Digital Media and New Aural Cultures

I have always found the billboard top 100 picks to be quite interesting because it is easy to question the reliability of how it is ca lculated.  The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the most popular songs in the United States based on data from various music streaming services, radio airplay, and digital sales. The chart is compiled by Nielsen Music, a company that specializes in data tracking and analysis for the music industry. While the chart is based on objective data, it is possible that certain factors, such as the availability of data from certain music streaming services or the airplay of certain songs on certain radio stations, could influence the chart's rankings. Additionally, I think it is fair to assume their bias toward certain artists, genres, or types of music.  These rankings can determine an artist's success and the influence of consumer song choice and preference.  I grew up hearing the 99.9 virgin radio announce that "today we'll be playing ...

  An aspect of digital media I find rather interesting is the way in which it allows for communication with individuals we would otherwise have a much less chance of interacting with, as well as how it encourages subcultures. TikTok in specific does an excellent job of uniting users from different countries and allowing them to interact and even form online friendships. This often occurs through the use of algorithms, where platform users are grouped together due to similar interests.   There is an incredible amount of content regarding digital media and how it functions in our day-to-day lives. I find the study of digital media and aural cultures extremely interesting and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge surrounding the subject.

Hi Everyone,  My name is Caraline. I am a fourth-year communications student here at Laurier. I took this class as digital media has always been a solid interest of mine, especially in how we operate online. I find digital media to be a very compelling area of study, as the industry and market are only continuing to get more prominent and larger as the years go on. The understanding of digital media and our online world is fundamental to me, as it seems many businesses and operations look to utilize digital media in the workplace. Many years ago, the possibility of having a career online seemed nonsensical since the online world was nowhere near as popular as it is today. The study of this world has grabbed my attention greatly. One of the main things that interest me in everyday life is the fitness and health world. When connecting that to digital media, many individuals have begun careers and make their salary off social media by posting fitness content.  I personally find t...

Something in the world of digital media and sound/music that I find  interesting is a Spotify playlist I found. This playlist is called release radar, I  had stumbled across this playlist while looking for new music. This playlist  uses the Spotify algorithm to find songs from artists and genres that I listen  to but more specifically these songs have just been released.  I have decided to take this course because I want to expand on my knowledge of digital  media. Due to how digital media is intertwined with social life today I feel that this  course will provide me with useful information to use not only in a scholarly fashion. A  topic I am interested in exploring with my group would be sound, noise, and power.

  One aspect of digital media and music I find interesting is my playlist via Spotify (link below). I grew up listening to all different kinds of music and since have fallen in love with genres ranging from classical (Mozart) to old school hip hop (Outkast). The playlist that I have shared is typically played while I am in the car with friends and family (as the title states). The songs consist of throwbacks and music I know will get people to sing along. I tend to do a lot of driving during the summer so having a good playlist for people to sing along is a must for me.  I prefer to have a pre-approved playlist compared to a Spotify made playlist for two main reasons. Firstly, this playlist is exclusively listened to in a car and  it would be dangerous if I am changing the songs while driving. Secondly as said above I like creating a fun environment that allows people to sing along and relax while driving to our destination.   One thing I am quite interested in learn...

Something that I find very interesting in the world of digital media and sound/music is the phenomenon that is “ trending TikTok sounds ”. As many already know, TikTok allows users to upload their own sounds, but more importantly, users can essentially use any other sound on the platform. Interestingly, a lot of artists and their music has become successful thanks to its popularization on TikTok’s trending-sounds page. In a lot of cases, it seems as if a musician might only focus on creating one section of a song so that it becomes viral on TikTok, neglecting the rest of the song creation process.  One of the most prominent reasons that I took this course is because of its exploration of the world of sound. Most of my work in Comm studies has been focused on visual/nonverbal communication, so this area of study is both a needed and wanted change for me.  A topic I’d like to explore regarding digital media and new aural cultures in my group project would be something in the top...

Something that I find interesting that relates to the world of digital media and sound is TikTok and its “For you page” (FYP). TikTok has become a platform where individual artists can share their music without having to already have subscribers like YouTube. The for you page specifically has allowed many small artists to blow up and gain a following online. Especially throughout the pandemic, many artists blew up because they went viral on the app. As a user of TikTok, I’ve discovered many artists by scrolling through the for you page and finding songs or artists that I enjoy listening to. One artist that I’ve recently discovered is a country artist named Josh Ross whose video was duetted by another country artist named Bailey Zimmerman. I find it interesting how one video going viral on the app can really accelerate an artist's career. Josh Ross TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joshrossmusic?_t=8ZHDoNG5pY5&_r=1 I took this course because I’m interested in the various aspects o...

An aspect of digital media and sound/music that I have really been enjoying recently is Tik Tok music accounts. I find them entertaining and a great way to discover new music. Often the videos will be 30 sec to a min long featuring numerous songs which allow users to find new music extremely quickly. I often will watch Tik Tok videos that feature numerous songs in one video or I will watch ones that djs have created featuring mash up songs. The link below is just one video I liked the songs it featured; however, there are numerous other accounts I also watch.  https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYRrW2eN/ I’m taking this course since I'm interested in learning more about digital media and aural cultures. In particular, I'm interested in learning more about streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify and how their user algorithms work to recommend music. 

