overview
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/9/1/14911034/429480375.jpg)
In
the United States, MTV was launched and music videos began to have a larger
effect on the record industry. Pop artists such as Michael Jackson, Duran
Duran, Prince, Madonna, and Queen mastered the format and helped turn this new
product into a profitable business. New Wave and Synthpop were developed by
many British and American artists, and became popular phenomena throughout the
decade, especially in the early and mid-eighties. This period also introduced
new types of films. Among those were “high
concept” films, which were short and to the point, with a short plot. “Brat
Pack” films, which were teen movies, were also popular, along with horror films
such as “nightmare on Elm Street”. TV also became bigger with Cable being more
accessible to the population.
Music
Music in the 80's was greatly influenced by its predecessors in the 70's. Rock was still a very influential type of music, with bands like Guns N' Roses and Metallica. Also, towards the end of the decade, hip hop was gaining momentum heading into the 90's with groups like "The beastie Boys" and "Run-DMC". The 80's also gave rise to the most influential pop idol; Micheal Jackson . Jackson's album Thriller is the best selling album of all time. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame twice. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; 26 American Music Awards, more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s"; 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era; and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. The youth of the 80's had a more diverse group of idols, from different genres of music.
Most of today's music is dominated by hip hop artists and some pop artists. Artists like Justin Bieber,(right), have influenced the younger generation of the new millennium, steering society down a path of immaturity. Also, the community of the music industry seems to be corrupted, favoring the goody goody artists of the industry, like Taylor Swift, and robbing artists like Kanye West. |
TV
On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by John Lack, and played over footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown of Columbia, which took place earlier that year, and of the launch of Apollo 11. MTV started as a channel that broadcasted music videos, but over the years it has transformed into a mirror of society, and broadcasts shows like "Jersey Shore" and "teen mom", that display the ignorance of American society. Also, cable became more affordable and more families were able to have access to it.
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Films
The 1980's saw an increase in blockbuster type movies, like E.T., and an increase in American Franchises, like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Science Fiction movies also saw an increase of popularity with the release of films such as; Ghostbusters,E.T., Back to the Future and others. Also in 1984, the rating PG-13 was created.
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Comparison between both decades
Today's youth is caught up in the realm of social media. Things like facebook and twitter are the two most popular social websites. They also get caught up in reality tv, with shows like "Teen Mom" and "jersey shore". Recently, Facebook has been flooded with status' and pictures asking for people to "like" or "comment". This craving for attention reflects the yearning to feel accted of the youth.