Since the early 2000s reality shows have completely taken over not only television but pop culture as a whole.  MTV has been slowly changing their network into a reality based free-for-all since the 1990s when the The Real World was established, but the 2000s were really the origin of a mass across the board reality show influx.  Social Media also became popular around the same time and it seems like both of these now commonly accepted institutions have started to ebb and flow into one another and are sharing many similar cultural aspects.

MySpace was almost an incubation period for social media; all the kinks were still getting worked out, Blingees made loading pages almost like an off road course, and the visual format seemed like it took precedence over the actual function of the site, but when Facebook started rearing it’s monolithic stature, the entire world of social media was torn asunder.  That’s when the real similarities and gray area between reality show culture and social media really started to emerge.  Facebook has organically (and rather artificially) become a virtual parallel to the docu-reality series that have forever changed the landscape of television and our perception of cultural constructs.

One of the most similar aspects between social media and reality shows are the construction and evolution of archetype abstractions.  Every reality show casting director talks about the extremely specific almost algorithmic equations they use when formulating a new show.  They need Character A. to react to Character B. so Constant C. can interject creating a whole new set of variables for D, E, and F to become flustered with; and then this process repeats throughout the season, accumulating steam along the way for the inevitable finale / reunion where the whole process begins anew.

Social Media has become a similar half-fabricated / half-actualized venue that allows it’s participants to write their own storylines as they shape and mold the outcome through their personal online tableau; a cryptic little tweet here, a specific photo vaguely framed there, an eclectic Spotify playlist that seems incongruent at first but slowly reveals abstractions in the sense of a fiber optic board game.  All of these little details, whether purposely articulated or by accident, add up to an online persona that can be every bit as simulated as the most elaborate reality show scenarios.  Social Media allows us to change as little or as much of our own reality to create a linear or abstract storyline that ends up personifying our own persona construct.

Another major parallel between reality shows and social media is the ease of it’s participants to take part in the contruction of their persona.  That’s one of the major flaws reality show casting directors have talked about since the massive proliferation of reality shows since the 2000s.  It used to be easy for them to find the rough and tumble hillbilly with a heart of gold, or the housewife with golden locks and an armful of existential crises to match, but now everyone is way too self-aware of what casting directors are looking for, and they come to the auditions already in “character”, or they say something like “I’m the such and such arche-sterotype you’ve been looking for”.

The same exact thing has happened on social media.  Instead of organically articulating exactly what comprises themselves on a visceral level, people create versions of themselves that are more palatable both in the real world and in online venues; not in the context of “I don’t want my boss to know I went to Hooter’s with my gram-gram for Easter”, but more so that they’re sculpting and purposefully editing out or exaggerating their own online persona to appeal to a seemingly larger audience.  Even if you’re 100% authentic in real life there’s still aspects you might edit out within social media to present a more well-rounded auto-tuned version of yourself.  It’s kind of like how MSG evens out the five main tastes to create a more pleasurable but inherently banal palette, some people use social media to quality control their own organic shortcomings.  The same way reality shows have catacombs overflowing with 14-hour-a-day editing kiosks, social media can be used to crossfade or edit out our undesirable facets only to heighten and spotlight our glorious and nutrient rich accomplishments.

The Internet and especially new web culture have completely ushered in a new era of cultural reinterpretation and repurposing.  A large part of the underground artistic movements that are occurring online are sourced from previously existing culture.  The idea of sampling or remixing has become so commonplace for a net artist or a tech savvy Millennial, that sometimes no one stops to think if their reinterpretation is actually accomplishing something new.  There are definitely positive and negative attributes to this vantage point of creating new cultural models based on the old culture, but is this movement really benefiting the culture as a whole, or is it simply regurgitating the old principles without expanding on them?

Drake’s mad introspective Take Care album cover

The rapper / singer / former Degrassi maven Drake recently made an interesting statement on his blog about his decidedly negative outlook on the culture perpetuated by Tumblr:

“I’m really scared for my generation, you know. The thing that scares me most is Tumblr. I hate what Tumblr has become. Because it like, it reminds me of those clique-y girls in high school that used to make fun of everyone and define what was cool, but in five years, when you all graduate, that shit doesn’t matter. No one gives a fuck about that shit. Instead of kids going out and making their own moments, they’re just taking these images and living vicariously through other people’s moments. It just kills me. Then you’ll meet them and they’re just the biggest turkey in the world. They don’t actually embody any of those things. They just emulate. It’s scary man, simulation life that we’re living. It scares me.”

