By Janette Speyer, Web Success Team

The Internet is a great Ouiji Board in predicting human behavior. Two events went viral this week that makes one question if we are working so hard for such little returns. When people buck the system, they become anti-heroes and gain something we are all looking for — recognition and appreciation. Here are the two cases-in-point:

Jet-Blues

Steve Slater, a 19-year veteran of Jet Blue’s cabin crew, reached the breaking point by dramatically quitting his job in a confrontation with a rude passenger. He made an expletive PA announcement then grabbed two beers and exited the plane through the inflatable emergency slide. Instantly a Facebook Fan Page garnered 50,000 fans and a Free Steve Slater Page approaches 15,000. There is even a new acronym: WWSSD (What Would Steve Slater Do).

Whiteboard Girl: “I Quit”

An enterprising girl named Jenny was angry at her boss for monitoring the employee computer activities and calling her a HPOA (Hot Piece of Ass). She used a series of 32 whiteboards to tattle on her boss’s misuse of the Internet during working hours (i.e. playing hours of Farmville), her lack of job opportunity and for calling her HPOA. She ended with I quit! The video went viral and everyone was praising her creativity and her nerve with “good for her!” Turns out this one was a hoax, but not after it went viral and was covered by the major media outlets.

Reward vs. Punishment

Something is happening to us here. It seems we are promised the “dream” of a beautiful, charmed life filled with luxury where we are soaked in champagne and whisked off an island paradise to enjoy the fruits of our labor. All we have to do is work hard to achieve it.

Most of us are willing to put in all that it takes to just for the hope of such an illusion and would just be content paying our bills. We sit at a desk all day long dealing with whatever it takes to achieve this purpose or at least pay the bills. However it is getting increasingly more difficult to simply put in a day’s work.

Are You Mad as Hell?

Every one has frustrations with job stress or personal issues to deal with. How do you relieve your stress? We can’t all be Internet sensations and become viral celebrities. Sometimes it is good to step back and reflect; count to ten; or run 10 miles. Steve and Jenny are just symptoms of a society that is less personal and more disconnected. Or perhaps it has always been like this. I welcome your comments. Please!

About the Author: Bob Speyer is an online marketer, social media strategist and co-founder of the Web Success Team. Bob develops effective marketing strategies to help companies increase brand awareness and target more customers for their products and services. His articles are intended to educate as well as inform readers of the latest tools and techniques of online marketing. You can follow Bob on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.