Henry Jenkins: Extent of Pop Music as Textual Poachers - Essay Example

Extent of Pop Music as Textual Poachers (Henry Jenkins) Introduction There is a thin line between being a fanatic and a lunatic; fans of popular secular cultures need to be aware of this fact in this age and historical times. However, beneficial roles that the fans play are a contested position between the media and scholars such as Henry Jenkins. The first thing that clicks into place when pop music is mentioned is perhaps the world of celebrities and their entertainment dominion extending as far as the ends of the globe. Textual poachers on the other hand introduces a real description of the enticing entertainment industry and its interaction with its following. Apparently, a topic that attempts to capture the dynamics of any culture within the context of social icons and the mentality of their followers, could not adequately incorporate and interact with the controversies thereon as textual poachers does with pop music. Originally, Henry Jerkins did a lot of studies surrounding television entertainment with shows and movie series as the centre of interest for many fans. The provocative interaction that the television fan base makes with the ideal universe created by the shows that they faithfully follow blind them such that they fail to conceptualize the idealism involved in the productions. The author states that this creates a culture that tries to fit in the idealism provoked by the entertainment culture (Jenkins, 1992, p277). In a similar manner, the pop music industry can be assessed for a possibility of a similar idealism generated within the music setting and consequential spilling over to the real life of the fans to the extent that they “live” the idealism. In an attempt to explain the role of fans in the generation of new idealistic cultures, Jenkins (1992, p23) reports that fans find it fashionable and defensive to relate to a certain mass following of an entertainment platform. Further in the description of the behaviour of the fan group, the author reports that the identity and associating with the common following accords the group a manipulative force that enables it to form a culture. Producers of the original text from which the apparent poaching happens voice their displeasure by referring to the fans as cultural dupes or even senseless customers of the literary piece. Textual Poaching Works of art that are presented to the audience commonly through the media are initially meant to be just entertainment content; but the audience blow off the balance between the text intention and imaginations not intended by the producer. There is an eventual loss of the art intention that the producers design and present in the original piece. Within a short time of existence, the characters are impertinently exalted and promoted to become little idols. The entertainment platform that the producer exploits to communicate the art ideas is suddenly changed into a cultural profession. Through this technique, the audience usurps the intention of the text contained in the art piece, for their own identity finding quest. In other words, there is some form of poaching of the literary platform for some retrogressive obsession for identity1. Entertainment is eventually lost from the original content of the literary piece, subjecting the platform to vulnerability of meaninglessness (Asmener, 2010, p1). According to Sinnreich (2005, p1), repudiation and defiance of the fans’ cultural identity is the appropriate answer that can be used to answer the question; why do fans carry out textual poaching? Giving an account of the work by Jenkins (1992), the author states that the defiance of the fans against their own cultural practices results in attempts to creatively generate a newly formed culture that depicts the popular scenes at the particular time. Fans invade the popular literary field and construe hurriedly and wrongfully, the intentions of the producers in order to feel more welcome in a culture that they are the pioneers. Repudiation of the culture and invasion of an entertainment platform for ideas of creating a composite culture facilitates the textual poaching. Using pop music for an illustration of textual poachers will be done in consideration of the audience and the perceptions that the copying culture makes of already established practices in order to design a culture of its own. Pop Music and the Media Popular music has evolved to attract a form of lifestyle or culture that has a direct influence among the audience. The impact of constant technological advancement has hit the entertainment industry with a magnitude never observed before. Top on the contributing factors is the advancement in the information and communication technology which propelled the prevalence of the music industry to the farthest geographical coverage within a very short time. The media for instance, was pivotal in earlier days to propagate any form of ideology among the audience. According to Longhurst (2007, p199), the role of the media can be likened to a form of drug for the masses who respond fanatically to the opinions and content disseminated through them. An illustration is given by the author of common descriptions developed earlier about the impact of the media by the 1990’s song done by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. “Television, the Drug of the Nation” is the song that the author uses to particularly develop an image of the addictive or obsessive nature of the media in the cultural enslavement it does. Within the context of such an environment, we can establish the principle direction that the media could have propelled popular music among the audience. From the deliberate attention that I opted to give to the media in the generation of a discourse connecting pop music to textual poaching, it is perhaps important to highlight a few areas of the feature that characterize the audience. On one end