Although Drake the musical artist has definitely had some backlash from the hip hop community for his Woody Allen-esque softly crooned testimonials, he definitely makes an astute point about the possible negative aspects that Tumblr culture creates.  A massive part of Tumblr are the Notes and Reblogging features that allow someone to grab content for their Tumblr without having to actually create any of it on their own.  It’s similar to someone curating an art show or a compilation where their keen eye is the only lens that creates the overall aesthetic of the package.  When a compilation, a mix, or an art show is put together well it really highlights the astute focus and necessary editing that goes hand in hand with a competent curator.  Within culture there’s a practical use for the curator, even with online culture, but what Drake mentions, and is definitely commonplace within some social media platforms, are the people who only create their brand through the culture and abstract identities of other brands and entities.

Hunting In Haute Couture via Everything Is Terrible!

The Internet and especially new web culture creates an atmosphere where the physical origin of this media becomes extremely secondary, and it’s really easy to forget that almost everything that exists online comes from the real world.  Besides of course CGI graphics created with computer programs or other forms of entirely computer created content, almost everything else existed in a physical version before it landed online.  Every single old press photo of embarrassingly dressed celebrities, magazine advertisements from the 70s, old TV show clips, Z-movies, ironic / un-ironic / post-ironic clothing; it all existed before the Internet and someone had to take the time and effort and their insightful aesthetic lens to actually archive or capture it to be preserved in the digital realm.  Besides for user created content, a large amount of the clips on YouTube are from dusty rundown VHS bungalows or someone’s grandma’s attic ensconced treasure chest.  It’s not that simply recycling this culture negatively impacts it, but it’s important to remember that the Internet is merely a point in its destination, but very often not the origin.

Nicki Minaj in Versace

Another tangent on the concept of repurposing culture are the recent influx of massively popular capsule collections that have popped up at H&M, Target, and other mass retailers.  A large portion of the interest for these collections is both the lower price point that allows the mass market to own a brand that might otherwise be out of their price range, and to also resurrect certain aesthetics and cultural motifs that otherwise would have slowly faded into obscurity.  One of the most recent collaborations that’s set to go on sale this week is H&M teaming up with Versace.  In a recent article on MTV.com both Nicki Minaj, Big Sean (a rapper on fellow fashion provocateur Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music record label), and Donatella Versace discussed why right now was the perfect time for a capsule collection at H&M:

Donatella could clearly sense nostalgia was in bloom. “It’s a moment that I felt was the right moment,” she said of launching the mass collection. “It’s a lot of requests for Versace iconic pieces like printed shirts, and everybody is doing homage to Versace so I decided to give them the real thing to H&M, to the kids!” she smiled.

What’s different about this concept is the culture is being repurposed and relaunched by the same person (or at least related to) that originated it.  As Nicki and Big Sean discuss in the article, there’s been a long standing love affair between the hip hop community and the Versace sense of gaudiness and absolutely outlandish ornate prints.  The Notorious B.I.G, famously referenced the label in the J.U.N.I.O.R. Mafia song “Get Money“ with the lyrics “My Moschino ho, my Versace hottie“ as well as him and P.Diddy garishly dancing around in matching Versace silk shirts in the video for the track “Hypnotize”.

P. Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G rocking Versace in their video for Hyptnotize

The real question though isn’t whether or not there’s an audience for this capsule collection, but is it really beneficial to the brand, the aesthetic, and the Versace legacy?  You can still find vintage Versace pieces on Ebay, Etsy, and other high end consignment shops, sometimes at a very similar price point to the new H&M collection, but is there some aspect of authenticity getting cleansed from history by reinterpreting your own landmark prints and aesthetic?  There’s a facet of it that’s almost nice of Donatella to dramatically decrease the price points of their staple Italy via Miami via Guido Renaissance prints, but as we’ve seen with similar capsule collections from Missoni, Vera Wang, Stella McCartney, and couture hologram himself Mr. Lagerfeld, the original price points are tripled and sometimes quadrupled in the resell market on Ebay and other sites.  Even though aesthetically the collection definitely maintains the original vision of the best Versace garments, doesn’t it make more sense to just buy an original vintage Versace piece instead of waiting all night in line to wail along with the throngs of agitated shoppers grabbing at racks of a derivative take on a classic fashion totem?

