Online Research Portfolio
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fqis3C2Fu-sp_lIPEMiYAPdPNWYFlT-IzSxdKG0uet0/edit?usp=sharing
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The Stonewall Inn
EXPECTATIONS
$LAYYYTER
todays bird
Claire Keane
occasionally subtle

oozey mess

tannertan36
YOU ARE THE REASON
Xuebing Du
Noah Kahan

roma★
hello vonnie

Product Placement
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
🪼
★
Doug Jones

seen from United States

seen from Finland

seen from Poland
seen from Algeria

seen from Bangladesh
seen from United Kingdom

seen from Germany
seen from Vietnam
seen from Argentina
seen from Ukraine

seen from Ukraine
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States

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@ctothebell-blog
Online Research Portfolio
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fqis3C2Fu-sp_lIPEMiYAPdPNWYFlT-IzSxdKG0uet0/edit?usp=sharing
WA 4
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10M5lkB9INrCFvu8jyAt966sWkCvB-UqvYh3HKLNLbCM/edit?usp=sharing
WA 3
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HDy8CSRNKKXqAJNpr2vcI-KFrdpNiEt_riQZ7SN7VmQ/edit?usp=sharing
WA 2
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QCnJqLaTfYz-unuC-IbMGjGGFDDwMVnT49l8c0u-glc/edit?usp=sharing
WA 1
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UJ8OSTn68vRT6EvyagMG38JmTO3RQFnRa_1NuDcIV5k/edit?usp=sharing
Final Ethnography
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uI1F9znwQpOm-oUdbxUPEZ_ZTDRC1plNZCZkjhJJf1Q/edit?usp=sharing
Progress
I began to send out my consent/survey on Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. I haven’t had many people communicate with me so I decided to locate people that were posting about their Beatles experiences and contact the individually. I think I sent out around 15 private messages. I was very skeptical that anybody would respond. I did however get 3 responses in the first few days. I believe that since I am a social media noob, I just don’t have enough of a following for a large sample pool. I did really enjoy seeing the responses to my questions though. All of the fans that participated were part of the younger Beatles generation. I was telling my wife that I was hoping to get a few first generation fans that could tell me what it was like to experience them when they were still together. Her reply made a lot of sense. I am using social media to learn more about The Beatles fandom. Social media is primarily used by a younger generation. Using younger participants does help me better understand how The Beatles are still relevant though.
Generations of fans that follow The Beatles and their work often recreate scenes from their history. Usually only people that have experienced The Beatles will understand its reference. Above you will notice a T-Shirt with the characters from Disney’s “Frozen”. The movie itself has been extremely successful and has its own cult following/fandom. You will notice characters such as Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf the happy snowman. To the untrained eye, they are just in 4 boxes placed on top of each other, two by two. In fact, this t-shirt is a recreation of The Beatles, Let It Be album. In the original album cover, John Lennon and Paul McCartney are on top and Ringo Starr is on the bottom. You will notice that the two main characters and probably the most popular are on top.
Everybody knows that The Beatles were perhaps the most popular music group of all time. Countless people can remember their first “Beatle Moment”. In the picture shown above, The Beatles popularity can be measured monetarily. It shows a piece of Beatles memorabilia that sold at auction for 2.1 million dollars! 2.1 Million Dollars!! That is unbelievable. Although it is a pretty rare item, it is still a crazy prize to pay for a collectable piece such as this. The new owner of this piece of history will surely be displaying it as a work of art.
Consent/Survey
I started working on my consent/survey for my interviews. My goal is to really have people share how The Beatles, their music and art makes them feel. I also want the participants to have fun completing the form. I focused mainly on events in their life in which The Beatles changed their mood or inspired them. I also threw in a few questions about their lyrics. Hopefully this survey will help illicit a unique perspective of the listener. Sometimes the same song, written by the same person can have much different results in the eyes of the participant. I once was required to review poetry and I chose “Real Love” written by John Lennon and later finished by the rest of the group. To me the song was about true faith. After speaking with somebody else, they stated that it was about something different. The truth is, we were both right. Hopefully I will have enough of a sample to accurately describe how music, especially Beatles music can have an impact on mood and inspire people.
I began to create my informed consent form today. I reviewed the student example papers in doc sharing to get an idea of the outline. I also used the example that the professor showed. I felt that they were a little boring. I know that they have to be specific to cover all other important things. Since my ethnographic study is more positive and specifically about the greatest band in history, I wanted to add a little Beatles flare to it. I ended up adding some Beatles philosophy to a couple of the lines. I figured that fans like myself would be more apt to reviewing and completing it if they could see that it was their avenue for communicating a message. I have to admit; I am a little worried that once everything is completed, I won’t have many people complete it. I have followed many people on Tumblr and Twitter and have made a few posts. I haven’t received much traffic in return. I wonder if it is because they see me only as a student and not a true fan. Obviously, my ethnographic study weighs heavily on the way music positively impacts the lives of others so not having much participation would be problematic.
1302 Progress; Unit 3
