MTV
By Karen Feigenbaum
[***** out of *****]
Much like Kathie Lee Gifford, MTV now appears to be famous just for
being famous. The "M" in MTV seems to stand for "marketing," rather
than the originally intended "music." At any given random hour, turning
the television to MTV garners a minimal likelihood of finding a music
video playing; in fact, a separate station (M2) has been created by
MTV just to play the videos no longer showcased on MTV. The station
is now more self-referential than Andy Kaufman’s stand-up routines,
with MTVNews most likely to be discussing the state of affairs
at MTV. There was even a behind-the-scenes show devoted solely to
the making of the show Making of the Video, whose sole purpose
is to play behind-the-scenes footage of an individual video being
made (confused?). And just as an aside, Making of the Video is
now the closest a viewer can come to seeing a video in its entirety
on MTV. Total Request Live (TRL) plays only clipped
middle portions of the most requested videos while overlapping them
with footage of screaming girls in Times Square requesting the videos
and proclaiming their undying love for J.C. of *NSync. And TRL
has somehow managed to hurtle its goofy host, Carson Daly, into
inexplicable levels of fame, such that he too is now merely famous
for being famous.
The point being made in all of this is that MTV is currently more
popular than ever, despite its weak programming and only occasional
content focussed on actual music. A viewer is more likely to see a
musician’s house on an extended tour with the show MTV Cribs,
than (s)he is to catch that same musician’s video! Yet the station
seems unassailable – their ratings are the strongest they’ve ever
been. So how can this be the case? The situation is such because MTV
has managed to create amazing brand recognition for itself, and continues
to masterfully market its image. In fact, the image has become an
entity unto itself, and one that youths actually seek out with which
to identify, as opposed to MTV seeking out identities to whom to market
programming. The ultimate case in point is that there is an entire
age group that calls itself "The MTV Generation." And if MTV’s web-site
is a tribute to anything, it is surely a testament to the truth behind
its marketing power.
The biggest draws of the site are probably the interactive feedback/input
systems. Bold statements such as, "You’ve got the power – Pick the
videos you want to watch" are proclaimed for choose-your-own-content
programming, such as TRL and Control Freak. But again,
these shows tend to be more self-referential than anything else, reveling
in and worshipping MTV, rather than the music video being played or
the musician(s) showcased therein. Yet, these shows also offer the
opportunity to have viewers see their own names on screen, with banners
perpetually scrolling by displaying snippits from e-mails or web-submissions
requesting the video being shown (in addition to the already overlapping
video barrage of requests from noisily excited fans in Times Square).
Similar to MTV’s attempts to make viewers feel empowered come election
time with the strong catchphrase "Rock the Vote," the MTV web-site
allows viewers to feel that they have control over actual television
content. The site is also teeming with on-line polls, questionnaires,
and a voting mechanism for their upcoming MTV Movie Awards.
If a viewer feels that his/her pick of X-Men for best picture
of the year was unduly snubbed at the Oscars, (s)he now has the chance
to correct that wrong by voting at mtv.com.
And this illusion of control may be one of mtv.com’s most appealing
strengths. With the one-to-many environment of television, there is
little that can be done on the part of the MTV viewer other than sitting
back and passively absorbing the content streaming before his/her
eyes. Yet, the Internet now allows this individual to shift from being
a viewer to becoming a user – the person may now partake in the MTV
experience.
"Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and MIT professor, says that computer
hobbyists often report that their machines provide them with a sense
of mastery and order that is absent from other parts of their lives."
(pg. 25, Andrew L. Shapiro, "The Control Revolution: How the Internet
is Putting Individuals in Charge and Changing the World We Know")
The interactive environment of the World Wide Web allows users to
feel that they possess a greater mastery and control over actual content
– viewers themselves can now participate in the MTV experience, and
no longer need to sit on the sidelines watching it merely occur. The
excitement gained over contributing to the content creation will most
likely tie users more inextricably to the product, sending him/her
back to the television in hopes of seeing his/her contribution on
screen.
The interactive setup of the Internet also allows users to become
part of the MTV community, and to self-identify with what has already
proclaimed itself the defining standard of the in crowd. Therefore,
by definition and association, isn’t the user thus part of the in
crowd? Also, "…the Net allows [for]…an individual to experiment with
identity…explor[ing] alternative viewpoints and experiences." (51,
Shapiro) If a viewer feels to be on the outside and to not fit in
with the popular group, (s)he may now, because of on-line anonymity,
become the cool person (s)he dreams to be, once safely inside the
mtv.com chat room.
And MTV’s web-site is massive – a user can lose him/herself in the
links for hours. There are archives of video clips (again, never of
the entire videos), downloadable music, transcripts of interviews
with artists, music news articles, and even clever content expansion
for their story-lined programming. Just as an aside, the site for
Daria, MTV’s cartoon about a brilliant and cynically dark-humored
high-school girl, is excellently put together. There is wonderful
content provided over and beyond that of the televised show, such
as bitingly funny essays supposedly written by the Daria character
herself on topics such as her opinions on fashion trends or about
her annoyingly peppy and popular younger sister. In fact, every show
MTV showcases has its own companion site, and most seem fairly well
setup and content-rich.
Obviously MTV is doing something correctly, because, despite even
my own apparent dislike of the direction in which the station has
gone, I am well aware of and familiar with virtually all the above-mentioned
shows. When perusing stations, MTV is still on my quick-pick selection.
I reluctantly watch The Road Rules/Real World Challenge and
know most of the members involved from years past of watching MTV’s
reality programming. The station’s appeal is curious, but undeniable.
But the lure of the web-site is far less mysterious. The web-site
revels in everything the television station provides and promises,
and it allows the viewers to feel that they are somehow empowered
to become part of the self-referential television programming they
adore. And the transition of MTV’s content to the Internet is also
no mystery, as most of MTV’s programming is transmitted in a format
known as hypermedia, defined by Bolter and Grusin as "computer applications
that present multiple media (text, graphics, animation, video) using
a hypertextual organization." (pg. 272, Jay David Bolter & Richard
Grusin, "Remediation: Understanding New Media") This simultaneous
assault of information presented in numerous formats is the setup
that has become the standard on the Internet. Therefore, to the end-user,
MTV’s transition to the Internet appears almost seamless and truly
as just an extension of the existing television presence.
But if there is one area in which the MTV web-site is somewhat weak,
it is in advertising. Many of their own ads are quite good, in that
they reference MTV television shows or events, again reinforcing their
almost trademark-able self-referential style. But the occasional banner
ad intended to sell an actual product that has nothing to do with
MTV is immediately lost to the user’s eyes, and I must admit that
I typically found the items’ relevant placement on mtv.com lacking
speciousness.
Still, the overall user-impression of MTV’s web-site is one of awe.
Many a television station must envy MTV’s ability to create a true
on-line community atmosphere that allows its users to feel thoroughly
empowered – empowered to create content, thus potentially changing
other users’ minds or impacting the community. The super-hip and ever-trendy
MTV community, that is…