Pessimistic Views on Poptism

Austerlitz, The pernicious rise of poptimism
This reading, of RPC chapter 4 paired readings, focuses on the overpraising of pop icons, which the authors define as "poptism". The author talks about how the critique of music has drastically changed nowadays; where when a critic reviews music, they go on and say "if you don't like this artist, then you have no taste in music because it is great and amazing" other than actually analyzing the lyrics, melody, and all the other aspects of music. I personally take it as people trying to shove popular culture in someone's face when the popular culture that we live in now is so diverse that each person's sense of good music nowadays can be interconnected. When I read about this, I immediately thought about Beyoncé and how people on Tumblr praise her like a God. They call her queen bee, unfriend people who do not like her, and basically put her on a pedestal. And in a sociological aspect, no music will be the best ever. At one point, all of the big names we know now are going to be oldies and no names that have been replaced by newer artists. So, shoving music in people's faces by saying it's the best ever is kind of hypocritical and useless because that view will change one day due to culture constantly changing, and humans do not live forever. I also think it is an overhype of music nowadays. And it's not that music is bad, it is just that the radio stations constantly play the same songs all the time, and it gets tiring. But there are always some songs that brings back memories but are just forgotten because the hype died. The over saturation of all this music makes it so that the song is good in the beginning, is forgotten, and then brought back up time to time. It is also because everyone can become an artist now, it is not just with talent. I have seen famous people who were known for their acting or comedy go towards the music industry which they do not excel much in but with their fan base already set, it is easier for them to succeed even without talent.

Tunes & Jams

In Hollander's Elevate my mind: Identities for women in hip hop love songs, he talked about influenced feelings of R&B. The songs in that particular genre is very imitate, and talks about love in a very meaningful aspect. He mentions some idols that sounded familiar, but who I thought most of was Nicki Minaj. Her songs were very explicit on the idea of love, the display of love, sexuality and she had no shame in it. That led people to call her inappropriate names and such. But now, the media sees her music as empowering women instead. That is another thing Hollander talked about. R&B has also become a sort of feminist movement for music. I think of idols like Beyonce, MIA, and some of the other idols he mentions because every time their song shows up in my car, I JAM IT OUT. I feel like the most powerful and energetic person out there because the songs make me feel so good. That is some of the effect that their songs have to the audience, especially women.

In Anderson's Seduced by 'perfect' pitch: How autotune conquered pop music, Anderson discusses how music artists are using autotune on their voices more and more. He uses Kesha as an example using her song Animal. Although I am not entirely sure which side he was rooting on (either hating or supporting autotune), my opinion is that artists prefer it more maybe because it is more their style or it actually does make them sound better. Regardless or not it is considered "cheating" in the music industry, it is still a preference for many people. Also, it might just be music slowly evolving. Trending songs nowadays are purely techno and beats, barely lyrics alone. EDM, which stands for Electric Dance Music, is a trending genre that is mainly dependent on instrumental aspect than voice. The social shift in the music industry where people learn to use new technology produces new beats, ideas, vibes, etc. Would the music sound better? I personally would say yes because the beat helps tie the voice and background together to create a new style. Maybe that's just a new genre now? Auto tune

Another "Virtual" Reality

Story or Spectacle? Why Television Is Better Than the Movies, David Charpentier

Charpentier opens up about the drastically decreasing trends in movies and the increasing trend for television shows. He argues that television shows open a deeper insight to characters than movies since television shows have a longer span. Personally, I agree and favor that fact. I have been watching a lot of tv shows lately, and I rather watch them again and again than a movie. For some reason, a 2-hour movie sounds like more commitment and focus than watching four thirty-minute episodes. Plus, seeing all the funky scenarios that the writers put characters in, seeing their life events, seeing a story unfold, you see a character evolve throughout each episode a little bit more as the series goes. In a movie, it might be too quick for an audience member to even process. I watch shows like the Office, How I Met Your Mother, That 70's Show. They're light hearted shows, for the most part, and the writers create a backstory and more in depth perspectives for all of the characters, including supporting ones. Movies, on the other hand, only create in depth perspectives of the main character, and sometimes the antagonist. There's not enough time to introduce everything about every character and the plot in 2 hours, but it is possible to do so in 30 minute intervals for years at a time. In doing so, television shows create a closer replica of a virtual world where we believe the characters are real and we get sucked in to their world.

Gently Down the Stream

Netflix and the Future of Television, Ken Auletta
Netflix, and other stream sites, have been the main trend for a long time now. I honestly did not know that the CEO tried merging with Blockbuster. That makes me just idolize Netflix even more that the rise of this company is an ultimate underdog story. I knew of Netflix while it was just starting and slowly putting Blockbuster out of business. I even use Netflix to binge-watch TV shows continuously. I fall victim to the streaming obsession, and I see why people would choose Netflix over companies like blockbuster because it is so much easier. I can turn on any device, whether its my TV, laptop, or even phone; I get to enjoy watching 8 continuous seasons of The Office on my couch or bed.  It is not only the efficiency that gets people's attention, it is also the fact that nothing gets in the way. There are no ads at all, and the next episode pops up seconds after the previous one. Netflix makes streaming a big getaway from reality. That's also what Television and streaming does; create an escape from the world for a bit. That's the reason I get so engaged into shows, and I feel that is why it is so popular at the same time.