of the communication or entertainment that develops into the pop culture is the media and on the other end is the audience. Audience theories have been postulated in trying to unravel the various relationships between the audience and the media. An audience theory that could assist in understanding the apparent obsession that the music fans develop is the Magic Bullet Theory. Reactions of the audience upon the impact of media content of communication are as the intentions of the media are; complete control for the benefit of the media (Griffin, 2011, p1). Even if criticism has been raised against the theory, it can be used to illustrate to some extent, the manipulation vulnerability that audiences have to witty producers. Alternatively, sensitization and identification theories may explain the response that the audience makes to media content, apparently indicating the vulnerability to changing notions and perceptions about the content. In McAvan (2006, p1), the author holds similar opinion that the producer holds much power in determination of the response that the audience makes to the songs. The effects of the media in the information age with regard to the extent of propulsion of pop music to the level of textual poachers are immeasurable. Internet brought an all new level that is unmatchable by any other channel of communication and its effectiveness cannot be assumed in the dissemination of the culture that pop music fans have. Fandom originates from the media with a result of creation of celebrity status for those levered for assisting the fan group to identify with the resultant culture. With this perspective, Longhurst (2007, p229), proposes that the audience generates a crop of committed and devoted few who are referred to as real fans. Their devotion is mainly in terms of seeking to make the culture as famous and popular as it can be. Fans are powerful as well and association with a particular association contributes to the growth of the group. The author notes that celebrities are created to attract more followers to the culture. Pop Music as a Composite Culture Fans are depicted as the stronger force in the design and origin of a textually poached culture. Pop music is originally a poached form of culture which makes borrowing from different forms of misc. The actual poaching is said to be facilitated from genres such as jazz and country music. According to Jamal (2004, p1), from these forms of music evolved a myriad of others including rock and roll, rap and hip-hop; ideally creating a more fashionable and acceptable culture within which the original intention of the producer gets lost or considerably changed. Several re-inventions have occurred within the pop music industry to probably constitute splinter subcultures with capacity to form another poached cultural establishment. In Jenkins (1992, p49), the media has been portrayed as an instrumental figure in the manner in which cultures are formed. The author states that the composite culture is usually partly dependent on the media for insights of a relevant use. Pop culture is at the middle of the media on the one side and the other music on the other hand. Popular music and culture development are therefore facilitated by these two supportive parameters; of course in the presence of the relevant fandom. Origins of pop music can be traced back in time leading the trail to a metropolitan lifestyle. In such a situation, we can imagine the prevailing events at around the time the music came into existence, to paint an image of modernism fighting traditionalism in terms of cultures. According to Lipsitz (1997, p350), there is a stronger force of modern culture cropping out in a metropolitan setting to eclipse and take dominion over traditional cultures. The author’s remarks assist us to draw an inference to the effect that older music forms stood no chance in blocking pop music and culture from cropping out. According to the findings of a long research by Henry Jenkins, it is clearly outlined that popular cultures are begotten from existing productions where apparent copying and transformation of the content are creatively carried out (Jenkins et al, 2002, p115). According to the authors, the current British pop music, just like in the world over has changed the ordinary traditional music practices and folk culture has diminished in to the thin air (p38). Ancient practices by the peasant have fast been overtaken by events characterized by the remaking of the popular culture as presented by the media. It has been observed in this text that in reality, popular culture is in constant replacement by the upcoming culture. The poaching of predecessor culture elements and creatively coining them to fit into a better and acceptable culture is what depicts pop music. Textual poaching presents an art of open-ended consumer market where the audience is at peace to interact with creations of an existing form of culture and free to remake it. Translations of an existing culture are not homogenous across the followers. In a world with a more sensitive populace with regard to corporate rights, it is increasingly becoming a problem in the poaching tradition that the modern music has continually become a part of. Popular culture has been caught in the confusion of rights and the information age which makes it easier than easier than ever before to poach text. In the work of Grajeda (2002, p357), so much chaos features in the exchanges that the pop music artists make in the current market. Recording of sub standard music is reported by the author who introduces the work by citing an unpleasant encounter with a pop music compact disc. Perhaps the textual poaching of the popular culture will be taking place at an alarmingly high rate such that the owners of the corporate rights over the pieces launching adverse responses. The author reports of a possibility of even higher levels of chaos on the popular music scenes. The term lo-fi