The technologically dependent society we have built contains a slew of facets of consumption. It feels as if no matter what you’re into, you could find some form of content you would enjoy.

Becoming more specific, within the music sphere, there are countless genres, belonging to countless artists, being supported by countless fans. What I find fascinating about fanbases in particular is the variety of interpretations they have to an artist’s music and message. While one fan may appreciate a singer’s vulnerability and storytelling, another appreciates their imagery and fashion sense.

Unfortunately, there is a growing absence of media literacy within music. In my opinion. people are misconstruing and stretching interpretations to quite unreasonable lengths.. You see artists being accused of inciting violence, associating with neo-nazis and being puppets directed by evil corporations to infiltrate youth. While I do truly want everyone to have their opinion, I want to urge audiences to seriously question the merit and gravity of what they are saying about these people. I find constant logical fallacies within these claims against artists and celebrities, and frankly, it’s very disheartening. When the only tangible thing someone is doing is making music, or just doing their job, how can someone be so sure there is something sinister going on beneath the surface? Does this stretch come from an affinity to dissect everything about an artist? I can’t be the one to tell you how some fans draw the conclusions they draw, but I am certain many of them are vastly false.

Another issue I often see is people overcomplicating their takes by cramming together narratives and making analogies which end up being oxymorons. Online arguments are severely undisciplined and when debating, people dangerously discount any rebuttal thrown their way. An extraordinarily important piece of media literacy is the capacity to understand each perspective on a topic. If everyone was entirely in agreement on everything, we would not  have the aforementioned varieties of content.

I recall learning an acronym in order to determine the value of information : CRAAP.

For those who don’t know, CRAAP stands for Credibility, Reliability, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose. For the sake of online argument, these principles seem to be widely abandoned. Outrageous conjectures are echoed through online platforms everyday with no sign of evidence. To be clear, not everything needs to be dissected down to its roots in order to uncover a deeper meaning. Most of the time, music is not much deeper than what you’re hearing, and artists can be analyzed using the same simple characteristics I mentioned before; their storytelling, vulnerability, imagery or fashion sense. 

In summary, my purpose in writing this is to encourage people to evaluate the people they idolize and the information they’re getting without venturing into dark over-analysis. The epidemic of misinformation has shown no signs of slowing down, and it never will unless media literacy takes the place of susceptibility in the pop culture audience.