Historically, the media was used to jump start political and social movements-- the revolutionary war, presidential appointments, propaganda, etc. It was an outlet for people to voice their opinions, alert others to their issues, and inspire public reaction. Today, the media is almost exclusively used to sell products and comercialism.

Music originally came from the people to reflect their voice, their ideas, their hopes. Now it does little more than sell sex and extravagance or give a catchy tune for a car commericial. The Beatles used their music to relate to their fans and time period. Today, we have no such voice unless you count Flo-Rida or Mylie Cyrus as an important symbol for our generation.

However, this year Taylor Swift broke out onto the scene. A country star, usually looked over by the mainstream population, became the most recognized and deocrated artists for the year based mainly on her ability to capture the simple emotional ups-and-downs of adolesence. Though not a groundbreaking message, she was a breath of fresh air compared to the "Blame it on the Alcohol" and "Get Low" music also released this year.

Sadly, her popularity did not go unnoticed. She is now featered in flirty jeans campaigns, commercials, billboard advertisements, and more. The simple messages from one teenage heart to another (or several million others) has now been turned into one of the highest grossing capitals in the nation. The "public sphere" we talked about in class is limited to the non-sucessfull. Though it can be accessed, once it becomes sucessful, it will be commercialized.