Song Covers: My Consumption Style

♫You know what I love? Song covers. Know what I love even more? Liking song covers more than the actual song. ♫

{Music to me is like breathing- I don't get tired of 

breathing, I don't get tired of music.- Ray Charles]

At any given point in time, I always have a song or a melody running through my head, and on countless occasions, I've caught myself humming and singing under my breath. While I love music and fall in love with the original songs first, I always find myself searching for a cover not long after. 

Why? I think it has a lot to do with keeping my options open. People love having options, and are afraid to eliminate their options, "just in case". We don't want to miss out on opportunities, so we keep these "doors" open for as long as possible. I also think we keep our options open so that we don't become bored too easily. If I listen to the same song over and over, even if I love it, I'll inevitably get sick of it. However, listening to different versions of the song gives a new perspective and can make the song seem brand new again, while still remaining familiar. 

While the lyrics and basic melody are the same, the artist's voice and personal touches make it their own, which is why I love covers so much. I get to experience my favorite songs in new ways, and in some cases, end up liking them more than I ever liked the original.

 I also think that this behavior on my part is due to how much I associate the music I listen to with social situations- for example, if I'm hanging out with a group of friends and I hear a song (cover or not), I'm more likely to associate the song with friends, laughter, and happiness. If I hear a song while I have a headache or am upset, I'm more likely to not like the song, and associate it with negative attitudes and pain. These situations are both examples of linking products to my lifestyle.






The setting, the music, and myself define my consumption style. 
So I'm going to keep finding covers, keeping the doors open, and letting the music flow in. ♫

The Age of Parody in Modern Media

Parodies are a great way to kill several minutes time; just kick back, relax, and have a few laughs. We all know that parodies are funny, but why do we ACTUALLY enjoy them as much as we do? For one, it gives us a sense of control. The original content caught our attention, and whether we liked it or not, it stuck with us in some form or another. But when we see a spoof of that original content, we almost feel as though WE the consumers are in control of how we choose to perceive the content.

But in a way, although we have some control over how a brand is perceived, we are also promoting the brands and their original content by watching and sharing their associated parodies. Sure, we're making fun of the brand by encouraging parodies, but we also put the spotlight on the original content, which is basically just free advertising for the original creators.

Take, for example, Rebecca Black's "Friday". I'm fairly certain we all remember when this gem of a song surfaced on YouTube, and I'm also sure we all remember how much pain was inflicted upon us that we first time we watched the music video. I know I do. I wish I didn't, but we can't always get what we want.

Actually, the first time I heard anything about it, it was a parody of the song I heard first. It was entertaining, definitely, but I couldn't believe it when my friends told me "No no! That's just a parody! Wait until you hear the real thing!" Needless to say, the parody had caught my attention and had peaked my interest just enough that I searched for and watched the original music video.
That was back in 2011. Currently, the song has over 72 million views, and almost everyone knows about Rebecca Black. And in case you forgot, no worries- it's linked here for your viewing pleasure.

Another parody that puts the original content in the spotlight is the bad lip reading of the movie Twilight. Everyone already makes fun of Twilight, but with every view that the parody receives, it only puts the Twilight franchise on people's radars more and more. Some say that the Twilight parodies go too far, but let's be honest, who doesn't like making fun of Edward and Bella?

In a nutshell, The Age of Parody may highlight the flaws within the brands, but ultimately, it draws attention back from the parodies to the original brands themselves. Whether this attention ends up being positive or negative is up to us, the consumers. We have more influence now over what others will think about a brand more than we ever have.

iOS 8 Update- A Push for Change

The world of consumption behavior is one in which we find ourselves bombarded by new ideas and products, on what seems like a constant basis. Take, for example, Apple's latest iOS update; iOS 8. Just when it seems like I've accepted and finally adapted to the subtle changes and layouts of the previous update, Apple strikes again and releases a "newer, better, faster, bigger" one. 

Now for me, with every new update that comes along, I sort of feel a sense of impending doom the minute I find out that the download is available. Based on required class readings, I'll definitely admit that my level of involvement when it comes to updating to the newest iOS is very low, which could be described as me being in a state of intertia. In other words, I could care less about a new update, mostly because I don't like change very much, nor do I care to break that habit because I have zero to no motivation to download the newest update (iOS 7 for the win!). I almost feel as if I have to piece together the newest features, as if they were all a part of some giant puzzle that, once I solve, will finally earn my acceptance. Which, I hate to admit, ends up being the case every single time I cave and download the update. 

On the other hand, I have a handful of friends that can be described in no other way in that they are Apple aficionados.  Anything and everything Apple related, they know about it, love it, want it, gotta have it, etc. Their extremely high level of involvement causes them to enter a flow state, meaning that they are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a product. Don't get me wrong- I love my iPhone, but let's be real here; adapting to a new operating system and figuring out all its little quirks and differences can be irritating, to say the least. 


All in all, as a consumer, I feel more and more pressured to give in to changes related to how I consume. Sometimes I don't mind, sometimes I do. Now that I've finally given in and updated to iOS 8, I suppose in some way or another, my own consumer behavior has been modified a bit.