I began reviewing blogs trying to find something that stood out to me regarding the love of Beatles Music and how it positively affected their life or mood. There has been a lot of Beatles traffic recently due to the fact that George Martin passed. He was a huge part of their early success and most Beatles fans are mourning his passing. I have also begun to search the Internet for related stories and pictures. I have found three to four artifacts that would fit in nicely. One of the things that I love about The Beatles is that they didn’t just “go with the flow”. They challenged themselves and their fans through music and art. One of the many reasons they were so successful is because they experimented with various types of music, sounds and philosophies. My father once spoke with me about his first experience with The Beatles when they debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show. He basically summed it up saying that he had never heard anything like it. It was totally different than everything that came before. I found a meme that I first thought was just funny but as I studied it, it had a different message for me. I chose to re-blog this image to see if others felt the same.
I love this Beatles Meme. I think it really says it all. The title explains that these guys were ahead of their time. They created music that would withstand the test of time and still be relevant to people today. My favorite part is the sign they are standing next to. It simply says, “Keep off the Grass”. They decided to sit on the grass, next to the sign and take a picture. How awesome is that? How created that sign? This kind of comical act challenges the typical rules and norms of society. What a great message for people advocating for change. Our society has always reinforced the status quo through unwritten rules and norms. If somebody views those norms as obscene, offensive or unjust, it is their responsibility to challenge them. Without testing limits, asking questions or making a stand, nothing would ever change. #Artifact2
I chose to re-blog this post because it symbolizes everything I am trying to showcase with my ethnographic study. The writer takes something from The Beatles, interprets it and applies it to her life. This allows the listener to take positive or inspirations thoughts/messages to make her world just a little bit better. The Beatles advocated for peace and love or in this case tolerance for people that are different. It is amazing that people cans still draw such power from a group longer after they are gone. “Hey Jude” was originally written for the son of John Lennon but in this case has been transformed into a battle cry for people that are attempting to find their voice in the world.
This is Difficult
I had to alter my project plan a little bit today. Evidently there isn’t a lot of research regarding how The Beatles have changed the lives of people. I guess now that I really think about it, how could there. Most of the information available is about their history and not necessarily about their affect. I have found a few things here and there but nothing substantial enough for my project. I thought back to why I wanted The Beatles were so important in my life. I always like the feeling I experienced when listening to their music or learning more about them. Then it came to me. I should broaden my research to why music in general makes me feel that way. Is there a biological explaination? Is it a social perspective. I decided to pursue the core of why Beatles fans such as myself felt the way we felt. I found a few sources that explain the many benefits of music as therapy and how music influences our emotions. It makes perfect sense now that I think about. I use music to get away from life when things are rough. I also use it to motivate me to get up and accomplish something (working out, doing chores). I need to find a source that explains how music can be a positive form of expression and I think I will be good.
WA #2 Plan
The Beatles have been a major influence over my life. I can’t be alone. Though their lyrics, music and art they have been able to get people thought the darkest of times. I believe that their works are still relevant even today. Who would say that the world doesn’t need more of what they were all about. I think my first draft/plan will be about their influence on others. That has to tie into literacy. When I think literacy, I think about texts. Reading from the textbooks I realize that it is more than that simplistic definition. Literacy is about people. Like The Beatles, literacy is about change, inspiration and the continued success of all people of the world. Through fandoms like The Beatles, people are more frequently writing and reviewing all of their works. The lyrics themselves are like poetry. Poetry that has a message. That message can help people cope with stressful times or just insert a little joy here and there. Their works are easily accessible to most people. The more we recognize their art and discuss what they were presenting and how it affects our lives, the more influence they will hold over the world. Other then being innovators of their craft, one of the things I like about The Beatles is their ability to branch outside of their norm. They were able to express themselves through so many avenues such as movies, pictures, and art. These methods have shown so many people across the world that their message can be heard and idolized.
Literacy as Power
I was reading in my text today about Literacy as Power. Written and spoken language is as ancient as the Pyramids in Egypt. Early man would write their thoughts on cave walls and such. Do you need to be literate to be successful in life? Yes! The act of reading and writing was once only privileges gained by the elite or the clergy. Peasants and rural farmers were not afforded such privileges. They were mostly concerned with vocational skills needed to be successful in their trade. The school system teaches children to read and write at an early age. Some are better than others but all must learn these basic skills in order to graduate and be successful in life. Does everybody have these skills? No! Other parts of the globe are still lacking in education practices. Although learning to be literate does not guarantee success, it does make it more achievable. One of the most important things to do in life is to start literacy practices early in life. The simple act of reading to young children teachers them many things. My children are given a foundation in literacy at the earliest ages. My wife does the typical readings and I teach them about the history of music. It is powerful to teach children about music from long ago. The lyrics mean so much more that they do today. The teach about struggle, passion, loss and war. Lyrics without the music is like reading good poetry.