Vintage Versace Magazine Ads

More then anything there’s positive and negative aspects to cultural reinterpretation and repurposing.  A lot of it has to do with the intent and the overall contribution it’s making to the culture.  Even if someone curates their Tumblr with content solely created by other people, it’s still possible that their astute lens will positively accomplish a new vantage point or way of considering culture that wasn’t previously articulated.  It’s always important to remember that a large portion of Internet culture was harvested from physical artifacts, and someone somewhere had to put the effort and consideration in to archive and purposefully capture these items so they could live on in the digital cloud of perpetuity.  It’s not bad to repurpose and reinterpret as long as it’s expanding the culture instead of diluting and diminishing its original impact.

For as long as rap music and hip hop culture have existed, its been known as one of the most hyper-masculine genres.  A lot of hip hop culture is based on machismo and posturing to the point where hyperbole eventually becomes actualized.  That’s why its interesting to see that rap culture and male culture to a certain extent has become more androgynous over the last few years.  Not that it’s become an entirely effeminate day at the spa across the board, but here and there a tinge of a cultural upheaval has become a much more common occurrence.

What’s really interesting is that the very early aesthetic if not directly was at least partially inspired by gay culture.  The very origins of some rap DJs and early rap records got tested out in New York City gay clubs before they had a chance to make it to the boombox, and on top of that many early rap songs were derived from disco hits.  One of the earliest and most famous was The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” which was based on a few second breakbeat from the Chic track “Good Times”.  Beyond the musical inspiration for rap origins the clothing was also appropriated or sampled at least partially from gay culture.  If you look at very early hip hop clothing from the late 70s to early 80s it was tons of leather and spikes, and gauntlets and chains; it was almost an urban spin on the collective aesthetic between punk and gay leather clubs.

With hip hop culture being one of the most experimental genres of course the aesthetic eventually mutated into tons of different forms over the years and quickly progressed away from its origins to a more urban sportswear look that came in the 1980s and 1990s with Run DMC and their Adidas partnership, and tons of other highly sought after hip hop brands like Troop, Fila, Nike, Coogi, Puma, and countless others.  Eventually this aesthetic changed again in the late 1990s to early 2000s and gigantic triple XL everything became the standard hip hop wardrobe.

It wasn’t until the late 2000s that the hip hop aesthetic made a return to a more fitted, and less comically oversized look.  Around this same time androgyny within male culture overall became more of a culturally accepted aesthetic.  The infamous metrosexual movement in the 2000s (as expertly satirized on South Park) made it okay for men to care more about their physical grooming and a feminine style without suffering the risk of mockery from their male counterparts.  As this trend progressed in the mainstream it eventually made its way into hip hop culture.

Kanye West, who has received his own fair share of sexuality comments, was one of the first rappers who made it okay to be seen in the front row at a Galliano show accompanied by Taz Arnold in leopard print leggings (again immortalized on South Park on the classic Kanye gay fish episode) while at the same time maintaining at least some element of street cred within the music industry.  Kanye was more of an isolated example at the time he first started immersing himself in the world of fashion, but eventually it became okay for hyper masculine rappers to reference these haute couture designers and still maintain a sense of bravado on their songs.

Artwork via Teen Witch

The last few years has really expanded on what Kanye quasi initiated and now androgyny in rap music has really come to the forefront of the hip hop cultural discussion.  One of the main if not the most vocal advocates of this new culture is definitely Lil B.  Even before he named his most recent album I’m Gay (I’m Happy), he was lacing his dada based raps with tons of almost gender neutral sentiments.  Although Lil B says that he’s 100% straight, he constantly refers to himself as a pretty bitch, has repeatedly called himself a f****t and lesbian on tons of different tracks, and he constantly refers to his wardrobe as “tiny shirt tiny pants” which is a direct inversion of the initial bigger is better aesthetic.  Because of his extremely out there album title Lil B has spoken on numerous occasions about the role of sexuality and androgyny in rap music and more then anything he refers to his perception of hip hop culture as all accepting genre with no judgment towards any minority group.

