Magenta: How My Synesthesia Affects My Music Consumption

I don't like contemporary popular music. I don't listen to it or take that much interest in it. I don't know any currently popular artists besides Taylor Swift, I don't know who won what at the most recent Grammy's, and I don't know what the most popular song of the week is without looking it up. I tend to stick to more niche music from independent artists, songs from random creators on YouTube, remixes of well-known and obscure songs, and very often musical scores from video games and movies. Of course, for a class all about Popular Culture, not being up to date on current popular music might be a problem. Fortunately, the information I learned from Sellnow about how to do a rhetorical analysis of music, be it the virtual time/experience, the congruity of the lyrics to the music, or the intensity and release patterns within the music, are applicable to all music, not just popular music. But rather than analyzing an obscure piece of modern music or pulling out a classic 80s rock tune to analyze, I instead want to explain why I don't listen to contemporary pop music: my synesthesia.

Synesthesia is a neurological condition caused by some of my sensory neurons being cross wired. This results in me experiencing multiple sensory events from a single sensory or cognitive stimulus. Synesthesia varies between each synesthete, but in my case, it results in me seeing color when listening to music, as well as numbers and letters having specific colors that I involuntarily associated with them (for example, the letter E and number 4 are both green). What this means for music is that I don’t just hear music, I see music as well. I don’t just hear the virtual time and virtual experience, I also see a rippling kaleidoscope of colors. In terms of rhetorical analysis, this makes listening to music fascinating for me, especially when it comes to congruity. Because of my synesthesia, there’s an extra layer to the congruity or incongruity of a song. Sometimes the colors I see are congruent with the tone of the music or lyrics, other times they’re off color and incongruent with one another.

So, why don’t I like listening to contemporary pop music then? Well, the answer is simple: Magenta. The vast majority of contemporary songs that are popular feature magenta. Not a little magenta, an unhealthy dose of magenta. It’s everywhere. It’s so prevalent that magenta has become the only color that I genuinely hate. And the sad reality is that I know why it’s happening. Modern music suffers from artists becoming lacking in talent and creativity, and filling those gaps with technological advances or by copying what everyone else is doing. I’m not saying this is true for all modern music, and not even all contemporary pop music, but a large majority of contemporary pop music features similar instruments, similar beats and rhythms, similar lyrical subject matter, and a dose of autotune for the vocals and instruments to make it sound perfect. Most modern songs sound the same to me, so it’s only natural that they all look the same. That’s what the magenta represents. It’s lazy artifice designed to fill the holes where creativity should be.

Do you think modern music suffers from sounding the same? Or do you think that modern music is much more varied than what I’ve experienced? 

I’m Not Crying – You’re Crying: The Popularity of Soldiers Coming Home Videos and Their Musical Influence

With the incredible amount of video material on social media sites, certain topics immediately draw our attention. These topics cover the gamut, including funny pets, babies, pranks, and more. Most of us have clicked through many types of these videos, but for me, the soldiers' coming home videos evoke much emotion and attention. These heartwarming clips capture the raw essence of human connection, portraying the joyous reunions between service members and their loved ones. However, beyond the tears of joy and the range of emotions lies another crucial element that amplifies the sentimentality of these videos - the music.

Soldiers coming home videos are often accompanied by carefully selected soundtracks that enhance the emotional impact of the reunions. Whether it's soaring orchestral pieces, ballads, patriotic anthems, or the popular “I’m Coming Home” song (The Soldiers, 2009) that seems to be widely used, the music serves as a powerful rhetorical device, eliciting a range of emotions from viewers and heightening the overall viewing experience.

So, what makes these clips so popular that they continue to pop up on our social media feeds? Could the popularity of soldiers coming home videos also be attributed to their ability to tap into universal themes of love, sacrifice, and resilience, appealing to our emotions, which are heightened when these images are accompanied by music?

The Illusion of Life perspective by Langer, as discussed in Sellnow's “A Music Perspective,” may come into play. This perspective accounts for what occurs when “human beings symbolize life experiences through music.” Regardless of one's background or political beliefs, these videos resonate with audiences on a deeply human level, reminding us of the inherent bonds that unite us all. By pairing these universal themes with musical aesthetics, these videos transcend cultural barriers and resonate with viewers in America and perhaps across the globe.

In today's culture, no matter how positive the intent, there may always be those who criticize. Coupling the music with the images of soldiers coming home from service will always resonate with me and undoubtedly continue to pull on my heartstrings. So, pass the tissues, please.

Do you think that the music tracks in these videos create a greater effect than the video alone?

Pop Culture Pioneers: Women Reshaping the Business Landscape

Over the last several decades, business and entrepreneurship have significantly transformed, with women breaking barriers and making their mark in various industries. In the last 20 years, women-owned firms have increased by 114%, with over 800 new businesses starting daily in the United States (INC, 2018). It seems the effects of the second wave of feminism, which Sellnow (2017) described as a focus on the goals of equal rights and opportunities for women and men, continue to influence the business landscape. Along with this massive increase in women entrepreneurs, several women's business groups have also emerged and are popular in our culture.

Pop culture is increasingly portraying the significance of businesswomen, especially on social media. One quick search on LinkedIn and Facebook pulls up groups focusing on drawing in women in business. Having been a part of many of these women’s business groups and a creator of one in the past, my experience is that they exhibit a predominant cultural-feminist perspective, which holds feminine qualities as good and seeks to promote as valuable the socialized skills, activities, behaviors, and viewpoints of women (Sellnow, 2017).

With the emergence of the internet, now more than ever, women are making their mark in business, not only with brick-and-mortar businesses but with online ventures as well. One such successful online business is the "Stay at Home Chef," where a mother (Rachel Farnsworth) who stayed home with her children turned her passion for cooking and baking into an online success. This is an inspiring example of the creativity of a mother who wanted to raise her children full-time and, at the same time, build a successful business. 

Perhaps this surge in women entrepreneurs is due to the opportunities created by the internet or a desire to stay at home with children. Or perhaps women are tired of corporate demands and found this as a means to bypass the glass ceiling that Sellnow (2017) described, where women, though qualified, are not promoted as often as men.

While there are pros and cons, the feminist movement for women in business has resulted in women having more freedom to pursue business ventures that may not have been possible in the past. They can still be stay-at-home mothers, build a business if they choose, and, ultimately, strive to have it all.

Which wave of feminism do you believe was the most beneficial for women in the business world?