severally been used by the author in the discourse to illustrate the extent to which low quality of music depicting popular music disgusts any serious music lover. Fandom Activity Levels On whether pop music constitutes the list of textual poachers, I will visit the various aspects of the culture developed through the technique. Textual Poaching thrives where favourable conditions are prevailing and one of them is fandom. Description of fandom as a necessary instrument for successful cultural establishment from an existing culture creates a picture of a situational phenomenon. Fandom has must exhibit five levels of activities which enable it bear fruit in the quest to create an identity. Fandom levels of activities will assist us to analyse if pop music and culture amount to textual poaching. Textual poachers are depicted by similar characteristics that across the divide. The said levels of fandom are discussed below with a consideration of whether the level affects popular music. According to Jenkins (2002, p284), fandom manifests a specific mode of reception of the cultural content that it uses to establish a new culture. It is clear that pop music has a keen following that closely monitors the developments in the industry. Production of the music is generally done with an aim of creating comfort of the fans. The fans can replay the music over several times and internalize the music which becomes a part of the social interaction that they make. Displaying this receptivity is soon possible through gossip and other fashion related mediums. The fans have sufficient time and resources to share the music and the response they make from the pop culture and pass them on to others. Another activity exhibited by fandom in the pop culture is the apparent set of practices that the fans use to interpret the reception. Pop music has a phase of learning the swagger involved so that they generate knowledge of the group. Criticism is part of the set where those who fail to respond to the accepted perception are ridiculed for alignment. Pop music is learnt through the dressing style and lyrics to the music where singing and dressing are used to detect reception. Alternatively, there is an activity level in fandom that initiates activism in pop music as a culture. Fans are able to air their displeasure or pleasure at some productions made. Scrutiny of pop music is well entrenched in the fandom, such that the group is capable of organizing shows by their favourite artists. By reacting to the music productions that they receive, fans add more voice to the popularization campaign that they also must do for their culture. In addition, fandom displays a specific set of practices that only the culture uniquely does. Pop music is well versed in this activity be virtue of being a tireless industry in creating pop music, arranging for entertainment shows and propagating pop traditions through award platforms. These productions and practices closely follow what the ordinary fan of pop music likes about the culture. The culture represents one big family with representation of interests of members well engraved in the cultural practices. Finally, fandom activity that is depicted in pop music scenes is the operation of the cultural group as an alternative social community. In real human society, there are several issues that the pop cultural group would want to run away from. In the cultural group that they creatively form, the alternatives are provided such that the culture satisfies their urge. For instance, pop music represents a group of people with concupiscence for idealism touching several areas and the fans find it in the music lyrics or the lifestyle adopted by the celebrities (King, 2007, p273). Conclusion Pop music can be depicted as a classical example of textual poacher by virtue of its cultural origins and fandom characteristics. It is clear that the power exercised by the fans enable the developed culture to thrive, despite the elements of remaking of another culture glaring in the face of the culture. References Asmener, (2010) Textual poaching. [online] Available from: http://ucdsoc25-06.blogspot.com/2010/02/textual-poaching.html [Accessed 28 January 2011] Grajeda, T. (2002) The Sound of disaffection. In Jenkins, H. McPherson, T. Shattuc, J. Hop on hop: the politics and pleasures of popular culture. Durham, NC: Duke University Press Griffin, D. (2011) What is the magic bullet theory of mass media? [online] Demand media. Available from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/magic-bullet-theory-mass-media-3346.html [Accessed 27 January 2011] Jamal, F. I. (2004) Intro to music biz articles: the origins of pop music. [online] Alexander Magazine. Available from: http://www.alexandermagazine.com/business/articles/popmusic.htm [Accessed 28 January 2011] Jenkins, H (2002) Textual poaching: television fans and participatory culture (studies in culture and communication). London, UK: Routledge Publishers Jenkins, H. McPherson, T. Shattuc, J. (2002) Hop on hop: the politics and pleasures of popular culture. Durham, NC: Duke University Press King, A. (2007) Hans Magnus Enzensberger: writing, media, democracy. Bem, Switzerland: Peter Lang Lipsitz, G. (1997) Cruising around the historical bloc: postmodern and popular music in East Los Angeles. In Gelder, K. & Thorntorn, S. The subcultures reader. London, UK: Routledge. Longhurst, B. (2007) Popular music and society. Cambridge, UK: Polity] McAvan, E. (2006) Boulevard of broken songs: mash-ups as textual re-appropriation of popular music culture. [online] M/C Journal, vol.9 no.6. Available from: http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0612/02-mcavan.php [Accessed 28 January 2011] Sinnreich, A. (2005) Jenkins, H. (1992): textual poachers (an introduction and first chapter). [online] arramsinnreich.com. Available from: http://aramsinnreich.typepad.com/aram_squalls/2005/03/jenkins_h_1992_.html [Accessed 28 January 2011] Read More