Groundswell - A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations (pg. 9).
To me, the Internet is here to stay for many generations not only because it allows us to connect to people, but it allows us to freely express our opinions. And in the internet, strength comes in numbers. The Babra Streisand example from the book showed just how much power the common people of USA have over a powerful celebrity. I also thought it was a bit funny that people on the net would spread those pictures of her house just to rebel against what is considered a "higher presence".
That example, followed by the DVD code example reminded me of what had occurred on social media shortly after Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. Who had the short end of the stick? None other than the Queen B herself; Beyonce.
She has always been at the top of her peak in the music industry, wether by herself or with Destiny's Child. Now, she is the epitome of female empowerment and the ultimate image that all women that live over a rock look up to as a role model. In this day in age, most women ask themselves in day-to-day situations, "What would Beyonce do?".
That example, followed by the DVD code example reminded me of what had occurred on social media shortly after Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. Who had the short end of the stick? None other than the Queen B herself; Beyonce.
She has always been at the top of her peak in the music industry, wether by herself or with Destiny's Child. Now, she is the epitome of female empowerment and the ultimate image that all women that live over a rock look up to as a role model. In this day in age, most women ask themselves in day-to-day situations, "What would Beyonce do?".
I'm pretty sure not one person living in the 21st century would question this idiom.
After putting on one of the most memorable halftime performances in Super Bowl history, there were several pictures from the event posted on Buzzfeed.com that showed just how "fierce" Sasha Fierce was.
The next day, Beyonce's publicist emailed the website asking to remove the photos. Here you can see the email:
Instead of complying with the request of a representative of a rich and powerful figure, the website wrote an article about this email and these specific pictures in response. This article only ignited the flame that would define the groundswell.
The act of trying to have the photos eliminated from the Internet caused the exact opposite to happen. These photos went viral not only on various sites but with the help of people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The "unflattering" photos spread throughout these sites like wildfire through uploads and shares, most of them captioned "SHARE THIS PICTURE".
After putting on one of the most memorable halftime performances in Super Bowl history, there were several pictures from the event posted on Buzzfeed.com that showed just how "fierce" Sasha Fierce was.
The next day, Beyonce's publicist emailed the website asking to remove the photos. Here you can see the email:
Instead of complying with the request of a representative of a rich and powerful figure, the website wrote an article about this email and these specific pictures in response. This article only ignited the flame that would define the groundswell.
The act of trying to have the photos eliminated from the Internet caused the exact opposite to happen. These photos went viral not only on various sites but with the help of people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The "unflattering" photos spread throughout these sites like wildfire through uploads and shares, most of them captioned "SHARE THIS PICTURE".
Soon after, photoshopped versions of the pictures flooded the net. People made creative versions and "memes" of the pictures that spread the awareness of these pictures. Here is this whole situation described in one picture:
Here are some other examples of these pictures:
During her "Mrs. Carter Show World Tour", Beyonce made sure that there were no press photographers allowed to take photos and that only a hired photographer could take pictures.
Although she is still Queen B, this small period of time in early 2013 proved that with a great quantity, there was power to the people on the Internet. It also proved that one cannot simply remove a photo, or anything, from the Internet. This example of the groundswell was so effective that you can find more of these photos by typing "Beyonce unflattering pictures" on Google Images.
Although she is still Queen B, this small period of time in early 2013 proved that with a great quantity, there was power to the people on the Internet. It also proved that one cannot simply remove a photo, or anything, from the Internet. This example of the groundswell was so effective that you can find more of these photos by typing "Beyonce unflattering pictures" on Google Images.
What this example of the groundswell showed is that the common people with Internet access have the louder voice over the higher powers such as corporations or a celebrity, wether the groundswell affects a topic in a positive or negative way.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/the-fiercest-moments-from-beyonces-halftime-show#.oygo9aLWr
http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedceleb/the-unflattering-photos-beyonces-publicist-doesnt-want-you-t#.kjE6K018J
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9854872/Beyonces-publicist-asks-for-unflattering-Superbowl-photos-to-be-pulled.html
http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedceleb/the-unflattering-photos-beyonces-publicist-doesnt-want-you-t#.kjE6K018J
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9854872/Beyonces-publicist-asks-for-unflattering-Superbowl-photos-to-be-pulled.html
http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-US#q=unflattering%20beyonce&date=2%2F2013%2025m&cmpt=q&tz=
