FACEBOOK As A Ritual

Rituals are not only religious activities performed by followers. When I think of a ritual I think of the activities that I go through every day, activities like showering, eating breakfast and brushing your teeth.  As things in society change the rituals we perform daily change as well. Things in our society are always changing, opening up new opportunities for new rituals to form, new activities that we will perform on a day to day basis. Media and tabloids are something the majority of people listen to and follow, keeping informed and updated is very important in today’s society. Today, the best way to stay updated on the latest information among your friends and family is by subscribing to FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK has millions of viewers, these viewers have made this site part of their everyday lives. As FACEBOOK become more popular, access to this site became easier making it a bigger part of everyday activity. Cell phones and portable computers have become an item that many people cannot see themselves without. FACEBOOK is easily accessible on each of these devices.

The common rituals like showering and eating breakfast can now easily be “updated” on your FACEBOOK wall. Because people like to constantly be informed of what is going on around them and FACEBOOK is so easily accessible this social networking site has become a ritual. Sending messages, letting all of your “friends” know what you will do next, and uploading new pictures can all be easily done on this site.  Learning and giving out information to keep informed can also easily be done on this site and that is why it has become so popular and a large portion of everyday life.

When I think of a ritual I think of something that has been around for some time, not something as recent as FACEBOOK. Knowing that FACEBOOK can be defined as a ritual in today’s society shows just how much the world is constantly and quickly changing. This social networking site became a hit very quickly. Rituals are different for all groups of people, FACEBOOK can be used by all ages, all religions and in many different areas.

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK is one of the most popular social networking tools. This website is available to almost everyone; as long as you have access to the web you can achieve access to this site. FACEBOOK is a site where users can post pictures and keep in contact with all of their “friends”.  FACEBOOK has taken the world by storm, you can access this website by computer but also on any smart phone, giving you access anywhere at any time. Keeping in contact and updated on the latest events that are going on around you seems to be important considering the amount of people who use this web page and other sites to stay up to date on the latest news.

As stated in Module number 2, “American Myth of Success”, in America we can do anything that we put our mind to, this idea represents the freedom we have as Americans. Having the ability to constantly be informed of what is going on around you and freely sate your opinion is a great example of one of the many freedoms we have. FACEBOOK allows you to “update your status” to anything you are thinking or feeling that day, you are able to freely post your opinions on this site for everyone to view. The myth theory applies to FACBOOK as a popular culture icon in that as Americans we use FACEBOOK as an outlet to express our opinions freely.

FACEBOOK can be titled as a pop culture icon because this website is the most popular social networking site today. Module number 2 states that an icon stands out. No other social networking site can compare to the features this site offers to its users. Also, no other networking site can compare to the amount of FACEBOOK followers. When one thinks of an icon they may think of a famous singer, FACEBOOK is a popular culture icon that we follow and use every day.

                Analyzing FACEBOOK as a pop culture icon has made me realize the importance the public holds on socializing and keeping informed. At first, FACEBOOK was only used by high school and college kids, today all ages use FACEBOOK to keep in formed and in touch with family and friends. With the increased use of FACEBOOK today it makes me wonder, what would social networking be without it?

Three Popular Culture Icons

When I think of contemporary popular culture icons, the three names that come to mind are: Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James. These three individuals each stand out for different reasons. Michal Jackson was born into a talented family and became a star at a very young age, this stardom still remains today. Lady Gaga is a very popular performer; her music and image are also very unique which I believe is what makes her more popular than most other performers. As I have stated before sports are something that the majority of people follow and enjoy. LeBron James is someone who even if you are not very interested in sports, you know a little about Mr. James. LeBron is one of the greatest basketball players of his time.

The music industry is always growing, and new performers are always breaking out with number one hits. Although most people prefer one type of music over the other, performers like Gaga and Michael Jackson appeal to the majority of listeners. Unlike Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga is a newer artist. I chose Lady Gaga because she is a newer artist and has already gained an amazing fan base. With her unique style and music people are always waiting to see what she will wear or what song she will write next. The unpredictability of Lady Gaga keeps her fans on their toes. Michael Jackson has won over the love of his fans over the entire span of his short life. Michael Jackson also won over his fans by being unique with his dance and dress style. Although Michael Jackson was involved in a few scandals he remained one of the more popular artists. After the death of Michael Jackson he still remains a very popular artist.

Even with the current lock out, fans of basketball player, LeBron James, continue to follow him via Twitter, and other tabloids.  LeBron James is known to be one of the best basketball players of all time. James is a very talented player who followed his dreams and many young athletes look up to him. Like Michael Jackson, LeBron was also involved in a scandal himself. LeBron bounced back from the rumors of the sex scandal and remained to be very popular with the fans.

All of these Icons stand out for different reasons, but they also have been involved in similar situations and remained in the spot light. This shows the public that these icons can make mistakes just like us, it makes them seem more normal with every slip up. Even after all of these mess ups and crazy costumes these icons remain to be some of the most followed artists.

Pop Culture

Popular culture can be an icon, belief or event that is aimed toward the majority of the population. Knowing about popular culture and understanding the facts can be helpful in many events in life. In ones social life, knowing about popular culture can help to carry on conversation.  In another aspect knowing about popular culture could be very beneficial to one working in the business environment. Being knowledgeable with popular culture can help while carrying on a conversation socially but also in the business field. In sales, it is highly important that the sales person is able to carry on a conversation with the possible business partner. Knowing popular events or people can help in starting and carrying on this conversation that could possibly start and finish a sale. Not only in the sales field, other lines of work to require the employee to be outgoing and knowledgeable.

         Sports are a perfect example of popular culture today. Business men as well as college students can always strike up a conversation about their favorite team, player, or stats from last night’s game. Sports teams and games are something that appeal to the majority of the population, many types of people can relate.  Football, soccer and Baseball are all examples of popular culture that the majority of Americans enjoy following. Take Babe Ruth, Baseballs most popular icon, played for three major league teams and was inducted into the baseball hall of fame. The majority of Americans could tell you a little about Babe Ruth whether they knew much about baseball (America’s favorite pastime) or nothing at all. This knowledge about Babe Ruth and baseball is so popular and widely known because he was a major popular culture icon. I chose Babe Ruth as my popular culture icon because baseball itself is an example of popular culture, and Babe Ruth was a very well known American baseball player, whose name is still popular today. Baseball, and Babe Ruth are just one example of popular culture. A popular event, an event that has everyone listening would also be another example of popular culture. Knowing about these popular events, or people can help you to relate to others.