One of the most interesting aspects about this discussion is the sharp contrast between the experimental nature of rap music and its sometimes extremely strict rules of conduct.  It’s something that’s completely modern in nature in that it’s the only genre that is entirely based on sampling other genres, but at the same time its aesthetic for the most part has strictly defined rules about what’s acceptable.  Something like skinny jeans have really only been worn by men for a few years, and when sub-sects or small areas of the rap community began wearing them, there was a huge backlash in both interviews and songs from the more traditional rap artists.  Even recently the rapper Danny Brown was in talks with 50 Cent to be signed to his label G-Unit and one aspect that made the deal fall though was that Danny Brown wears vintage rock t shirts and skinny jeans and has half of his head shaved with an almost wavy pompadour, and even though he’s one of the most talented underground rappers right now, his aesthetic was enough of an issue to sour the deal.

That’s what’s really interesting about the current rap climate and even how androgyny is perceived in different cultures across the board.  There was an article in The New York Times recently about a trend among gay men in New York City that wear pumps and stilettos with their otherwise masculine outfits (which is also something that’s been a constant on The Real Housewives of Atlanta since Season 1).  On the runway and with street fashion especially in Japan and Europe male leggings have become at least somewhat commonplace for more experimental aesthetics.

In tons of different cultural arenas male androgyny has started to make headway as a more accepted form of expression, and its interesting to see that even in the hyper masculine climate of hip hop culture there’s at least a tinge of that happening, even if the proponents are few and far between.  Andre 3000 was wearing absolutely garish almost drag-esque costumes for years, and even the ultimate anti-hero “your rapper’s favorite rapper” Cam’ron was absolutely infatuated with the color pink for a year or so in the early 2000s, to the extent that he was constantly seen hopping out of his custom Laffy Taffy pink Range Rover in head to toe pink chinchilla that looked like a cotton candy factory imploded.  Of course Camron and his Dipset cohorts also came up with the well known “No Homo” adlib, its still interesting that hip hop culture has evolved to the point where you can maintain a sense of hyper masculinity while still immersed in an almost Lisa Frank esque aesthetic.  Hip Hop culture will probably always have a complicated relationship with androgyny but at least over the years its scope has expanded to start including more experimental aspects that truly hark back to its groundbreaking origins.

Way before MTV started showing videos around the clock in the early 1980s music was primarily an aural medium.  There was always the visual element of magazines, posters, and sparse television programs, but for the most part unless you attended a concert the only visual element you had of your favorite band was their album cover and if you were lucky maybe a few page spread in Rolling Stone.  MTV completely changed this concept and from there on the visual aspect became just as or even more important then what the music sounds like.  In the new web era of unlimited bandwidth and non-stop visuals from YouTube, Tumblr, and every other media platform (twit pics I’m lookin’ at you buddy) music has become just as visual as movies or television.  So much so that there’s been micro-genres sprouting up where the visual element is almost more concrete and substantial then an actual unified musical aesthetic.

The extremely recent Tumblr incubated micro-genre of Seapunk is definitely the best example of this concept.  Witch House, the micro-famous / micro-infamous genre that had some critical fanfare in 2010 has a real definitive visual aesthetic that accompanies the sound, but the sound itself is also really specific and pretty easy to nail down.  Seapunk honestly seems like the first musical sub-genre that’s invented for and by the Internet where the visual element is more concrete then the sound itself.

Seapunk is kind of an inside joke of a joke which isn’t too surprising considering it’s fiber optic origins.  Web celebrity and all around digital hooligan Lil Internet said he came up with the term from a dream he had and from then on, as most Internet concepts seem to do, it became viral in a matter of months.  Seapunk can be loosely described as the 90s early Internet cyberpunk culture filtered through a utopian glossy gif aesthetic of dolphins, yin yangs, CGI rendered dreamscapes, and everything aquamarine you could possibly cram into an animated gif.  It’s kind of like if that Kevin Costner box office bomb Waterworld was shot on the Internet with a 4D camera and then turned into a elaborate Tumblr theme.

