G͏̠̦litchr die K̝̼unst des digitalen C͍̦̖͚̗̻̎̽̅͊̌̽̈́haos̱͛̎̑̅

Ma͟ķin̕g̕ th͟e l͞i҉nk͏ ͠rou̧n҉ds ͟amon̷g͠ ̡design͡er͏s͝ ҉i̧n S͠il͟i҉con̶ V̷a͠lley̶ t̨h̨is holįday͢ ͠s̢e̢as͠on ͢i҉s F͏aceboo̕k fąn pąg̀e G̵litch҉r, ̸
wh̴ic̕h tr͘ie͢s ̸t̀o͝ ͞mess up ̵F̢a͝ceb̶ơok͏ c͝o͞d̸e ́o̷n̴ pu͜rṕòs̕e.͞

W̸hile̴ ͝I̢ ha͠d͏ p͞r͜e̢v҉io͞usly pos͘t͡ul͞at̀ed͏ t̸h̶a̡t ̶th̷e ̷pag͜e͠ mig͞ht b̵e ͡r͠u͞n ̵by t͢h͜e ve̡ne̕ra̸ble͏ f͠oŕm̧er ̶F̵aceboo̢ke̸r͟ Ev̸an ̷Pr̀ie҉s̀t͟le҉y͝,͠ ̢instead ̸it̴ ͞is rùn ͝by̢ ̷some̴ ͢Gre̶ek ͞du͟de̕,͟ La͡im̕onas ͘Źa͏k̨as. ̴C̡lick on any̴ ̸o͢f t͢he͝ ͏l̨įn̶k͜s ͜įn͏ G̡l̴i͢tc̨h͡r̸’̸s p͡osts ̷and̀ th̶ey will̶ d͠o̕ ҉an͜ythin̛g fr̛om bri̸ng u̢p r͠ando̡m͘ ͢Un͠i̕code̢ ̛c̡har͡ac͞t̵er̕ş ̨t͡o͠ ̧load̡ ą F͞ace͡bo̢ok͢ n̴avig̨at͏i͏on͡ b͢a̧r̢ m̨ùlt̕ìple tim͡e͠s̢. Go o͢n,̶ ͢don’t ̛b̸e̶ ̀a̕f͝raid͢.͏

S͟o̡ h̛o͞w̴ ̵d̴o̵e͟s he̶ ̵dǫ it? Well͟, ̡Ząk͞a̢s͡ ͠ess͜ent҉i͟all̸y͜ “p͝a̸i͟ņt̛s͢”̶ wi̧t́h ̧U҉n̕ic͠od̨e, co͢mbi͡ning͞ ͟i҉ts ͞n̴o͟n̴-̸ćhaŕac͠t͜e̷r̵ ent͠i͞t̀i̴e͝s tơ ͜br̴e͠a͜k̀ ͡ĺayo͟ưt͘ eńg̨ine̴s̕ —̷ ̕cr̛eat̨i̶ng ͞wha̵t͏ ͡mi̧ght ̛j͠u̡st͏ be s͜oc҉ie̵t̶y̷’͜s̢ ͘m͟os̛t obs̀cu̡re ͞an҉d ͏r̴e̸c͏en̢t͝ a̛rt ̢form.

“̡Th͠e͠s͜e͟ s͜ymb̷ols̛,͝ ́i̴nt҉r͠u̡d͠in͘g̶ u͞p a͢n͠d̴ ͠d͝ow̴n̸,͝ ͢a̕re mad̷e ̕b̛y ̸comb́i͠ning̛ l̷o̕ts̵ o̕f̴ d͏i̸ac̛r̨i̡tic̨al m̨arḱs,”͢ ͡s̶a͠y̕s Zak͟ás, ̢“Yo̵ú ̸c҉a͜n ́see thè ͟var̕ie̛ty of th̴e͜m̀ t͘he̕r͞e ́h͏t̶t͟p̸:͏//̶e͏n.͘wik͟ip͘ed̕ia.̢org̴/̢w̧iki͏/D̸i̶acr̵įtic̵. Y҉e͝s, ̛It’s̡ a kind ̀o͘f̵ a̛rt͟. ͝Ţh̛e͟re’s͟ qu̴ite̷ a̢ lo͘t ͘o̶f ̵ąrt̴i̸st̀s͘ wh͜o͘ ̵us͟e t̸h͡e ́I̵n͏t̡ernet o͠r͝ ͘sp̛ecific ̢so҉çia̡l ̸ne̢two̕r̴k͠s͝ ̨a̢s th̶eir c͏a̕nv͜as͏.͝” ̵Zakas br̕in͢g͜s͏ u̴p͡ ̧t͠he Zalg̕o meme ̴a̷s͟ an̸ exampl̛ȩ ̴of ͝an͢o̢the̡r f͟or̡m̀ of̕ Ìn̛te͢r̵nét̀ ͢a͘r̀t ͏t͝o i͜ņco̶rpor̡a͝t̴e͜ Ųni̛c҉òde.̛ Of̨ co̡ur͟se͟ Z͞a͘k̵as’ eff̵ortś ha͠ve ̧m̵e̷t wìth̢ b̴o͡t̷h f̕ŗi̸e͡nḑs and fo̵es at͏ ͘F̴ace͜b̕oo̷k͜ ͠itse͏lf,͘ ҉wh͞ér̢e̡ m͠any͟ peop̨le͟ are͡ ̀f҉a̶ns ̛a͠n͟d͞ s͡ǫme͞ ͠n̡ot͡. Gli̕tc͏hr’͢s fan page ̛wa͞s disa͢bled̨ ̸in̴ ͞D̛e̸cembér,͡ b͘e͟ca͝use̴ ̢of̨ ̨probl̶ems ̴w҉i҉th ́ţhe U͢ni͟code͜ ̷c͝ha̧r͠ac͟t̕e͜rs͜ ̀in ̀i̵tş ̵n̸a̡m͝e ͝a͞nd̨ ̢eve͝n̶tua̧ll̸y͞ re͟-i͠ns͡ta̢t͘e͜d ̛a͢ftèr Za̶ka͠s͢ ̷c̷ǫn͏t̀a͘cted̶ t̸he̷ ̸p̕a̵ge͡’͝s҉ in̛t҉erna͞l ҉fa̧ns̡.̴

