Anyways, you are all probably wondering why I am rambling on about a viral pop song and video. Well, as embarrassed as I may be to admit it, I am a huge fan of both this video and song, which lead me to further investigate information in regards to this topic. In doing so, I stumbled across a website in which viewers can create their own "Call Me Maybe" video. After scrolling through 19 pages worth of videos and watching a few, I began to think back to what we learned about in the beginning of this class in regards to norms.
To some people, posting these videos may just be a fun thing to do with friends; however, to others it has become a game. A game in which a constitutive norm has been put in place. Yes, I understand that there are no "rules" as to what you can put in a make-your-own video, and there is no coined "winner". However, as you look through all 19 pages of videos, almost all of them follow the same similar ideas. They all play the song in full, do the same dance moves, and switch scenes often. Therefore, even though there are no written guidelines to follow, there is a norm that is put in place. This, in turn, lets viewers play in the game: to create the best video they can that is, in reality, most similar to the video put online by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.
Overall, as the semester has gone on, I have come to the realization that games are everywhere I look. Whether from what I have learned in other classes, what I have found while spending mindless hours on the Internet, or just from talking with friends, I have begun to notice the importance of games in the world around me. As John Mitani pointed out last class, primates are very competitive yet at the same time like to work together and cooperate. This is the general basis for many games that we see in our everyday lives. In addition, this class has made me aware of all the games we play in our society and how even something like making a video with some friends can, in reality, be just as much as a game as anything else.
I agree completely with your blog, even though I didn't realize it until I read it. I have also seen this website and the majority of the videos really are the same. That can be said for music in general. The majority of songs have the same, or very similar, chord progression. A ton of songs sound the same, but people still love them, because they fit the norm. This class has definitely opened my eyes to the games that are virtually all around us. And even though not every thing has all of the characteristics of games, there are definitely aspects of games in everything.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post that I'm glad I came across because it just shows the direction of part of America today. 30 Million people have seen that video, and while I will be the first to admit that I often find myself humming the chorus of the song on my way to class on occasion, that is a lot of people to watch one video. The fact that information can travel so quickly over the internet is truly astonishing. The fact that it allows for this type of human interaction in terms of the contest is also interesting. This contest has turned into a game as a portion of America's youth has decided to take on the minor quest of imitating Bieber and Selena Gomez better than anyone else. While that is the nature of what a contest is, it still has many aspects of a game, which could imply that most contests must at least mirror some of the basic principles, norms and rules that games do.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I am a fan of the song and can see why it has become so popular so fast. It is extremely catchy, and ever since these videos started coming about, I have been seeing more and more. At first, I saw a video on one of my friends Facebook pages and wasn't quite sure what was going on. However, after I kept hearing the song more and more I caught on that these videos are sort of a "thing to do." I think they are funny and have actually seen some creative variations of the video you posted up top. Social media is such a big part of our culture that it took no time for 30 million + people to see this video and hear the song. I really like your connection of the videos with the standardized norms and rules of games. No other videos really show that quick scenes mixed together, and for some reason every video for this song is made like that. It will be interesting to see if more songs like Call Me Maybe come out in the near future and have as much success.
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