Something from the world of digital media and sound that I find interesting is the “Listen Now” section of Apple music. More specifically, the playlists it creates for you, based on your music preferences. When I go onto my Apple Music app, the “Listen Now” section will create playlists for me such as the ‘New Music Mix’, ‘Chill Mix’, or ‘Favourites Mix’. Each one of these playlists is tailored to my music taste, but also shows me new music that I may be interested in. For example, the ‘New Music Mix’ will look at the music I regularly listen to, and create a playlist of new music Apple thinks I would enjoy. I really enjoy this aspect of Apple music because it helps me to discover new music that I may have never heard.  One of the main reasons I decided to take this course was because this was one of the few communications courses that covers this specific topic. Apart from the course, Image, Sounds, & Text, we as communications students have not had many opportunities to focus...

Digital media and especially music is a big part of my everyday life, so I am looking forward to learning more about it. Something I find interesting and compelling from the world of digital media and sound/music is the song "How Do I Say Goodbye" by Dean Lewis a singer/songwriter that I discovered on TikTok. Dean Lewis originally wrote this song for his dad after finding out that he had an aggressive form of cancer. The video which is linked was the first TikTok I actually ever saw of the song, but it is now all over TikTok and other platforms. Dean Lewis has released popular songs in the past, but this is the first time he used TikTok as the main way of promoting a song and the attention it gained was amazing. The song is now the most popular of the songs he has written and released and has been a trending sound on TikTok for some time now. Since making a TikTok account dean Lewis has used the platform to share personal videos and experiences with making music and why he wr...

 One thing I have noticed in recent months that I find interesting with regards to digital media  is the increased amount of content creators that are starting podcasts immediately after gaining enough popularity. To me it seems as though the rage of podcasting about following the creation of podcasts like "The Joe Rogan experience" and others like "call her daddy". I find it interesting that with popularity on social media, many content creators turn to podcasts. Some notable examples would be people like Bradly martin who was popularized for gym content, but after gaining popularity  working with Nelk, a 10 million subscriber plus group he started his own podcast. A second example would be George Janko. He had minimal popularity before becoming the host of Logan Paul's famous podcast, but right after surpassing the 1 million follower mark, he has created his own podcast.  I am interested in if you guys believe this is a feasible way to increase popularity in t...

 One thing I have found interesting recently is how most viral tiktokers have been coming out with songs, even though their content and what seemed to be their main area of interest revolved around something entirely different. I have added the links to the music videos of Charli D'amelio and Dixie D’amelio. In my personal opinion, it was surprising when Dixie came out with a song. Due to the fact that I have never seen a video of her singing on her platform or any other insight to a passion for music, until she posted something about a song that she was releasing. This made me wonder if she was actually passionate about music, or if she just took advantage of her following and the resources available to her. After about a year of her performing and coming out with music, it seems as if this is the direction she wants to go and is truly passionate about it. On the other hand, her sister Charli who is known strictly for dancing, as she was just on Dancing With The Stars, has recentl...

 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4g4CdfwIC9IyMbT0fBQJ9x?si=efb9b5da57e640d0 As I shared in class, this is my most loved playlist from last year! Whenever I make a playlist, I add songs I am in the mood for and name the playlist afterward. This playlist consists of indie/alternative/rock, and at the time, I was playing pinball alone in the dark, hence the title. It is also a great playlist to play in the background while cleaning or even just relaxing. Hope everyone enjoys, let me know if you like it! I'm interested in learning more about the use of audio in current trends in social media and how it affects consumer experience. As we encounter every day, every video content on social media nowadays includes sound effects or songs that change user behaviour. I'm looking forward to learning more about it!

  CNBC – Discord Is Paying for Teens to Give Each Other Compliments Gas application logo. Retrieved from  https://thehustle.co/10-18-22-gas-app/  This past week, Discord acquired the social media platform Gas, an application designed to encourage users, and primarily teenagers to compliment each other through technology. With its initial launch in August 2021, seven million in sales to date, and the number one ranking for most daily active users, Gas has become a widespread success. This can be attributed to the application’s focus on creating an uplifting and empowering environment for its users by means of positive affirmations and polls. While Gas was unfairly subjected to a sex trafficking hoax in October, their consumer base has continued to increase since then. This article caught my attention because of the company’s mission to have a positive impact on user's insecurities which is generally associated with their usage of other social media platforms. Additionally,...

  One aspect of digital media and sound/music that I have found interesting lately, are the musicians who have come forward claiming that their labels are pressuring them to go viral on TikTok. As we discussed in our class this week, TikTok has become an undeniably important tool for promoting music and going viral on TikTok is a main goal for many young artistic like Katherine Li. On the same note, established famous artists are also now being pushed to accomplish that same goal. Produce a song that goes viral on the platform.     Linked here is a TikTok that musician Halsey made in May, trying to draw our attention to how ‘fake’ the marketing can be in the music industry. Showing that many established artists really do not like the ‘viral craze’ the app has on the music industry. Artists like Halsey claim that they have felt a push from their labels to either make a song only for the goal of going viral or to grow their following on the platform. Halsey went as far as m...

  Just to break the ice and to acquaint you with the blogger platform, share with us something in the world of digital media and sound/music that you like or find interesting and compelling. It can be a website, a YouTube or TikTok video, Instagram Page, a Spotify playlist, a Dischord chat, a subreddit, etc.  Link to it (or screenshot it) and tell us a bit about what you find interesting about it.  In addition, say a few words about your reasons for taking this particular course and what potential topics regarding digital media a n d  n ew aural cultures you might be interested in exploring in your group project Your blog entry need not be more than a paragraph or two at most.  Post your blog entry by no later than 6 PM on Monday, January 23rd, and, then, post comments to at least TWO of your classmate's entries by 6 PM on Friday, January 27th.

 Welcome to the CS400u Digital Media and New Aural Cultures collaborative class blog!