Commentary by Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier arts and living editor
This summer was filled with many monumental entertainment releases. From Taylor Swifts Era’s tour to the controversy between the films, “Barbie” and Oppenheimer” there was hardly a dull moment during the summer. Social media platforms saw the rise of many new trends, and along with these trends came many new debates about pop culture.
Music:
To kick off the summer, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was announced in March. This would be her sixth tour, and it would be a homage to all her past albums. The tour would have 146 shows and would span across five continents. Upon the start of ticket sales on Ticketmaster, there was a influx of buyers and the website crashed. This caused many fans to be unable to purchase tickets, and prices of the individual tickets skyrocketed to thousands of dollars. This event sparked an intense discussion about ticketing agencies, and Ticketmaster was sued by several frustrated Taylor Swift fans.
Taylor Swift was not the only popular artist to announce a tour this summer. Beyonce announced the Renaissance world tour on February 1 on her Instagram. This ongoing tour began on May 10. The tour contains 56 shows and will continue through September.
Country singer Jason Aldean faced backlash after he released a music video titled “Try That in a Small Town” on July 14. The song was initially released on May 22, but Aldean did not receive backlash until the release of the video. The music video contained clips of protests and riots that took place in big cities. The video also contains clips of Aldean performing in downtown Columbia, a historic site of racist acts. Aldean has been accused of promoting violence, but he has denied all of these claims. Aldean wrote on Twitter, “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes to far.” The video was also pulled from CMT just a few days after the release. Despite this, the song hit No.1 on the Hot Country songs chart.
Movies:
Two of the biggest film releases of the summer were “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Both movies were released in theaters on July 21. This sparked what can best be described as a “battle” between these two films, referred to as “Barbenheimer” by fans. The Barbie movie tells the story of a Barbie doll coming to the real world and learning the meaning of life. Oppenheimer follows the story of Robert J. Oppenheimer after he was appointed to work on an atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project. Despite being released on the same day, these films are complete opposites, and they have attracted very different audiences. This has sparked widespread social media debate and comparison.
AMC Theaters announced that 40,000 Stubs members purchased tickets to view both films during the week of their release. Both of these films have been incredibly successful in their own right, contributing to a spike in the popularity of movie theaters. As of August 15, Oppenheimer grossed a total of $264.3 million in the United States, while Barbie grossed $526.4 million.
Barbie has sparked many different conversations across social media. The film has attracted a primarily female audience, pandering to people who grew up playing with Barbie dolls. The film includes several songs written by popular artists, such as “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, and “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa. These songs have helped to boost the popularity of the film. “Dance the Night” has also become a popular TikTok audio, with fans creating their own versions of the dance from the movie. During the past few weeks of this summer, it has not been uncommon to spot groups of people dressed in pink on their way to see the movie. Despite the praise that the film has received, it has also sparked a lot of controversy. Many social media users have expressed disappointment that the film contains few male characters, and that the male characters that are present play a smaller role in the film in comparison to the female characters.
The Barbie movie has inspired a wave of people to connect with their “inner child.” Not only have fans dressed in pink to see the film, but many people have repurchased Barbie dolls. This has been referred to as “emotional support Barbie” on TikTok. As most people who played with Barbies as children no longer have their old toys, this trend invites people to own a doll as a way to re-connect with their childhood selves.
Pop Culture:
On May 2, a massive Writer’s Strike went underway. This strike took place in the Writers Guild of America as a direct result of failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which is an organization that represents several film corporations in Hollywood. This organization is made up of major companies like Amazon, Netflix and Disney. One of the main reasons for this protest was a lack of sufficient pay to account for inflation. This has made it difficult for writers to find stable jobs. This strike has had a reaching impact on show production, as several shows have had to halt or delay production schedules. This has also impacted talk shows, which depend on the work of script writers. Without the work of writers, the film and production industries cannot create new content for viewers.
On July 5, Meta announced the launch of a new app called “Threads.” This app would be a direct rival to Twitter (X), allowing users to post pictures and daily updates. Within a week, the app received 100 million sign-ups. Users can register for the app through their Instagram accounts, although an account cannot be deleted without de-activating the connected Instagram account. Despite minor issues, many users have speculated if Threads could lead to the downfall if Twitter (X).
The Summer of 2023 has certainly been full of new trends and entertainment. While “Barbenheimer” has been one of the most memorable events, there has been a surge of social media trends, such as new TikTok dances and songs.