Revolution? What Revolution?
Courtesy of: Threshold Blogazine
Where is this revolution you ask?
Well, MTV has encouraged all kinds of change in our culture and change on a global level. In addition to allowing African Americans and rap a chance on the station, which eventually allowed both to flourish in their own right, MTV tried to insight change on another level. In 1996, MTV began its campaign "Choose or Lose". This campaign encouraged viewers to go out, become educated, and vote. In addition to this, MTV held presidential candidates as guests where people could ask questions in a more laid back form. This more laid back approach was enticing to the younger generation, according to MTV's article on its impact in politics (Bill Clinton To Barack Obama: MTV's History With Politics). As this article puts "MTV has been heavily involved in every presidential election (within 20 years) and has partnered with campaigns such as Rock the Vote and Diddy's Citizen Change. Tabitha Soren interviewed George Bush and Bill Clinton. Gideon Yago chatted with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Sway talked with Barack Obama". The fact that MTV can play such a pivotal point in politics speaks on its influence. MTV, while inspiring a cultural revolution, reflected the change in America. For example, any of their TV shows are crazy to believe, like Sweet 16, a show that consists of teens begging and pleading their parents for expensive gifts and superfluously extravagant parties to celebrate their birthdays. Shows like this and the Real World show the "what ifs", or not saying that every person is money or fame hungry, but some are. These reality TV shows are a large part of MTV's main channel in today's digital world. Perhaps because these shows take "normal" people and put them on TV and have them compete for money. The desire for the spotlight is strong and these programs show the lengths some people will go to become "famous". MTV also did this through their music videos. Music videos had been around before the debut of MTV, but MTV really inspired fancier and flashier looking music videos while encouraging the artists to sell something or tell a story, a try and inspire emotion in the viewers type of emotion reach in a way. These videos than could make or break the career of an artist, depending on how well received the video was. MTV changed the perception of music from just sound someone will hear to a audio-visual "match made in heaven". This new frontier of visual appeal in music 1) appealed to advertisers, 2) appealed to the viewers on a consumer or envy level, and 3) helped to build MTV to be the giant that it is nowadays.
MTV's effect on the musical world is undeniable, but MTV has had effects on the culture of America, and has inspired some change in the world. The stars shown on MTV provide idols for the viewers, while immortalizing the more popular artists, like Britney Spears, and Micheal Jackson. These idols may or may not have existed without the help of MTV's visual component. On a more social level, MTV has initiated and joined with other supporters in order to get important messages across, like the "Choose or Lose" program mentioned earlier. Another one of these programs was called "Fight For Your Rights" and was all about fighting violence and drug use in the early 90's into the 2000's. Most recently, MTV has advocated a "think MTV" program. This particular program encourages viewers to think about the "hot topic issues", like same sex marriage, green policies, and wars. The reason these programs are so important is that the primary age group towards whom the programming is directed (12-18) is the future of the nation.
MTV reflected the postmodern culture, and the new values that came into play. MTV's excursion into interracial, opportunistic, and a capitalist society showed a foray into into the "future". Some can argue that MTV only reflected the change in the beginning of its creation to today but the programs that MTV has sponsored, the change it brought about in music, and the way that it began to show that a music media giant could influence things outside of music (sales,production, and supporting social programs like concerts to support Africa) indicates that MTV was much more than this colossal music guru, but in fact a leader in change. YouTube has inspired similar revolutions. People want to be seen. They use YouTube to put up their own video blogs, music, parodies, funny bloopers, accident, or rants. Others use YouTube to put up music, television shows, and movies.The opportunity to have the spotlight is irresistible to some, and YouTube provides the perfect outlet if someone has a webcam, or editing material. In addiction, there is a plethora of commercials of more than a dozen different companies and corporations floating around on YouTube.
Well, MTV has encouraged all kinds of change in our culture and change on a global level. In addition to allowing African Americans and rap a chance on the station, which eventually allowed both to flourish in their own right, MTV tried to insight change on another level. In 1996, MTV began its campaign "Choose or Lose". This campaign encouraged viewers to go out, become educated, and vote. In addition to this, MTV held presidential candidates as guests where people could ask questions in a more laid back form. This more laid back approach was enticing to the younger generation, according to MTV's article on its impact in politics (Bill Clinton To Barack Obama: MTV's History With Politics). As this article puts "MTV has been heavily involved in every presidential election (within 20 years) and has partnered with campaigns such as Rock the Vote and Diddy's Citizen Change. Tabitha Soren interviewed George Bush and Bill Clinton. Gideon Yago chatted with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Sway talked with Barack Obama". The fact that MTV can play such a pivotal point in politics speaks on its influence. MTV, while inspiring a cultural revolution, reflected the change in America. For example, any of their TV shows are crazy to believe, like Sweet 16, a show that consists of teens begging and pleading their parents for expensive gifts and superfluously extravagant parties to celebrate their birthdays. Shows like this and the Real World show the "what ifs", or not saying that every person is money or fame hungry, but some are. These reality TV shows are a large part of MTV's main channel in today's digital world. Perhaps because these shows take "normal" people and put them on TV and have them compete for money. The desire for the spotlight is strong and these programs show the lengths some people will go to become "famous". MTV also did this through their music videos. Music videos had been around before the debut of MTV, but MTV really inspired fancier and flashier looking music videos while encouraging the artists to sell something or tell a story, a try and inspire emotion in the viewers type of emotion reach in a way. These videos than could make or break the career of an artist, depending on how well received the video was. MTV changed the perception of music from just sound someone will hear to a audio-visual "match made in heaven". This new frontier of visual appeal in music 1) appealed to advertisers, 2) appealed to the viewers on a consumer or envy level, and 3) helped to build MTV to be the giant that it is nowadays.
MTV's effect on the musical world is undeniable, but MTV has had effects on the culture of America, and has inspired some change in the world. The stars shown on MTV provide idols for the viewers, while immortalizing the more popular artists, like Britney Spears, and Micheal Jackson. These idols may or may not have existed without the help of MTV's visual component. On a more social level, MTV has initiated and joined with other supporters in order to get important messages across, like the "Choose or Lose" program mentioned earlier. Another one of these programs was called "Fight For Your Rights" and was all about fighting violence and drug use in the early 90's into the 2000's. Most recently, MTV has advocated a "think MTV" program. This particular program encourages viewers to think about the "hot topic issues", like same sex marriage, green policies, and wars. The reason these programs are so important is that the primary age group towards whom the programming is directed (12-18) is the future of the nation.
MTV reflected the postmodern culture, and the new values that came into play. MTV's excursion into interracial, opportunistic, and a capitalist society showed a foray into into the "future". Some can argue that MTV only reflected the change in the beginning of its creation to today but the programs that MTV has sponsored, the change it brought about in music, and the way that it began to show that a music media giant could influence things outside of music (sales,production, and supporting social programs like concerts to support Africa) indicates that MTV was much more than this colossal music guru, but in fact a leader in change. YouTube has inspired similar revolutions. People want to be seen. They use YouTube to put up their own video blogs, music, parodies, funny bloopers, accident, or rants. Others use YouTube to put up music, television shows, and movies.The opportunity to have the spotlight is irresistible to some, and YouTube provides the perfect outlet if someone has a webcam, or editing material. In addiction, there is a plethora of commercials of more than a dozen different companies and corporations floating around on YouTube.
