Celebrities and the Average Person

Celebrities have a symbolic meaning; regular people give them power to influence and defend celebrities they don't even know. They are worshiped and followed and we have no idea who they are in "real life." Celebrities also create narratives by providing stories bout themselves. It gives the a connection to reality, a connection with ourselves, feeling that this matters and there's an unknown ending. For example, Oprah Winfrey and Tim Tebow.

Celebrities seem to live extremely different lives than the average person (at least the very popular/ famous celebrities.) With Taylor Swift having to wear a specific outfit to the gym, and having her hair and makeup done before she leaves the gym, having someone carry her stuff for her, NEVER wearing the same outfit twice, and ALWAYS having to dress up. She can never just go shopping at a mall to find something she wants, go for a late night ice cream run in her sweats... obviously she has people that do that for her but once you have that level of fame you can't go back to normal and say "I don't want this anymore, I want it to all go back to normal." (If she stopped making music and doing interviews I assume it would still take quite a while.) And that life sounds very glamorous but it also sounds very relaxing. Celebrities are "working" ALL the time. With the upkeep of their image. 

Social Currency

Hot in popular culture right now: Makeup tutorials


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5rLN7mikmg 

Makeup tutorials are all over the internet: instagram, youtube, twitter, facebook. There's thousands upon thousands of different looks and products styles and profiles showing different ways to do and perfect your makeup. I think makeup tutorials are part of an insider social currency, as well as remarkable. Some of the perfect makeup that is done is truly remarkable just insanely precise and the before/ after comparison pictures can show a huge difference in the person. Also insider because not everyone can do makeup that well it's kind of an art or skill. 

Hot in popular culture right now: Diet fads/ It Works! 



This it works crap is constantly on my news feed. Tons of distributors talking about how much money they make while still having time for their kids, etc. And these pills and wraps and shakes and "greens" to lose weight and to have more energy. This is an insider social currency because you have to be part of the group and get more people to buy your products and be apart of your team, and there's a whole support system attached

Hot in popular culture: Passion parties/ Jewelry parties

https://www.google.com/search?q=jewelry+parties&biw=1280&bih=631&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiv9ciLvZnMAhVnsYMKHXRACKYQ_AUICCgD#tbm=isch&q=jewelry+parties+facebook+invite&imgrc=sb2x05xt7DNxMM%3A




Also always getting facebook invites for passion parties/ jewelry parties, etc. Where you go to this event, there's food and beverages and then someone selling dildos or jewelry to get money. And something like "If you bring a friend you get a penis sucker" or "wear a pink shirt and you get free lube!" so I relate this to insider as well as games. Because there's games played at the parties and there's incentives to get you to come to the parties. Insider also because it's a social event and you don't know what's going on unless you're there.

Mixed messages about tattoos

There's a big mixed message in popular culture about tattoos. Tattoos are seen as a way to express your true self, images you find to be beautiful, quotes that are meaningful, or showing an interest or hobby. But at the same time society tells you that you should express yourself, you should also be covering it up. Employers can fire you for having a tattoo that may effect their business. When going to get a tattoo, many consider the placement of the tattoo- will it be able to be covered? just as much as considering what the actual tattoo itself will be. The author of Secret Ink also proves this point by pointing out that if someone has a problem/ commits a crime, etc. they'll point out their tattoos like "Who's surprised, look at the tattoos that person has."

Also, people are already feeling pressured to explain the meaning of their tattoo and why they got it before even getting the tattoo, because there's this sort of stigma around it. It's sort of this big deal because it's going to be on your body forever and what if you regret it when you're older blah blah blah- which these statements are true. But why do we care? Unless it's your child, who you should always be thinking about their future and caring for them....why do we care? I'm so guilty of judging people for getting meaningless tattoos...why? IF they do regret it when they're older and IF it lacks some super deep meaning, how does it effect us? It doesn't. If someone likes it and they do it and you don't agree with it then just... don't do it. 

However, the whole job thing kind of comes into play a lot when it comes to the placement of the tattoo. It having to be covered for work related purposes makes sense.... almost. Like having the letters F-*-C-K tattooed across your fingers when applying to be an elementary school teacher may not be the best idea but having a bird tattooed on your wrist should't really be able to effect most jobs in my opinion... but there are definitely more important things happening in society to be upset about. 

