Social Media is ruining our culture. Case in point: Pop Music.
Music is a direct reflection of our culture. The words and instruments we use rely on our technology and how we see the world. These days, any chump with a computer can lay down a crappy track with auto-tuned vocals, a drum machine, and shoddy lyrics. And because it’s that easy, we get crap like this:
“Unfriend You?” Seriously?
I’m all about breaking down connections and taking control of your digital relationships, but did we need a crappy teen pop song about it? You know our culture is shifting fundamentally for the worse when our music is in terms of Facebook and our digital relationships. God help me if I find a serious song about tweeting or, wait for it, “Uncircling.”
I’m not so stuck up to believe that music has to be one way and only about certain things, but I wonder how relevant these songs will be in ten, twenty, and fifty years as our social networks and relationships with technology and each other evolve. Will we still be talking about unfriending the girl who wronged us, or will we just drop the F-bomb?
All I know is that I can’t take any song about “unfriending” seriously.
Just wait until Justin Bieber puts out a “song” about Social Media.
That will mark the beginning of the apocalypse.
I don’t know anything of Justin Bieber’s besides “Baby.” and “I just need somebody to love.”
For all I know, he has 8 terrible Facebook songs.
That kid looks like he’s 6. And the toilet paper is a bit ominous. When he’s a few years older, will he graduate to slashing tires?
Apparently he’s 14. I thought he was 8 at most.
Kids today.
Of course, the key to this in songwriting is to stay vague. You don’t talk about items that become dated, but concepts that last through the ages. For social media? Well… ‘The Singularity’ or ‘This Machine’ are both songs written about the alienation and confirmation bias brought about by social media, but they don’t mention it directly. Example… “Stare into the glow, of a million, conversations. Not sure we will know, the extent of our aberrations. Words fall like snow, into a sea of frustration… ” It’s about Twitter, but will still mean something, long after Twitter is gone. Not spamming, but if you are interested in more music that is written about social media without being “fluffy” check out this link. The music is free to download. http://www.facebook.com/filetransferprotocol