Effects of Social Media on Band "Image"

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    Media has changed drastically since the 1970s, as has how we consume it. Today, we can access bands and artists through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Podcasts. We have so much info readily available to learn about and be exposed to the artists and bands we love.

 Right now, I am watching YouTuber Rich Beato interview Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of Tool. The interview made me realize just how easy it is to humanize artists. Teenagers today never enjoy the mystery of a band or artist's image.

    In the 70s, though, media, or lack thereof, allowed the mystery and band image to grow. For instance, there was a whole mystique about Led Zeppelin and who the members were as "real" people. We didn't have social media at the time. We didn't even have the internet to look them up. So, band management could represent a band or artist's image how they wanted to. It was easier to sell the band's image, and, as consumers, it was easier to buy into the whole mystique because of the lack of information. Really, it added some fun, though. The unknown. 

    I liked the mystery, the lack of knowledge, and the lack of media (before the Internet and social media). I am happy I grew up in the 1970s and didn't have my musical heroes humanized.

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