Cultivation Theory/ George Gerbner

George Gerbner recognized violence in media could alter your mood, which relates to the video on terrorism because people believe what they see portrayed on the media about terrorism. George growing up was a veteran and fought in the 2nd world war, because of this terrorism has a lot to do with the fact that in reality, the way TV portrays violence and terrorism is not the way terrorism really is. Since violence is so common, it affects our conceptions of the world. All in all the big question is does watching violence make people act violently. No it doesn't

Gaming

Why we play and Jane McGonigal's views on gaming have many similarities. For one example, in Why We Play, it is stated that people like games because of the goals, challenges and rewards. Solving puzzles, and sparking curiosity is a major part of human life. Answers to puzzles or solutions to situations is a large motivation for why we play games. And Jane is a game designer that designed a game to help people feel better. After setting small goals and achieving them, your mood goes up. Completing that task and feeling a reward of physical or social resilience is what keeps that game going. It feels good to accomplish something. She also notes the creativity that is required to get through various games and how it transfers to real-life scenarios. 

Why We Play also points out the different chemicals that are released when playing games. Norepinephrine and serotonin are both released in the brain when people encounter novel situations, as well as video games. These chemicals help regulate our emotional responses to situations. These  chemicals are used to treat depression and ADD/ADHD. Jane agrees in the sense that she points out various studies that have shown playing games can treat anxiety and depression more than pharmaceutical drugs. She was very depressed and suicidal and the game she made helped her, as well as many others, through the difficult time. 

Sports Culture in America

Purpose of sports would probably be between the players that have a passion for playing it and the fans that enjoy watching it. Benefits of huge focus on sports is it gives someone a hobby. Something to enjoy outside of school or work. Something to be passionate about, maybe something you're good at and gives you confidence. Also being active in this country is something that's becoming more rare among our society, so being active and healthy is a great benefit to those that are playing sports. Drawbacks of sports being so huge is the extremists. I hate seeing parents that are pushing their kids to practice practice practice, and giving the kid the idea that their only source of achievement comes from their performance in sports. Or parents liking their kid playing the sport more than the kid enjoys playing the sport. Also people watching their favorite sports teams and getting over the top. 
If there was anything I think needs to be changed about sports it would simply be the players that are getting in trouble for domestic abuse, drinking and driving, or any other criminal charges that are still being allowed to play or getting a small amount of time off... I think that's bull. It should be treated more seriously and not looked at in terms of how that player benefits the team. Other than that I don't know much about sports. 

The Perfect Bride

Many of the brides on Say Yes to The Dress describe their desire to look classy, like Grace Kelly, Princess Diane. They want to find the perfect dress, with the perfect fit, to feel unbelievably beautiful. The women on this episode also all talk about an elegant venue, an elegant bride, extravagant, huge wedding. The women from this show also all talk about some kind of budget... because to have all of these things described, it's going to cost money. This relates to The Rise of The Lavish Wedding because it talks about advertising shifting from practical descriptions of products to descriptions of the emotions that products could elicit. The advertising companies create this idea that you need to look perfect, have a beautiful wedding full of romance, beauty, and luxury. Instead of simply being with the one you love, celebrating, and tying the knot.

The Rise of The Lavish Wedding also talks about fairy tales. And how they are shared wish fulfillment, because of the presence of magic in these tales, anything can happen and anything is possible. The idea that love is magic and changes our perspective on life and changes our environment. The women from the show make many references to royal wedding, princess wave, love at first sight, dream day, unforgettable; as if this one day is a perfect representation of the couple's love and their life together. When, in reality, isn't it just the little things that happen everyday? I know, cliche, but just jewelry on valentine's day or a huge wedding does not mean a couple is incredibly in love. It does not mean they have a deep connection or live most days happily in sync with one another. Fairy tales make us think of love and magic as one intertwined feeling, and this being in love is magical and never ending. And women want to show that on their wedding day.

I personally would rather get married on a beach with my hubby, alone at sunset and a swim up bar in some exotic country.