The Twitter Obsession: Twitter as a Ritual

The Twitter Obsession: Twitter as a Ritual

The theory of rituals would apply to the current fascination and obsession with Twitter. I would categorize the use of Twitter as a public ritual performed by an individual for the purpose of social bonding.  Twitter is simply a place to post very short comments, thoughts, ideas, and generally anything that comes to mind at any time of the day, called tweets. With Twitter, you can sign on to “follow” other people and view their tweets.

The theory of ritual describes our obsession with Twitter because so many people have formed a strong habit, or daily ritual, of tweeting and checking other people’s tweets. The ritual comes into play when tweeting has become such habit that a person tweets at specific times of the day, every day. For example a person who would be considered to have a ritual with tweeting would not be able to get ready for the day without tweeting, might have to tweet before breakfast, upon arrival to work, during lunch, afternoon break, and so forth. They would be tweeting at specific intervals and these tweets could even interfere with their daily job, family life, social life, and other areas. A simple search of “Obsession with Twitter” turns up hundreds of blogs and articles of people who are admittedly obsessed with Twitter.

I think that considering tweeting and following other tweets as a ritual brings more understanding to people being obsessed with Twitter. According to Elizabeth Hartney on About.com, “people with addictions tend to develop rituals in the ways that they carry out addictive behaviors. Rituals are an important part of the addictive process, since addicts may expend as much energy in the rituals of addictions as the behavior itself” (2010). Since I am exploring the topic of twitter as an obsession, which is also considered an addiction, the discussion of tweeting as a ritual is very valid.

References

Hartney, E. (2010, Aug. 6). What is a Ritual?. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from: http://addictions.about.com/od/sexaddiction/g/defritual.htm.

Sibberson, F. (2011). Addicted to Twitter: How did it happen?. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from: https://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/870.cfm.

The Influence of Contemporary Icons

Three contemporary icons that have been relevant to my life are the television show Friends, Starbucks coffee, and Walt Disney. I choose these three icons because they have had some sort of impact on a great majority of American’s lives in one way or another. Friends was the number one television show for ten years. The show so heavily influenced popular culture in the late nineties that there was actually a haircut called “The Rachel”. Starbucks coffee started the coffee shop revolution that our country experienced as well as making coffee so important to so many people that it can influence the hotel someone chooses to stay at. As for Walt Disney, who among us has not been touched by something he created from Mickey Mouse to Peter Pan to Snow White to Mickey Mouse Club to Walt Disney World? I would be hard pressed to find someone who has not been influenced in some manner by something Disney created.

“Friends” was the hit television show of my high school and early college years. My friends knew when the show was on that I would not answer the phone. Watching the friendship of the characters on the show, I learned so much about what friendship really means. Rachel and Monica were people we looked up to, wanted to be like, even wanted to look like. I had friends who would ask their hairstylist to give them The Rachel – meaning they wanted the exact haircut that Rachel had at the time. “Friends” was one of the number one television shows for ten years, I grew up with them. When I was in my early twenties I could relate to so many of the scenarios the characters were experiencing such as romance and dating problems, searching for a career, and generally trying to find my way during that hard time between teenager and adult.

Starbucks coffee cups are recognized globally as the pinnacle of the coffee experience. I have always been a drinker of coffee, but it was not until I was at my first Starbucks coffee shop that I had the coffee experience. There was something about going up to the counter and ordering a grande skinny vanilla latte no whip. It was a culture with a language all its own and I was fitting into it. This was more than just ordering a great cup of coffee, it was understanding and living what was at the time, a sub-culture in American society. When I would see someone else with the Starbucks cup I would feel some connection with that person, no matter if I knew them or they even looked my way. Starbucks got me hooked on what is still one of my, and many, many of my friends’, top obsession – coffee. My day is now incomplete without one. My mornings just don’t feel right if I don’t have one. Starbucks has changed my life, introduced me to another culture, given me a place to study and feel a part of something. It’s bigger than coffee, it’s a way of life.

