency Drummond Central. As of Wednesday morning, the live stream does not appear to be stealth marketing for anything in particular, although this would be the perfect time to announce a Waterworld sequel.
The puddle appears to block access to a pedestrian path, forcing walkers to either scale the slightly inclined sides of the trail, or just commit to plowing through the water and getting literal wet feet.
Those aren't the only options.
https://twitter.com/Ned_Donovan/status/684755236565696514
But that incident is an outlier. If you tune into the stream, you're more likely to see hours of this.
I had to stop the gif there, I was having heart palpitations.
When you inevitably ask the question, "Why are people watching this?" there isn't an immediately apparent reason other than just the typical whims of an unpredictable Internet hive mind. But many on social media suggested the excitement of watching nervous pedestrians navigate a watery path is a distinctly British phenomenon.
https://twitter.com/pixiegooner/status/684765188755730433
While the East Coast of the U.S. is just discovering the puddle, it is early evening in the UK and as the sun begins to set, so too will the sun soon set on the puddle's sudden Internet fame.
Alas, nothing is forever.