Songs such as Rebecca Black's "Friday" are controversial in the terms of their effectiveness. People listen to songs for various reasons like the fact that they really do like the song, or it could be to laugh or poke fun at it. Regardless of the reason the song is having an effect on its audience. Which effect is this though? For those of us who truly like the song we become fans of Rebecca Black and support her music by buying her albums and going to her concerts; however for those of us who do not like the song, but simply watch it to have a laugh, we too are supporting her. Through our use of her as entertainment, her popularity grows (i.e. her appearance in Katy Perry's song Last Friday Night - TGIF) and more people tune in. It is for this reason that you can deem songs such as "Friday" as being highly effective and profitable.
Now to mix in politics. How many times would you tune out a politician if they made you laugh? Odds are if a politician can grab your attention, through whichever means (i.e. Obama fist bumping with his wife) and for whatever purpose (i.e. to get them in office), once they have your attention you are going to listen. Notice the number of young people who voted for Obama - I bet his image of being "cool" helped him attract youth who didn't want "just some old guy" who is in office.
It doesn't matter if you laugh at them because you think of them as a joke, if they cause you to look at a certain issue in a different way, or if what they say causes you to vote for them - they have just had an effect on you. All three of these outcomes will boost the popularity of the politician, thus potentially making them more effective because now a wider audience is listening to what he/she has to say.
This leaves us asking the question: "What does this type of media say about us?"
It says that we allow for our emotions and personal feelings toward someone dictate how we act. Are we going to watch the music video because we think her voice is funny and ignore the lyrics? Are we going to vote for the politician because he made us laugh?
People need to come to their own discernment about what they believe in and not allow for a catchy tune or a joke decide for them.
Comedy is a crowd pleaser. I think it is totally true that if a politician has the ability to make people laugh, that he will keep their attention longer. We all know that if a speaker is speaking about something boring or dull, but is important people are obligated to be there but their attention will quickly drag away from the subject. Being able to pull comedy into a serious matter is almost seen as a talent. This might show to some degree, that America today insists on Always being entertained. We never want to be bored, and that speaks even further about our attention spans. Politicians and even artists observe and see what attracts the average american and uses that to further for their own purpose. I don't doubt that some voted for Obama because he had a more 'hip' image than did Jon McCain. Just on the other side of that though, Im sure some voted for McCain simply because he had the hockey mom Sarah Palin on his side. Essentially relatable to someone taking the side of a certain sports team they like. In conclusion people will vote or support what appeals to them on the surface, they won't always look to see whats underneath.
Comedy is a crowd pleaser. I think it is totally true that if a politician has the ability to make people laugh, that he will keep their attention longer. We all know that if a speaker is speaking about something boring or dull, but is important people are obligated to be there but their attention will quickly drag away from the subject. Being able to pull comedy into a serious matter is almost seen as a talent. This might show to some degree, that America today insists on Always being entertained. We never want to be bored, and that speaks even further about our attention spans. Politicians and even artists observe and see what attracts the average american and uses that to further for their own purpose. I don't doubt that some voted for Obama because he had a more 'hip' image than did Jon McCain. Just on the other side of that though, Im sure some voted for McCain simply because he had the hockey mom Sarah Palin on his side. Essentially relatable to someone taking the side of a certain sports team they like. In conclusion people will vote or support what appeals to them on the surface, they won't always look to see whats underneath.
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