Probably most of us know the song Nobody by the Wonder Girls. Maybe some even know the dance steps. Nobody was released as a digital download in South Korea in late 2008 and in just a matter of hours it reached the top spot in several digital music sites. In 2009, it invaded the Philippine airwaves. It was played in Christmas and birthday parties, in presentations, in contests, and in other events. Even the UP community got infected by the ‘virus’. In the events like Miss Eng’g and Hagikhikan, some faculty and students performed to the tune of Nobody. But some Filipinos ‘immortalized’ their own performances through capturing videos of themselves dancing and uploading it on the Net. A good example would be the Cebu Dancing inmates.
There’s also a Bisaya version.
You can hear it anywhere. People dance to it. People watch its music video. People talk about it. It is viral.
The Nobody craze exhibits not only virality. It also show evidence of a concept related to virality—convergence. It must be noted that Nobody was shared, passed, and spread through different media such as the internet, radio, tv, and even print. It is not just the song but the dance, the music video, and the singers and their outfit which travelled across the Philippines and the world. The reason why Nobody became a trend is not really because of the lyrics nor the artists nor the music video nor the melody. I think it became a trend because of:
- the participatory culture—According to Jenkins (2006), “The circulation of media content—across different media systems, competing media economies, and national border—depends heavily on consumer’s active participation.” The motivation for the active participation of the Filipinos can be attributed to the pleasure of being able to connect with others through dancing, singing, and having fun together with family, friends, and people who know the song.
- It involves multiple media industries. Nobody flowed across multiple media platforms such as the internet, radio, tv, and even print. The collaboration of the media industries helped Nobody to become a hit. Regardless of their motives, they were able to get the attention of their projected ‘consumers’ through being part of the circulation of the content which is in this case Nobody.
- “the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want” was addressed. Nobody can be found almost anywhere. Aside from being available in Youtube, TV programs such as Myx also featured the music video of Nobody. News programs reported about the dancing inmates who performed Nobody. The tabloids published an article about a man who was stabbed and hit to death because he didn’t know the song. This news was reported on TV, spread online, and became the topic of discussion in forums. The local television stations had their celebrities sing and dance to Nobody in their variety shows. The song (and the dance steps) was adopted by online games such as Audition and Star Tales. A movie which is an official entry in the MMFF 2010 was entitled Nobody, Nobody But Juan. An article in Inquirer.net mentioned about a priest who "started the Mass by saying, 'the Lord be with you...nobody, nobody but you!' In no time he had the whole congregation singing and dancing to the popular song 'Nobody, nobody but you!'" In short, media industries tried to run after and capture the audiences. Wherever the audiences went, there’s Nobody. The only question is which medium will they utilize to find the entertainment that they want.
- Convergence. The three reasons mentioned above are features of convergence.
References:
Jenkins, H. 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New. Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
Jenkins, H. 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New. Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
Hi Chryl. After reading your blog, a thought resurfaced in my mind -- how the dominant capitalist producers can prolong exposure via different streams in media,or in a sense, by harnessing convergence.
ReplyDeleteI like it that you used the word "immortalize," for it can be an apt term to describe media products in the digital era. Unlike before, when media produces a new product, a usual cycle follows -- it trends in the charts, exposure heightens and such and such. Constant exposure to media, as the theory of pop culture tells, is in a large part a reason why songs and videos trend. In the old cycle, a new product trends for a time, sales spike and as months pass, consumers lose interest in the product. "Nalalaos," as we call it. But now, as we are ushered into the digital age, the concept of convergence culture -- that in which consumers become producers and vice versa, consuming and generating content at the same time -- the "shelf life" of media products are prolonged, or in some cases, "immortalized." For in the new cycle, when a song trends, as you say, it enters various streams - the internet, radio, TV and reaches a greater audience. Where does convergence culture come in? When users start to generate content in reaction to the new trend. As you have illustrated in your blog with the video of a parody of Nobody, new content is generated, though still recognizable vis-a-vis the original product.
Such phenomenon prolongs exposure of the original product in the consciousness of consumers, and in way, helps capitalists promote their product. For when you listen to such parodies, you remember the original song, and most of the time, play it again right after.
It is a scary concept really -- how convergence can become the key for capitalists to attain immortality. As the 2003 New Orleans Media Experience has aptly put, "worship at the altar of convergence," for it is slowly becoming a new religion for the free market.