So, the MTV Video Music Awards happened.
I’ve found that usually, one doesn’t have to actually watch the VMAs to feel like you are right there in the thick of its glitter, glamour and occasional gut-wrenching awkwardness.
This year there were awkward moments such as, oh I don’t know, when Justin Bieber started sobbing on stage.
Or when Nicki Minaj called Miley Cyrus a bitch when accepting her award.
Super awkward.
I didn’t watch the VMAs live, but I sure heard about it.
Almost as soon as anything happened on stage, there were hundreds of tweets and articles clamoring to talk about it.
Scrolling through social media the next day, giggling to myself about people being scandalized by Miley’s (lack of) clothing, I had to wonder: Do the VMAs really even matter?
The VMAs do what all award shows do; they entertain and shock their audience. We get whipped up into a frenzy over this kind of thing. As Van Toffler, executive producer of this year’s VMAs, said in a recent CNNMoney article, “We’re happy when there’s chaos.”
It’s kind of shallow of us.
But then, many things in life are darn shallow.
Caring about what your Starbucks order is going to be is a little selfish.
There are starving people right here in Gainesville, so does it really matter if you get your extra shot of espresso in that caramel latte?
And yet, I love Starbucks.
I care about my Starbucks.
I even have the app — working towards that gold card is no easy feat, y’all.
On Snapchat, your selfie is often only visible for 10 seconds.
Who would bother to care?
But Snapchat is also one of the fastest growing methods of social media available, with nearly 100 million daily users.
I’d like to put it out there that I only just discovered the “My Story” feature, and I’m a little addicted already.
Life is full of vapid entertainment, pursuits and desires.
Is it wrong to prioritize these cavalier aspects of our lives?
No one can actively care about global politics, like, 24/7, right?
If you can, more power to you.
You shall change the world.
Hopefully I know you already and can ride the wave of your success to greatness.
Another thing to think about: Something can start off being viewed by general populace as useless and end up growing into being a vehicle of change and expression.
Facebook is something that I use to mindlessly procrastinate, but it’s also a tool charities and businesses use to make a difference.
Mark Zuckerberg wants to get everyone in the world online.
That’s pretty epic.
Artists like Nicki Minaj and even Miley Cyrus test limits and ideals of beauty, fashion and societal norms, even if they might take these limits a bit far for some.
Every social, political or economic movement has a moment of inception that is more often than not chaotic, tragic, offensive or downright weird.
Do the VMAs matter?
That’s not really the question we should ask.
Perhaps the question should be reframed as: What do the VMAs start?
What will the VMAs change?
What do the VMAs, in all their glory, say about us — that raving crowd of millennials that gasped when Kanye West announced he’d run for president. #Kanye2020? Is this really a thing?
I am no expert.
I could be entirely wrong about the impact (or lack thereof) that award shows have. Perhaps the VMAs are nothing more than an excuse for pop-stars to lob insults which may or may not have been staged.
I know, the intrigue there is just making me giddy, we watch celebrities declare their candidacies and try out new hairstyles — I see you, Bieber.
Either way, I will steadfastly continue to enjoy the entertainment of the VMAs and the accompanying commentary. Life is in the little things, shallow as they might be.
Sally Greider is a UF English and public relations junior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
