The Importance of a Hashtag & My Almost Addiction to Them

Here is something entirely new that I learned about this semester, the #hashtag. Prior to my taking COMM 322, I had absolutely no knowledge of its existence. In fact, I really had no enjoyment coming whatsoever from Twitter in general, which I was forced to resurrect for a letter-grade, until I took this class.

Now, for most of you, the definition of a #hashtag is a no-brainer. But, like I said, hell if knew what they were before this, so let me give it a go… and if it happens to still be wrong, just write a comment informing me:

A hashtag is a symbol that you put on your Twitter’s tweet (the message you write). This allows you to access that topic’s tweets (all of them) with ease.

Now, this opened the door to a brand new addiction… for about two weeks. As I started my project, I became highly enthused with #hashtags and loved using them a whole lot. But, as with most thing in my life, the enjoyment withered away and I was bored to death by the mere idea of having to deal with one. Sure, they definitely make everything easier to find, but I just could not get over having to type that stupid numerical symbol.

All complaints aside, the #hashtag, for Twitter’s purposes, was a move of genius. Consumers whining about the lack of finding relevant tweets now had nothing to say, and when Trending Topics came into play, the idea unfolded itself perfectly.

Plan #4908: Oppositional Message

I find it appalling that anytime I walk into a store with my hood on, I am instantly regarded a possible suspect to no more than twenty-thousand employee mishaps of that month. The idea of everyone with a hoodie up being some sort of criminal is ludicrous. I mean, what do all of the hoodie nay-sayers do in the winter when the piercing wind slams into their faces?

Anyways, the point I am trying to convey here is that the hoodie-up issue can be solved by using an oppositional message. The idea here is to create a new persona for the general hoodie-wearing congregate. With a new brand, we could theoretically change the entire view of their existence.

To begin, I feel as if the non-wearing public should be desensitized to the idea of everyone earing a hood being dangerous. I say kill them with friendliness. Each and every time you are wearing a hood and pass someone who gives you “The Look,” just smile and ask them, ‘What’s up?’

Constant vigilance. That is what we need. Only with time can we hope to dissuade the current view, transform it and recreate it as a neutral image. Sort of like winter, all year round. Hoodies for all and nobody feels threatened!

There will be those in opposition to this idea, however. “Why can’t they just take their hoodie off for a few moments? Is that so hard? What’s the big deal?”

At these times, remember my friends, The First Amendment.

Commodification vs. Product Placement

Have you ever wondered as to why prominent television shows sometimes use false products? And, naturally, vice versa: have you ever wondered why they don’t use false products? Let me explain something to you:

I find it interesting that “product placement” (the art of aggressively forcing something on an audience [i.e. the Cheerwine scene in Eastbound & Down]) and commodification share similar meaning. The only difference is a person under the impressions of product placement still realizes this fact due to the user of the product’s references to it. With commodification, nothing is said at all. The users make no attempt to excite the items. They just simply exist. This is culturally harmful in certain ways.

By no longer referencing the item in question, the audience becomes dulled to the sight. Their complacency will contribute to monopolies across the country. Allow me to explain, our society is one of lazy, do-it-quick persons. These individuals enjoy the calm, quiet lifestyles they have enjoyed for years. By using television to convey celebrities nonchalant use of products, the audience has no choice but to bow. Say goodbye to anyone other than Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola running the carbonated beverage game. If Colin Farrell drinks Dr. Pepper, I have to too!

In short, I feel as if we as a society should be pushing for less commodification and more product placement. Even though they are the same thing at base, minor differences developed from them being variant words have caused us to handle this situation. More of the obvious, less of the complacent.

Parasocial Theory & Madden

I have a major problem with the game Madden. Whenever I find myself with spare time and no other people around, I pop in a version (from ’98-’08) and play a few games. On more than one occasion, I have been chastised by my friends for appearing to “involved” in the game. For example, last week I was playing my division rivals, The Seattle Seahawks, and my roommate Aaron had to keep reminding me that the defenders on my team were being picked apart by an NPC (non-player character).
Essentially, I live my life on that game. I know more about player stats and American Football than I do about my own life. I own multiple fantasy trophies based upon my knowledge of people I do not know. Ray Lewis and I do not hang out on Sundays, nor do I take Peyton Manning and his brother Eli with me when I go fishing. But I can tell you that next season Peyton Manning stands to become the first NFL player with a career 3:1 touchdown average and that he and his wife have a sort of hush-hush relationship agreement when it comes to other men and women. I feel it is safe to move on without erupting brains too much more. Hell, I could go on for days about any player in the NFL. We could talk for hours upon hours, as if we knew them—as if they were our most coveted friend—but in the end, it would all just be parasocial.

Why Should We Study Pop Culture?

Pop culture, also known as anything that you and your friends discuss while waiting in line at Wal-Mart (which, coincidentally, is also a part of pop culture), essentially runs the world. The "preferred" way of life (i.e. the socially accepted way), thus, becomes the only way. I mean, I know personally that my distaste of Lost has ruined many friendships... temporarily. I find it slightly appalling, as well, that my lack of taste in shows such as Jersey Shore Tosh.O seems to be "the wrong thing to do." Pop culture, the God of America, requires studying, as it may very well be a leading cause of change.

How can one deny that North Face jacket when everyone they know who snowboards has one? How can you not buy the latest iPod, knowing full-well that applications exist making the storage capacity irrelevant? Pop culture is an addiction, ever-changing to our slightest whims and desires. An inanimate being of collected "super-knowledge" (a.k.a. survey research) that will never cease to dazzle and amaze. But, if you can learn to dissolve the glamor and see past the luxurious appeal, proper decisions (your own, at that) can be made. Pop culture, then, must be studied, if one is to learn how best to repel its aggressive allure.

Pop culture has taken its time melding itself to our daily lives. And even when it has successfully done so, it may yet be subjected to a "newer", more "enjoyable" form of pop culture that will sweep us off our feet all over again.