Actually the visual element is easier to describe then the musical aesthetic if that even seems possible.  Part of that is due to the extremely short time span it’s been around for.  Only a handful of artists are producing music under the Seapunk umbrella, and out of those there’s only been a handful of label releases besides for the abundance of web only Seapunk mixes, which is definitely a parallel to the witch house movement.  The first official release was the Coral Records compilation Seapunk Volume 1.  There’s definitely a similarity in the sound across the whole compilation, but more then anything it’s a genre where the visual element is a much more concrete tangible concept.

The sound on the compilation spans everything from old school jungle, rave, and breakbeats you might have found in London in 1995.  There’s also some aspects of the lo-fi chillwave sound, but with an overall aquatic kind of shimmery vibe.  If you sat down and listened to the whole compilation you could probably pick out 15 – 20 genre elements which are then rearranged and put back together in a familiar but decidedly off kilter fashion.  As with so much other new web culture, Seapunk takes the last 20 or 30 years of electronic music history and even visuals and completely Cuisnarts them into an entirely new sound and visual aesthetic.

That’s one of the most interesting aspects of Seapunk which is definitely become a common theme for new web culture in general.  It’s a musical genre that’s based more on the visual then actually how it sounds, which is something you can really only pull off on the Internet.  It’s like when a new brand launches or an esteemed company releases a new product.  Before you even use it or have a chance to buy it you’re introduced to it through the visual element; the type of the package, the logo, the actors in the commercial representative of the potential audience’s demographic.  Before you actually make a purchase the visual element is the first thing that gets you to the store to even contemplate buying it.

That’s kind of what Seapunk has done.  In the last few months there’s been so many Seapunk Tumblrs popping up, Seapunk photos where everyone’s hair is turquoise, Ecco the Dolphin screen captures, and enough yin yang animated gifs to fill an aquarium.  Before you even have a chance to listen to the music you’re already so familiar with how the music looks that it changes and affects your perception of how the music sounds.

That’s one of the concepts the new web culture has accomplished that’s extremely hard to pull off in other mediums.  It’s the visual abstraction of the genre that personifies the music, instead of people’s perception of it being defined by it how it sounds.  It literally sounds like how it looks, but unless you’re online or familiar with new web culture, that concept is extremely confusing.  That’s what the Internet has accomplished over time almost by accident.  No matter what creative endeavor someone is working with, the Internet has the capability of merging all the preexisting mediums into an entirely new blurry amalgam that’s made from the parts of the old model but looks nothing like the history it was conceived from.  Seapunk may be only the beginning of a cultural evolution where all of our senses could potentially be engaged in a medium instead of the conventional aspects we’re used to.  In a few years people might be talking about how a new song tastes or smells instead of how it sounds, and considering what’s happening now, that really doesn’t seem too surprising.

Note:  We want to credit the seapunk graphics and images to artist Kevin Heckart who is the main artist behind the Seapunk aesthetic.  We’re sorry that we didn’t give credit earlier to Kevin Heckart for his artwork.  Thanks.

The other day I came across a Groupon for liposuction, and I was at the least a little bit in shock. Granted if I was looking to get lipo hey 50% off sounds like a great deal, but I’m not sure I would really trust an establishment that would give out a deal like that for plastic surgery.  Don’t get me wrong; Groupon is a great way to get your brand noticed and there are definitely some tremendous deals on their site, but a Groupon for liposuction, that seems like it’s going too far. Was this particular deal actually beneficial for both parties involved? Would you really subject your health to an institution that’s willing to make a deal like that? On top of that, it makes me wonder what type of corners they had to cut just to make the deal.  Aren’t there certain things you just don’t want a deal on?

Overall it really feels like Groupon has stopped curating the content it sends out to it’s customers, and that any random promotion will do. As a brand, it’s so important to keep your reputation in mind and part of that is ensuring that every deal you have on your site is A) from reputable sources and B) is mutually beneficial for both parties involved.

With the rise of so many competing coupon sites, I feel that it’s important for Groupon to keep their brand pristine.  Even though they have a huge market share I still think that if they keep giving out groupons for lipo and other ridiculous deals, users will eventually go to different more specialized sites.

