Become a Celebrity without Leaving Home December 7, 2009

After watching the video, An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube, I was surprised to see what an impact Youtube has had on us. I had never thought of Youtube as something that could really impact others. I never would have thought the popular dance for the song “Tell ‘Em” by Soulja boy would have come from a user submitted video. This shows that fame can really be achieved by anyone who submits a video!

Here are a few other Youtube celebrities I discovered:

Straight No Chaser is an a capella group that got signed to Atlantic Records after Youtube success.

David After Dentist is a popular video that is often talked about and many remixes have been inspired by it. The video has over 100,000 views.

Amanda Baggs creates videos about her life with autism. This video was featured on CNN.

Webcams, YouTube, and You November 29, 2009

Throughout numerous online mediums, an individual has the power to communicate to an unseen audience from the privacy and sanctuary of their bedrooms.  In doing so, they are revealing themselves in a way that has never before been done.  With the aid of youtube and webcams, an individual is able to share parts of themselves that they might not normally think of.  They are able to convey messages that grow and inspire other individuals in a novel and powerful way.  This form of communication is a type of collaboration that can occur over a wide period of time and space.  There is no limit to who will see your post/video, but the point is that it is out there for people to see, share, and experience.  By creating these videos, people are uniting and receiving comfort from other people, which they do not know, because they have gone through or felt the same way at some point.  They are the extra boost that helps you get through a stressful day at work or the death of a loved one or just a difficult time.  Webcams allow you to change your personality, they are a form of self awareness and discovery and reflection.  An individual is able to experiment with their own understandings of their self.  They can tweak their identities and feel things differently so that they can better understand themselves.   

Individuals are able to break down boundaries within themselves as well as with those around them.  People can express strong values in a silent way; they are showing ways of accepting yourself as well as other people.  There is a video on youtube with a man carrying a sign labeled with:  “free hugs;” at first the crowd does not take to it, but gradually they start to give the man hugs.  Eventually other people from all over the world start using their own “free hugs” sign and they are able to connect with complete strangers on a very elemental level.  Another youtube video poster goes by the name of MadV, he wears the mask from the movie V for Vendetta so he can remain anonymous, and he has trademarked palm messages.  These hand messages depict strong values that may at times be forgotten, desired, taken for granted, or needed.  Some examples are:  love yourself, smile to strangers, be kind, forgive and forget, united, and one world, etc.  These messages are definitely breaking down boundaries in novel ways by non-verbalizing vital values that are needed today.  This is interesting because these values are felt or thought about in this powerful way, but they are not necessarily spoken about. 

How Much Do You Tweet? November 23, 2009

After reading different articles and familiarizing myself with Twitter I find it very interesting that so many people are obsessed with it. If you are following people with the same interests as you it is fun to see their daily routines and activities. However, I am not quite sure why they like to update every thing they do all day long. Twitter is a social network that allows people to express their thoughts and feelings and is definitely not a place for people that are reserved. People portray who they are to the world through their tweets. Also, it is unique that one tweet can start a conversation between many different people. The progression of Twitter over the years has presented many different accessible features to the public to enhance their main page.

I personally like twitter to follow the celebrities I like. I find this interesting because their accounts are really theirs and it is not a fan updating different information/pictures about them. In addition, their twitter page is their own space to show the world who they are off the red carpet by expressing themselves through their writing.

Below is a video that I found on YouTube that I think is interesting. This girl makes up a song about twitter to the tune of Rockin’ Robin and in the song describes what twitter has to offer. It is funny to me that some people make videos about twitter and other social networks for fun. Unless, a person has a lot of free time, it is a very time consuming process that I would never par take in. If you are interested in listening to this girl sing about twitter, then click the play button below!