Fads

As members of Generation Y, we are all familiar with fads that have come and gone throughout the last 15 years or so. From Pokemon cards, to yoyos. From tamagatchis to silly bands, we've all had the pleasure of possessing one or more of these items. No one really knows how fads arise or why they die out, but we do know that when   they are in style, not having one makes you somewhat of an outsider. Fads have changed over the years, and as technology expanded and attention spans decreased, the fads evolved. No longer were kids interested in things like pet rocks and easy bake ovens. They were interested in small electronics and magical monsters that reached well beyond the realm of reality. The manner in which these messages are accepted by the public is consistent with the hypodermic needle model. The passive audience, which in this case consists of young children, is injected with the message that these objects and behaviors are considered cool and in style. No one can really explain where these fads come from, or why people adopt them so readily. It would be interested to take a look at why certain trends have been able to withstand the test of time, and what makes some last longer than other. Kids these days are much more tech savvy and know much more about the world. This increased exposure makes simple gadgets and toys from 20 years ago unappealing to young people today. It is really a shame because kids think that these simple pleasures aren't cool anymore.

Here is a site that shows some of the fads from the 20th century:

www.crazyfads.com

Ebonics

Ebonics is an interesting topic because to some, it is a way of life. Ebonics, which is a portmanteau of ebony and phonics, is the vernacular that is common among poorer, lower class inner city residents. Although it is entirely based on English, an outsider would be perplexed by the complexity with which this popular slang has evolved. Terms in ebonics are often derived from the creator's personal experience or the likening of an object to another. New York is considered one of the epicenters for the evolution of ebonics, and many popular slang words used in a young person's vernacular today were originated there. In this case, the medium is the message because the language is the message and the vessel through which it travels. Not only are there a complex list of vocabulary words that one must master in order to be fluent in ebonics, but there is also the matter of inflection. Different words have different meanings, and inflections can help an individual contextualize the situation. This also goes along with the theme of decoding messages because the meaning of certain phrases and words vary. One may misinterpret something's meaning, resulting in conflict or discontent. Although the language flourishes in many urban areas, there is still a stigma against it. People who are not used to hearing it assume that people of a lower class speak it. However, it is used by many races and cultures that live in diverse cities like New York. The culture of one group permeated into society and has become a vital part of it.

Here is a list of common ebonics phrases.

Fly - good 
Supafly - very good 
don't be trippin' - Do not be anxious (a difficult word to translate) 
keepin' it real - keeping things in prespective to reality

Hypem

This week, I decided to write about a website that I love to use and one that happens to be a powerful medium. It is called the hype machine, also known as hypem.com. It is a music blogging site that gives you exclusive music  from bloggers. The entire site is based off of a model called crowdsourcing, which relies on user generated content to run. None of the songs are posted by hypem administrators, truly making it a site of the people. Users are encouraged to make an account and begin posting links to their favorite new music. The great thing about the site is that the music genres range from hip hop, to alternative, and even a large selection of electronic music. Crowdsourcing is an interesting medium through which companies achieve a model that is totally manipulated by the community that uses it. Wikipedia is another example of a website that uses crowdsourcing as its core model.  This way, the messages that are encoded in the website are so varied, that virtually any user has something that suits their preferences. Therefore, there is an endless possibility of ways in which the content can be interacted with. It is definitely a cool medium because it requires you to participate in the medium interpretation process.


www.hypem.com