“̡I ͏h̕a̕v̵e͝ ̡cou͞nt̴e͡ḑ m̶o̵re ͝thań t͞e̸n̸ ͡Fac͡èb̶o͠o͟k͞ e͢m͢p̛lo͞yee҉s̨ f̢ro҉m ̢F̷B H̀Q, ͟not t͏o me̵ņtion ̡t̨hose f̷rom̕ ̕inter͢nat̴i̵o҉nal ̨d̛e̸p͟a͏rt̨m͘eņts
[a͜s ́fàns̴]͜,” ̴h͟e ́t̡el̨ls me͘,҉ ̵“̢… ̡The̴y p̢r͝o͟b̀ab͢l̡y ͘l͞ik͜e Gl̕itc͏hr̨ t͢o ̧d̡et͏ec̵t́ ҉b̷u͞g̵s͏.́

Don̡’̧t͞ ̕kņo̵w ̵h̶ow̵ m̛u͞ch̕ ͟trut̛h ͘is ͢ther̛e̶,̷ b̀u͟t͏ b̶y̨ ̀n͜ow,͜ the͘ ͝f̀ol͟l͏ow҉íng ́buģs,͞ ̀t͏h́a͘t҉ ̕I have ųs̀e͠d i̵n ͜my̶ pos͏ts̵,
were̕ ͟fixèd̷:͝ E͠mb̕ed̸ding͞ ̶an̕im̸at҉e̸d͢ ̀ṕi͝ct̨ur̶es͝ ̢in ͟n̨o͜teś,͞ shar̵ing̕ ̵a͟nim̧ated̸ ͏p̀i̵çtur͡e͠s ̢i̛n ̛t̛h̛um̨bnail̡s, ́u҉n̡l̴im̧ited ex͜ten͡s̛i͘o͞n̛ ͞of ̸tex̸t ̕in̵ th͟e ̢p̴o͢s͡t ̧to ͏t̛h͡e ͏rįg͝ht side ̀and͡ som͏e o͏t͏h̨ers͏.”̸

Y͢o͜u c͝an ͘a̕l̸so̢ li̸ke͜ Glitchr͠ because͝ i̴t҉ ̛l̴o҉ok̡s̸ ͟co͞ol͠,͢ ͏a̷n̸d b͜ec͏a͡us̶e you̵ doǹ’t͞ ͞q̷u̵it̸e͟ ̀un͟d͞ers̀t͠a̴n͏d̕ h͏o͜w Za̕kas ̢is d҉oin͡g ͘it̕.
Ì s̴til͟l ki͝n̨d òf̧ d̨on͝’t.

T̷̬͈͉̪͈̞̫̐̒ͤ̆̓̋̈̂̎̽̌ͪ͒̕͠e̸͚̝̙̩̙͙̼̫͍͈͓̥͙̟͖͉̜͎͗̊ͭ͒̑ͦ̎ͮͩ̑̀ͥ̄͆͑ͭ̂͘͡͠c̪̩̪̣͎̤̺̘̪ͦ̏͊̀͛̋́͘͡h̨̞͖̮͚͉͓͕̬̙̞͙̝͖̱͕̜͕̩ͪ̇̾ͯ̌̑̈̀̕͜͠ͅC̶̡͖̙̺͔̫͈̪̘̙ͭ̃̂̍ͅr̵̷̨͕̮͍̤͈̠͕̜̱̳̤ͤͥ͗̓ͪ͌ͤ̆̓ͩ̆ͨ̅̈́̐̑͛ͅu̗̗͓̬̠̞̤͓̝ͩͧ̉͌ͫ̒̍ͯ͒̐̚̕ͅñ̢̨̩͚͙͕͖̙̠̤͔̠̂ͮ̌̾͑͒̃͊͆́͢ç̹̻̗̖͔̞̩͉̺̺̹̝̝ͧͧ̒̿͋̏ͭ̏ͨ̑͒͜͜͞ͅḩ̑̇͆͊̌̊̇ͭͨ̓͗̓͌͗̚̚͢͏̲̳͈̹͕̪̬