Can Real World News Compete with a Pop Song?
03/23/2011 @ 2:07 amBy: Stephen Beck
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that on Friday, March 11th, 2011 a powerful earthquake measuring 9.0 rattled the Japan coast, creating destruction on a scale almost unimaginable. The disaster was covered in real-time by citizen journalists and broadcasted live to the web through every possible news outlet. At the same time, halfway around the world, the Libyan political and civil system was being battered by a delusional dictator and a population demanding change, and again, footage from the frontlines made its way to the web almost as soon as it was recorded. Extraordinary events like these are often sensationalized by big media, and perhaps rightfully so in some cases. More recently though, through social channels like Twitter, the perpetual stream of updates often demands the constant attention of a connected audience.
It can be challenging to even consider directing attention towards anything less critical. While these events continue to dominate big media, it’s astonishing that at the very same time another sensation is rapidly spreading through the social web. This time, like many times of the past, it’s driven by the entertainment business – and in complete opposition to the tragic events gaining so much of our collective attention – this sensation is simply a pop song.
More after the jump.