What are your thoughts?

I think its safe to say that the Internet has effectively altered every aspect of culture that’s conceivable.  I would almost go as far to say that a definitive dividing line exists between pre-internet and post-internet culture.  Every aspect of all creative mediums has changed and is continuing to evolve due to our use of the Internet.  One of the most important aspects of this evolution is the way the internet actually changes culture.  The paradigm used to exist that being in a magazine or on television carried a certain cache with it that inferred certain qualities about whatever is featured.  Now that the internet has created a level playing field in all creative mediums, the old platforms and models are viewed in a different context.  Certain websites might even have more sway then a magazine covering the exact same thing.  Especially with people in younger demographics the old print mediums and even to a certain degree television is viewed as old hat or nearly obsolete.  The most interesting thing about how culture has evolved since the inception of the internet is that the context that’s created by being “on the internet”  actually changes the information and its inferred message / values.

The word meme has existed for literally centuries, but only once the internet became commonplace did the idea of “memes” actually spread as a cultural concept within society.  I almost can’t think of memes before the internet existed; of course there were cultural touchstones and specific historic events but a meme takes an inside joke or abstraction and elaborates on it to the point of mass consumption.  It’s an idea that’s easily identifiable across such a large cross section of people that they can easily and with little effort apply their own personal stamp or inside joke to it with the initial concept still intact.

Memes are something that almost seem invented by and for the internet.  You could take your funny cat photo or embarrassing family portrait and share it in your workplace for a few laughs but the internet creates an even playing field where these personal concepts or ideas become universal messages.  Lil B literally has an entire catalogue of memes that surrounds his lifestyle / philosophy / movement known as “Based”.  His aesthetic and inside jokes and overall inferred cultural values have been constantly shaped and remolded by internet culture.  Without the internet I’m not even sure his movement would have taken off at such astronomical rate, and even if it did, how would a magazine or television show perpetuate a world of inferred memes without a multitude of worldwide platforms to expand upon them?

Teamm Jordann – “Stadium” from Haunted Internet on Vimeo.

As the internet changes and shapes our culture, the internet itself is perpetually going through its own transformation.  We’ve mentioned in passing the concept of “the second internet” which is rapidly becoming a more tangible and actualized concept.  A handful of the most progressive artists, musicians, programmers, cultural dilettantes and numerous undefinable entities are changing the way the internet looks and feels on a daily basis.  The Second Internet loosely has to do with reinterpreting the old model and sometimes the aesthetic of the Internet’s mainstream infancy in the early to late 90s.  These completely obsolete graphics, programs, and platforms have become heralded by some as the personification of a specific almost idyllic internet aesthetic.

Ryder Ripps created the website Internet Archaeology with the specific intentof preserving the long barren digital world of Geocities.  ScannerJammer takes the earliest most gauche internet graphics conceivable and turns them into an almost cyber totem of sorts, where participants can virtually “pray” and give “offerings” to the internet gods of yesteryear through sharing videos, audio, and other visual mediums.  Dump.fm, another Ryder Ripps creation, takes the most wretched and trashy aesthetics of internet culture and concentrates them into a pure visceral mush of animated gifs and glitter ensconced CGI renderings.

These are only a small example of the new internet movements that are for the most part bubbling under the surface.  One of the most interesting aspects is that the internet is now old enough where cyber nostalgia has become a prevalent concept online.  Especially due to sites like YouTube where the entire history of the moving image is literally at everyone’s beck and call 24 hours a day, the rapid rise and early onset nostalgia which seems common in the millennial generation isn’t hard to understand.  When talking about internet trends its important to remember that the internet changes culture just as much as it’s a place for culture to exist.  The more we take this concept in mind when analyzing internet trends the easier it becomes to predict and gauge exactly where and how culture is evolving.  The internet is never really a static platform or medium; it perpetually alters what we add to it based on how we engage with it; it’s really become just as much of its own entity as the very people that have helped to shape and form it.

Posted via email from lunavega’s posterous

It’s always good to know that even if you are as established as Vito Acconci in a recession innovation still suffers. So to all of your projects which might have been put on hold because of the recession, don’t give up. Here is your proof. It’s not just you.