By now, I'm sure everyone who doesn't live under a rock has seen the video "Friday" by Rebecca Black. If not, I've posted the video to the blog so you can watch and get addicted:
Its amazing what the Internet can do. After the first two weeks of this video going viral, it had an amazing 8 million views and after the past week, it has more than tripled to a jaw dropping 28 million. Seeing the power of social media puts me in awe and disbelief. The only problem with this instance is that: what significance does this have? Who cares? Sure the video is funny and the fact that it's supposed to be completely legit makes it even better. But why are we wasting our time and energy on this, a pointless music video? The Internet has a vast potential and incredible capability, so why are we wasting our time and breath over some funny video? The same goes for the whole Charlie Sheen news. I hear people quoting him in class and every other hashtag is "winning". But who cares? Obviously Americans and anybody else who utilizes social networks and media. Why can't we put as much effort into the awareness and intervention of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan? Imagine what we could accomplish if we focused our efforts on helping out a devastated country instead of this video. I think we need to step back and look at what the Internet has done for us. It is an amazing tool that has the potential to do great things if used correctly, but instead we waste our time on Rebecca Black. Now I posted the video on my Facebook wall so I can't say I'm so self-righteous, but I also have been trying to help out any way I can with the victims in Japan by supplying baked goods to the bake sale which donated the funds to disaster relief. I think we need to get our priorities right as Americans and set an example for others to follow. Individually there is only so much we can accomplish, but we have the tools to band together and make a difference. We can't sit around and make excuses anymore, because we have the tools at our fingertips, now all we have to do is get our priorities straight.
Rebecca, I completely agree this video is ridiculous and honestly there is no real quality to the video. One of my roommates introduced me to the video by playing it. Although she though it was stupid, she kept watching it. I totally agree about making more educational use of the internet such as the Japan disaster. We do not need five different interviews with Charlie Sheen in a two day span.
ReplyDeleteI think the over exposure of Rebecca Black and Charlie Sheen, compared to the coverage of Japan just shows America's selfishness at times. Unless it concerns them (America's efforts and or its people) it really doesnt get much coverage on that large a scale. Are Black and Sheen important topics? No, but they are Americans so they hold more priority in the majority of the public's attention. Not to mention that in times of trouble, people prefer the distraction of watching a disaster of a celebrity's career, to that of a country.
ReplyDeleteIt was unfortunate that I had to find out about this video at all, but thanks to this blog I do now. I was not only saddened by the fact that I was in the minority of people who haven't seen this video, but also by how irreverent and useless information spreads so quickly. I recently posted about the importance of sharing in regards to Shirky's talk about the social activity ladder, and this in no way helps my cause. I feel like an old man ranting about the "crazy new fad" of rock n roll music, but is this seriously where music is going? We shouldn't be scared anymore about the dangers of artificial intelligence, the future of artificial music seems to be a much more prevalent threat.
ReplyDeleteAshley I think you make a good point. The disaster that hit Japan was a tragedy, don't get me wrong, but I agree with you that since it didn't happen on American soil, it doesn't have major impact. Many of us cannot sympathize with the loss that Japan is facing. It's sad to see these irrelevant and pointless issues becoming the focus of American attention, but that's the reality we face.
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