It would be hard for one to dispute the fact that MTV has influenced
every pop culture trend since its birth in 1981. One could even say
that MTV is pop culture. No other media network holds in the palm of
its hand the power to control popular cultural evolution the way MTV
does. What other media network has influenced and helped shape
public opinion, filmmaking, newsgathering techniques, presidential
politics, and world politics like MTV has? In addition to that, MTV
can take credit for reconstructing the music industry (Rushkoff
126). One would be hard pressed to find a person who does not enjoy
some type of music. Thus, "Music" television was built on a
foundation that was virtually united by the whole world, and its
popularity was inevitable. MTV chose popular music as its beating
heart, instead of classical music or jazz. Young people around the
country could now see their favorite music icons 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. As a result, the young people of America were
given a national/international platform to share their common voice,
a voice that to this day wants to be heard. Since MTV has such a
large hand in shaping the young minds of today, it is important that
both parents and children are aware of the impact MTV has in their
daily lives.

In assessing the impact and effect of popular cultural forms like
MTV, it is important to acknowledge the extent to which, rather than
having them imposed upon us, we may instead appropriate or
assimilate parts, whilst choosing to reject or ignore the rest.
This, of course, has the consumer or viewer acting (or perhaps more
accurately interacting) as opposed to simply passively receiving
(Philo par 16).Even though critics of MTV stand strongly against the
passive consumer, the fact remains that MTV has done wonderful
things for America's youth. Yet, where there is a "Good", there is
also a "Bad" and an "Ugly".

One of the many good things MTV has done is serve as the voice of
youth in today's society. Demographic groups such as young African
Americans had been socially silenced prior to MTV's ability to
market urban music. Thus, MTV's ability to bring the unheard
minority's voice to an international level has helped to break down
some of the cultural barriers that have stood in humanity's way for
centuries. Rappers such as Ice T and Public (E)enemy raised eyebrows
around the world with their lyrics protesting Government
hippocracies and other social issues. In turn, these artists
contributions help make rap/urban music an important and influential
cultural movement, and also emerged the young African American voice
into political issues. Such an accomplishment deserves worldly
praise and appreciation (Rushkoff 161-165).

On the same level, MTV has contributed to the involvement of young
people in modern social issues. While segments such as MTV News,
keep young viewers involved with world issues such as the
Environment, safe sex, racial tolerance, and the AIDS virus, MTV has
also had a hand in presidential politics. In the Presidential
election year of 1992, MTV launched a series of public service
announcements under the campaign heading of "Rock the Vote". Rock
stars backed the phrase "Choose or Loose", in multiple on-air
segments, giving issue awareness a marketable value. While
presidential incumbent George Bush refused to appear on
the "teenybopper" network, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton held an
open forum with an MTV audience. Considering Bush was a favorite
among young adults in the 88' election, many people believe Bush's
dismissal of the pop culture generation was a large reason for
Clinton's victory in 92'. Even though MTV continues to make
wonderful contributions to society such as those mentioned above, it
can also have a harmful effect if we as a society do not recognize
when things cross that Good to Bad line (Rushkoff 158-161).

This line is crossed when people don't realize that in the grand
scheme of media interaction, they are just a consumer. The only
reason TV exists is for advertisement. Think of it this way, if no
companies wished to advertise their product during the Superbowl, it
would not be televised at all. In order for networks to make money,
they need paid advertisements. In turn, the more viewers the network
has watching their programs; the more companies will want their
product to be advertised on said network. Keeping the
audience "tuned in" is the key to establishing a loyal following,
and therefore a loyal paycheck. Since music videos are relatively
only a few minutes in length, they generally cater to the shorter
attention spans of younger viewers.

Because of the randomness of MTV's programming, children are removed
away from linear thinking and the end result is Beavis and Butthead.
Beavis and Butthead are two prime examples of what happens to kids
when they watch too much MTV. For those who have never seen the show
before, Beavis and Butthead were two very unproductive teenage boys
who spent most of there time watching music videos, insulting each
other, and partaking in childish pranks. While most of society just
thought the show was about mindless violence and crude jokes, they
did not even realize that the show was slapping us in the face with
our own cultural decay. Furthermore, the Beavis and Butthead show
could be considered a blatant advertisement for Anti-MTV, however
most of us did not pick up on that. Instead we were too busy blaming
Beavis for setting fires. Which brings us to the Ugliness of the
whole MTV phenomenon, the lack of responsibility we as viewers take
when watching such popular programming (Rushkoff 153-157.)

Much like soap operas and movies, MTV creates a fantasy world for
its viewers to slip into 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This
escape from reality can only be harmful if the idealisms that are
portrayed become reality to the viewer. For instance, popular music
entertainer, Cisco, can be seen hosting shows on MTV with his
extremely attractive entourage of six half dressed females
called "The Six Pack". These images of luxury and fantasy are
implanted into the subconscious of our more impressionable youths.
Consequently, for those young people who are not aware of MTV's
purpose in creating these images of luxury, the result is accepting
fantasy as reality. A young male may think that the more half naked
women he has following him around, the more successful he is. This
is a bit extreme, but extreme sells. However, the underlying theme
is the point here. That theme being that MTV/television at any given
point is trying to sell an image or a product that appeals to it's
designated viewers. Without these sales, MTV and television
altogether would cease to exist.

In conclusion, it is critical that we raise the bar for cultural and
media awareness in today's over-consumptious society. No one wants
to be a sucker, and if the rise of awareness leads to the decrease
in passive media consumption, we will be more practical in our
decision-making and less influenced in our product consumption. We
have control of the media, the media does not have control of us. We
have the ability to decide what to watch on TV, what to listen to on
the radio, and what to buy in the stores. If one is sick of
seeing "this or that" on TV constantly, then (that person) they can
turn the channel. I recall an episode of The Simpson's, in which the
town they lived in (Springfield) was being terrorized by oversized
advertisements that mysteriously came to life. In a Godzilla-esque
fashion, a fifty-foot "Big Boy" figure, along with many others, went
on a destructive rampage. Needless to say this phenomena became a
media event in Springfield. When little intelligent Lisa Simpson
went to try and find out how to stop this senseless destruction, she
found out that the only way to kill the fifty-foot advertisements
was to not pay attention to them. By having such power we prove that
we are in control of our moral evolution, for better or worse.
Although we don't want to be puppets to the media, it is impossible
to escape from its existence. Even though MTV and other television
programming is in the business of making money off of us, the
consumers, it is possible to enjoy the entertainment aspects of
television for virtually nothing; and still be smart in the process.

"The more we look, the better we see."- Lidia, from MTV's Liquid
Television

Works Cited

Philo, Simon. "Getting Dumber and Dumber: MTV's Global Footprint."
Cultural Studies Study Group 16 Sept. 1999. Accessed 19 July 2000.

Rushkoff, Douglas. Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture.
New York: Ballantine, 1994.