Why do people have such strong reactions towards the recent developments regarding Batman vs. Superman? How does the invention of fictional characters create an entire subculture? Why do people identify themselves so passionately in “Geek Culture?” These are all questions that can be evaluated under the paradigm of Social Psychology, the study of how social influences affect you cognitively and behaviorally. It is also a theme that is touched on in a lot of literature. From the Joker trying to expose the ugliness and ironies of human nature, to how relationships evolve with the advancements in technology, one could argue that good story telling involves how people take an external event, internalize it, and organically express it through their actions.
So why am I telling you all this? Well, I’m currently seeking to overcome one of the final obstacles standing between me and college graduation: a research project. What is my project about? Well… I can’t tell you because that would defeat the purpose of the experiment (cue Joker laugh). I can however, slightly touch on what inspired me to take this path: the popular distaste for modern art.
“Look at the copious amounts of Mise-en-scène. Definitely a brilliant piece!”
Have you ever been to a modern art gallery? It is definitely a mixed bag. There are some pieces offering detail and craft that I am definitely able to appreciate, but there are also pieces that are pretentious to the point of frustration. For example, once I literally saw a framed blank sheet of paper pass as art. This genre of art abandons any concrete meaning in favor of more abstract themes and aesthetics. Granted, there are art aficionados that have a trained eye for detail and just the right appreciation, but to the average viewer such as myself, modern abstract art can be seen as confusing and nonsensical. As a result, this usually generates backlash and sometimes straight up spite within the viewer, and yes, this also applies to film (Meeks Cut Off anyone?) So what causes this? Well, that is what I’m trying to find out, and YOU can help me explore a theory…and help me graduate. That is definitely a thing I would like to happen.
So how can you help? Well, I created a little survey that will take you no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. What will you be doing? Watching a weird 30 second video, and then just click on some bubbles afterwards. So please fellow Us-ians, if you can just take a brief moment of your time, you will be helping an intern reach a MILESTONE in his life. Plus, this will free up more time for me to write more stuff for you guys! All you have to do, is click on this picture below, and simply take a short survey. Much obliged, kind people of The Us! I appreciate it IMMENSELY.