            Walt Disney has touched the lives of possibly any other person in American culture. When I think of all the various things Disney has created by either his own hands or his own ideas – Walt Disney World, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Snow White, Dumbo, The Mousketeers from Mickey Mouse Club – there has been something Disney in popular culture from the time my parents were young until my own young child watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the mornings. Watching a Disney movie still touches me, they are still among my favorite movies. They are a tradition passed down through generations. I will always remember the excitement I felt as I watched “Mary Poppins” with my 4 year old daughter for the first time. Seeing the excitement in her face, discovering another thing we both love and could share, watching her eyes light up when she heard Julie Andrews begin singing. Disney gives us all a timeless story that teaches us about love, right and wrong, kindness, family, and also brings us many laughs.

References

[Photo of “Friends”]. Retrieved November 17, 2011, from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/mediaindex.

[Photo of Starbucks coffee cup]. Retrieved November 17, 2011, from: http://www.diet-blog.com.

[Photo of Walt Disney]. Retrieved November 17, 2011, from: http://waltdisneyworldflorida.net/

Assignment 1-2

Popular culture, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary (2011), is “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by a people in a place or time”. Popular culture can describe those elements in our lives which are the current trends, things that will change frequently such as the top television show American Idol, or the number one performing artist Lady Gaga. Popular culture is unlike high culture or folk culture in that it is not specific to an economic class, educational background, or specific social status. Popular culture is available to anyone and affects everyone.

If popular culture encompasses such a broad spectrum of things that affect us daily, then the workplace is also affected by popular culture. If you think in terms of technology and popular culture, things such as the i-Phone, i-Pad, emails, BlackBerry phones, and MP3 players will spring to mind. These are all items that are used in many offices across the globe, but also symbols of popular culture. They have revolutionized how we communicate, when we communicate; thus also how we work. It is perfectly normal to be a local coffee shop, likely a Starbucks, and observe someone using their BlackBerry as their portable office while also enjoying their morning coffee in their sweats, or a group of students using a few tables as their personal study room with their laptops and books spread everywhere.

In my own life, popular culture is also invading the workplace in the terms of technology that we are beginning to use. The i-Phone is on the rise as the preferred cell phone that is offered at work as is the recently released BlackBerry Torch. These phones have allowed our employees to have a virtual office at their fingertips any time of day or night. They have given our field technicians the ability to send us information while working at one of our sites in the middle of the Arizona desert. The importance of technology is just one way that popular culture has invaded my work place. My employer, First Solar, is a company that could be considered a part of popular culture. The current trends and movements toward green energies has given rise to an entirely new business landscape, one of which is solar panels. My company is a product of that movement, so without the popular culture pushing green energy to the masses, I would not be so gainfully employed in such an interesting and amazing field. In our field, we have to stay on top of current and upcoming trends in energy and construction in order to continue to stay relevant to our customers.

When considering an example of a popular culture artifact, several things sprang to mind such as the Atari game console, anything Michael Jackson, MTV, and many other things. One item I choose as an example of popular culture is this image of the Rolling Stones first album released in the U.S. called “England’s Newest Hit Makers”. I choose this album cover because it represents the beginning of a career for one of the most influential musical groups of all time. At the time of release in 1964 the civil rights movement was well under way, and then this album comes out which is a white English band singing R&B style rock music. With rock music still in its infancy and being defined, this showcased Rolling Stones as one of the leaders in rock music. I personally think of The Rolling Stones as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, rock bands of all time, which is another reason I choose this as my artifact.

References

Keno Internet Services. (2011). Album Ratings: England’s Newest Hit Makers. Retrieved November 12, 2011 from: http://www.keno.org/rolling_stones.htm.

Petracca, M., & Sorapure, M. (2009). Common Culture, Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture, sixth edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Popular Culture (2011). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved November 12, 2011 from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture.

Wright, N. (Photographer). (1964). The Rolling Stones England’s Newest Hitmakers [Photograph]. Retrieved November 12, 2011 from: http://www.rollingstones.com/album/englands-newest-hitmakers.