I had a conversation on Friday with Evan about his disgust for Justin Bieber. I asked him why he didn't like JB and he said that 1) his music is too catchy and 2) he shot to stardom after only posting his videos on YouTube. His second point got me thinking. Is YouTube making just anyone an agent?
There is no audition process for YouTube. Anyone can post videos and they suddenly have an audience of millions. This opens them up for instant internet fame, as well as harsh criticism. When you post a video on YouTube, you are granting the world (as your audience) agency. You are placing yourself up to be judged. With each "Like" or link sent to a friend, your audience is also granting you agency as the talent. As Cooper said on page 438 "Coming to an agreement or success in persuasion is a joint enterprise in a sense, but each participant is a separate agent in their actions, the orator who puts words into the air and the listener who evaluates and assimilates the words creating his or her own meaning." Justin Bieber put his "words" into the air and they just happened to be assimilated by many listeners. Couldn't everyone be doing the same thing? Because Bieber made it, can't anyone? Doesn't that mean there's something appealing about his music because he "made it"?
So I guess my next question is: Is it damaging to our society because it can grant agency willy nilly? The internet in general is a way to grant and receive agency, as it is a constructed and reciprocal state as argued by Cooper, and can reach millions across the world. Is the music of Justin Bieber taking away from other people's music? Perhaps. However, as quickly as that agency was given to Justin Bieber it can be taken away. The internet moves so quickly that you can be the "it" boy one day and a nobody the next. So I guess that means those we are currently giving agency to have to work extra hard and be a couple steps ahead of the game to keep the agency the audience gives them. Shouldn't that earn them a little extra respect then?
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