Assignment 2-1

The popularity of twitter:

            I have chosen Twitter as my topic for assignment 2-1.  According to prsarahevans.com, Twitter is actively used by 7% of Americans.  Professional athletes, actors, musicians, as well as top companies actively use twitter for multiple reasons.  According to internetworldstats.com, 77.4% of Americans use the internet, hence the reason why a technology such as twitter has become so popular.  Fans of professional athletes, actors, musicians, and certain companies can sign up as followers on twitter.  Once signed up, fans feel connected as they receive updates from their favorite stars on things that they are doing in their everyday lives.  Fans no longer have to wait for newspaper publications, television shows, etc to know what’s going on in the life of their favorite athletes, etc.  In addition to this, twitter has now ventured into the advertising arena which will only grow the user base.  I believe that as advertising on twitter continues to catch on, more and more internet users will actively use twitter.  I also believe that more and more companies will begin using twitter to communicate better with their clients/customers. 

1.      http://prsarahevans.com/2010/04/breaking-twitter-usage-in-america-2010/

2.      http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

Assignment 1-4

In today’s society, everyone loves a comeback story.  Case and point, the Michael Vick story which dominated the media for months and continues to do so as he has made a successful comeback to the NFL.  Everyone knows the story, inner city kid from the streets of Virginia.  Here we have a poverty stricken kid growing up to a multi-million dollar NFL quarterback with millions of fans and endorsement deals.  He was on top of the world.  Well, until the world found out that he was bankrolling a dog fighting operation not too far from where he grew up. 

His decisions that he made resulted in prison time and according to CBS news lost over 135 million dollars as a result of his actions.  This was the beginning of one of professional sports biggest falls from grace.  This is the same man who’s jersey sales ranked #1 for multiple years.  This is the same guy that two years earlier signed a 100 million dollar contract.  All of this gone in a matter of 1 year because of a decision that he made to bankroll an operation that was all to common where he grew up.  According to ESPN.com, even respected police officers, firefighters, and politicians participated in the dog fighting activities. 

All this being said; the majority of the world has now re-embraced Michael Vick.  He is getting as much if not more media attention now as a successful NFL quarterback than he received as a criminal that lost it all.  The world truly loves a comeback story.

Assignment 2-2

The three contemporary icons that I have chosen are Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Warren Buffett.  All three of these individuals have single handedly transformed the business or sport that they were associated with. 

I have chosen these individuals because they represent the select few that work hard regardless of their god given abilities.  They all had gifts, but hard work and dedication helped catapult them to success in the respective fields.  They have become icons to millions of people around the world.  These three individuals defied all odds and showed the world how competitiveness used positively can equal success. 

Michael Jordan’s competitiveness and hard work drove him to success on and off of the basketball court.  He has since retired from basketball and the same drive that made him successful there, continues to contribute to his success as a business man.   

Michael Jackson represents how hard work and drive can result in unlimited success.  He strove for perfection in all that he did.  He became an icon in the music and dance arenas.

Warren Buffett represents how determination, hard work, and believing in yourself regardless of what others say can help drive success.  He has made and given a way billions of dollars during his life.  He made these riches by educating himself on investing while convincing other investors to believe in him.  This has contributed to not only his own personal success, but to millions of others that believed and invested in him and his way of investing.  

I have chosen these three cultural icons as they have shown an entire world how hard work, dedication, and a competitive nature can result in endless success.

Assignment 1-2

I believe that popular culture is a group of individuals that believe in or share similar perspectives as well ideas.  For example, the reading of one of the greatest success books ever written “Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill” has helped guide millions of people toward success (emotional, physical, and monetarily).  For the millions of people that have read and implemented the tools written in this book; I would venture to say that these individuals would be part of a popular culture.

An understanding of popular culture is more relevant now than it has ever been.  Case and point, the corporation known as Apple, has created some of the most intriguing products over the past few years and have a set customer base that will purchase any product that they manufacture/distribute.  This is important as they will need to continue making the products that their primary customer base is accustomed to while catering some to potential new customers.

Sticking with the theme of apple, I would consider the Apple computer (Mac) an example of a pop culture artifact.  This product has millions of followers that will only buy this product.  Once new customers try, they buy; thus creating a phenomenon in popular culture.