Television static is the sound of an analogue set with no signal to lock onto, a by-product of early broadcast technology that became instantly recognisable in living rooms around the world. As analogue signals disappeared, the hiss survived as shorthand for lost transmissions, dead channels and interrupted broadcasts in films, games and online video. Soundboard clips keep it in circulation because it needs no explanation: a second of static tells viewers a feed has failed, a scene has shifted, or reality has briefly glitched.