So, you’d think that the Internet–with all it’s connectivity and info at your fingertips yada yada yada–would have made me more pop culture aware.
It hasn’t.
Now, granted, I’ve never been the most pop culturally aware gal on the planet. I don’t think I’ve ever watched the Grammy’s (the Oscars are a different story–I used to see all the films and host fabulous parties in my LA and/or Austin apartments) and I’m a complete nitwit on remembering who actors/actresses are. Example: I never watched ER, so I was late to the George Clooney train. (Actually, I never got on the George Clooney train, but I am at least aware now.)
Before the Internet (and the digital age in general), I’d get my daily osmosis allotment of pop culture through television–it’s amazing how much you pick up on during commercials. But with the digital age, I don’t actually do commercials (except the ones my husband tells me I need to see. The Casual Day Super Bowl one was pretty funny)
and so I miss out on a lot. For that matter, I miss out on shows in general. Folks talking about Great New Show? Chances are I missed it (but I’ll catch up in a few years when I rent it from iTunes…I started Mad Men late, but I’m a huge fan now!). I no longer watch live TV. In fact, I’m currently only watching season 3 of the wire, which means I’m living in 2004, which is kind of scary. And, alas, I’ve never had much of a music IQ, so without the radio (I listen to audiobooks or podcasts or Broadway soundtracks) I’m out of luck there, too. And when I do listen to the radio, I tend to listen to country stations, and, let’s face it, they still play what they were playing when I was in high school. (Confession: those folks on Sherri’s red carpet fashion blogs? I haven’t heard of half of them! There’s really someone named Lady Gaga? Really? REALLY??????????) And while I do have an RSS feed reader that theoretically pipes in pop culturally relevant stuff for me to absorb, ponder and digest, I usually forget to read the feeds, get behind, and just delete the entries.
Man, I sound pathetic.
Just so you won’t think I’m a total loser, I am pretty up to date with iCarly and Penguins of Madagascar. You got pop culture comments about those shows, characters, voices, and I’m your gal!
So how about y’all? Has the Internet/Digital Age increased or decreased your PC-IQ? (**though, now that I think about it, maybe it’s not World Digitization at all. Maybe it’s motherhood…)
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
The internet has increased my pop-culture knowledge, although I’ve always been a sucker for US Weekly, People, The Enquirer, and the Star. (Plus, I love flipping through magazines). I check in daily with Msn. com, US Weekly, People, Perez Hilton, and TMZ. I like it because it’s light, quick, and I’m a glutton for celeb gossip.
Not up on the Super Bowl commercials–didn’t turn on the game at all. Will have to visit YouTube!
Internet has increased my pop culture awareness. I very rarely turn on my television and when I do it’s to watch what I have recorded on my DVR. Hardly ever to I watch the commercials or catch an episode of entertainment tonight. I get magazines and I thumb through them, but they are not exactly er…pop culture worthy. I get the newspaper but half the time they end up in the recycle bin unopened.
However when I open up the laptop and my little yahoo messenger pops up with the latest news… and magically I know what’s going on. Who can’t be tempted to click on a link of juicy gossip? I admit I click on pretty much any article related to a break up, why hollywood breakups and make ups are so fascinating I have no idea. I also have to say thanks to Facebook and twitter for keeping me apraised of what’s going on in the world. Just by following the feeds I know which famous person has died, or what movie is the super duper and which is a unworthy of my attention. Also I think search engines have made it so easy to keep up with the news…I’d be lost without – Igoogle that lets you customize your desktop with the news and widgets that are important to you. I’d be totally clueless of pop culture, heck any culture if it were not for the internet.
For me, increased I think. It’s a way to catch up easily and without data overload. I can go to itunes –and sample the top ten songs and performers. I can get NYT headlines to keep up with the news. I can google anything that isn’t familiar. But of course if in doubt I go to my failsafe pop culture catch up — The View
By the way, I loved the Casual Friday commercial. It was definitely in my top 3.
I thought overall though the commercials were a bit disappointing. Nothing really grabbed me. Although I smiled several times. Casual Friday’s being one of them… but still…surely there’s more out there than the GO Daddy commercials?
I liked Betty White’s Snickers commercial, because I just love to see Betty White. I did not like casual Friday. Hated the whiny, disgruntled men commercials, like the Dodge one. Some were okay, but not many were memorable for me.
me too, Dee. I liked the one with the dog collar, the casual Friday, and I thought the Dave Letterman, Oprah, Leno one was funny in a bizarre way. But I had to explain it to my really-un-popcultured sister.
Hello, Julie, from one iCarly and Penguins household to another! So, does Spencer crack you up? His frenetic antics used to get on my nerves, but he’s grown on me. Also, I love me a little King Julian.
I do agree that having young children at home helps determine our PC IQ. I just thank God that the Barney and TeleTubbies days are long gone.
I think technology has greatly increased my political and world news IQ, but it has had a limited affect on my knowledge of pop culture. In part, I’m just not as interested in the Hollywood scene as I once was.
Internet has increased PIQ, I think. I have a few sites that I like to scour at times, and hear the dirt, etc.. I have never done a lot of TV shows, so while I couldn’t tell you plotlines on the Gossip Girls or Jersey Shore, I do know they exist, and can sometimes identify faces.
I have always loved listening to music and the radio, and I am always listening for songs to add to the playlist of whatever is my current WIP. JK, as your kids get older, you get a lot more of the mainstream stuff.
True, Kathleen. When my kids were younger, my pop culture knowledge revolved around what they were into at the time, and I was not online much at all. No time. Even now, I know more about music and pop culture as it relates to the kids and their friends. So I think a lot of that is motherhood.
And it really hacks off my husband who is still stuck in the 1980′s especially musically.
I LOVE 80′s music–totally my fave. It’s about all that’s on my IPod Shuffle–great for power walking, and for shakin’ it while vacuuming.
I’m still loving the 80s, but I have updated my playlist. I’ve got MCR, the Killers, and Vampire Weekend right there with Duran Duran and Squeeze.