Topic > Social Media and Popular Culture: Class, Media Framing, and Commodity Fetishism

Social media in today's society is an addiction. We spend most of our time scrolling through different applications to see what everyone has been up to, just for the sake of not missing anything. Traditional social media has been a part of our society for 16 years now. There are generations who do not know a world without it. The rise of social media began with the release of Myspace. From there, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat were born, which are now the applications that people use most of the day. Through the development of social media, we have created a hierarchy among individuals based on the brands they wear, the goods they own, and the people they have relationships with. Having the ability to only present fragments of one's actual reality has led people to create their own false realities, which can lead to the user becoming too involved in a reality that doesn't exist. Because social media has the power to separate classes and disrupt reality, it also has the ability to create the user's need for popular and celebrity-related goods. This essay will examine social media through class, media framing, and commodity fetishism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Social media has created an alternate reality with many expectations of what we should look and look like. Through different forms of social media, such as Instagram, it is very easy to create a false identity and reality of what life looks like when in reality it is the opposite. In today's era, we have created a hierarchy among users. Those at the top of the chain wear expensive brands like Gucci, Supreme, and Louis Vuitton, have cool cars, always go to exotic places, etc. As a society, we make assumptions about what class we belong to, based on what they wear and who they associate with. For example, social media has made the skateboard brand Supreme very popular and we associate the brand with wealth. If we see someone on the street wearing a Supreme t-shirt, we automatically assume they are classy. However, if we see someone on the street wearing a no-name t-shirt, we assume they have no class. Rather than the person speaking for themselves, we speak on behalf of the class. As a society, we base class on their language, etiquette, and budget. It can also be seen through the phones that everyone has. Popular culture says that an iPhone is the best phone and anyone without one is beneath them. Apple's iPhone has been given a divine status in our society at this time. On Instagram, if someone posts a mirror selfie, everyone will look at the phone they have and take their class for granted. On Twitter, if someone tweets something, Twitter tells users below the tweet whether an Apple or Android device was used. Social media applications are partly responsible for class separation as it literally indicates the type of phone users use, which helps create the digital divide. Separation and class are also seen when users tag the location they are in to show the luxury they have in being there. Furthermore, the most prominent class separation in social media is the verification symbol. The three most used multimedia applications are Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. All three applications place a check mark next to the names of users classified as public figures, which means that if you have more than a certain number of followers then you are a verified user. The checkmark essentially provides users with online royalty status. Outside ofapplications themselves, even the people we see interacting with help influence how people perceive us. It is human nature to want to be associated with those who are seen as "the king of the jungle". It gives us a sense of comfort and allows us to feel like we have some power. The people we interact with change our status. For this reason, in today's society, it is important that everyone we associate with also maintains a high status. In social media, when we post photos of ourselves with our friends, the first thought we have is to make sure everyone looks good because if they do, then so do you. People want to post photos of themselves with those who have many connections as their associates, so they will have a connection with you. Everyone has very little control over the environmental and cultural resources they have, yet it is easy to build on social resources with the people we have connections with. Knowing more classy people automatically takes you higher up the social chain. The Kardashians, for example, are the queens of social media. They have a lot of power. However, they show that power by which they know. The family has been linked to industry moguls like Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Adele, etc. One of the Kardashians posted a photo with one of these celebrities. This is a show of power as it shows users that the connections the Kardashians have run very deep across all industries. Some of the disagreements in the classroom have to do with the fact that we have been tuned by society to think a certain way based on what is "taught" to us through social media. Media framing has allowed individuals to create multiple realities within a single reality. We are able to show different sides of our world and tune it to make it seem perfect, almost like it's a mythology. It causes individuals to become stuck in this false reality that they have created because everything is just the way they want it. It becomes an addiction as you want to continually post every good thing that happens to prolong the longevity of this false reality. It's gotten to the point where the company says if it's not in your Snapchat story, then it didn't happen. In 1989 the theorist James Carey wrote about how reality has become very poor today due to the mass media's ability to alter and show only one particular side of a story. Carey was able to identify the scarcity of reality in a time when the idea of ​​social media had not yet been conceived or introduced. In an age where social media is essentially what everyone lives by, the scarcity of reality has increased as the current age of social media makes it easier to alternate between reality. Theorist Denis McQuail argued that social media has impacted us by allowing individuals to construct their own social reality by displaying images of an "ideal" world. Social media has established a guideline for what viewers should think based on what they see. If someone posts a photo of themselves holding hands with their partner on a beach, it only shows a small part of their life that looks good. As a viewer, your first thought would be about how “objective” the couple is. From there the viewer will evaluate the setting and where the couple is on the social ladder. Media framing has led us to only see part of the full story and has created predetermined reactions that we are supposed to have. For example, if someone upper class posts on their Snapchat story that they are wearing the latest Air Jordans, the viewer's automatic reaction is the need for that item. Social media and class brought those of the.