FINAL video

Dubstep: Summary Cultural Blog

My culture of interest is dub shows and the people that attend. Maybe more commonly in affiliation with the term, “ravers”.

 The definition of culture is learned patterns of behavior and attitudes shared by a group of people (Martin & Nakayama 2012). The rave culture consists of many defining behaviors as well as a common theme of coming together as one. The common interest of being a college student is apparent. The music, dancing, and lights. The experience of a lifetime.
 

The main points I will be covering in my final blog include the experience as a whole, the influence that drugs may or may not play in the experience, and the typical behaviors of people at the dub show or concert. The data I collected from the interviews and the field notes from my personal experience at “Life in Color” share a common theme of togetherness. I wanted to share a specific quote from my good friend since high school, “I thought Bassnectar was pretty good before I saw him. But his show was the first time I rolled and it was absolutely amazing. Molly allows you to connect to the beat and feel the vibrations of the bass on a completely different level”(#1, Participant).

The concept to frame my project is cultural adaptation, which deals with adjusting to and becoming comfortable in an environment.  I also want to emphasize the outcomes and characteristics of individuals involved in this culture. For example, the energy from the group at “Life in Color” was evident and strong. I could feel the anticipation build as I stood, or should I say swayed, in the crowd.

The three approaches of the cultural adaptation theory, as described in my previous post, are going to be the three higher level categories in my final project. 

These include the social science approach, the role of the individual in the culture group, the interpretive approach, which deals with the experience as a whole, and the critical approach, dealing more with the politics of the culture.  

The social science approach is supported throughout my data in my interviews and field work. One of my interviews reveals, "People feel free to be themselves and do what comes naturally and dance however feels good and no one is judging because they all feel amazing themselves"(#1, Participant).

 

 

The second approach, the interpretive approach is using language to describe human behavior (Martin & Nakayama, 2012) and is reflected greatly throughout my research. The experience as a whole is said to be "life-changing" and a "positive, united moment with the crowd"(#2, Participant).  My friend from high school can remember passing out toys and beads to strangers at the shows to help them enjoy themselves better. She says that they always give her stuff back and truly appreciate it to the core.

 

    Finally, the critical approach deals with the past and reasons for groups of people choosing certain cultures to belong to. I believe this particular topic could relate back to the 60s when big festivals were a big deal (think Woodstock). The people of that culture identified themselves with the music and the drugs and the unity of people. Another quote from my second interview supports this, "I have never made so many random friends and seen so much genuine kindness as I have at raves. Everyone looks out for everyone and is just having a blast" (#1, Participant).

References:

Djvibetv. (2010, August 10). BASSNECTAR ABSOLUTELY MURDERS IT!! SHAMBHALA.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eA7Qu7Lz2g] Retrieved from

 http://www.YouTube.com

 Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2012). Intercultural Communication in Contexts.

              Chicago: McGraw Hill.

 

Dubstep and Cultural Adaptation Theory

Dubstep: When the Bass Drops

             I am choosing to focus on cultural adaption in relation to my cultural topic on ravers. The definition of cultural adaptation is the long term process of adjusting to and finally feeling comfortable in a new  environment. Three approaches of communication are linked to this theory and help further understand its components. The three approaches include social science, interpretive, and critical. 

The social science approach deals with the role of individual migrant characteristics and background; theories of culture shock  and reentry shock; outcomes of adaptations. The interpretive approach is an in-depth analysis of adaptation and experience, and the critical approach to cultural adaption is the importance of history, politics, and societal structures in migrant adaptation and identity (Martin & Nakayama 330). This theory is most appropriate based on my research in the dubstep environment and based on my first interview.

The first article I found that focuses on this theory is "Exploring Educational and Cultural Adaptation through Social Networking Sites" by Sherry D. Ryan, Michael J. Magro, and Jason H. Sharp. They did a study to determine the effectiveness of Facebook on students acquiring their Ph.D. They concluded that Facebook can help facilitate information and knowledge of a Ph.D. program and also help with isolation in students. 

The second article dealing with cultural adaptation is  called, "Cultural Influence in Intercultural Adaptation: A Case Study of My Son's 'Cultural Clash' in the United States." This study focuses on the cultural influence on the Chinese culture.

The third recent article, entitled, "Conflict Recognition, Prevention and Resolution in Mental Health Interpreting: Exploring Kim's Cross-Cultural Adaptation Model." deals with “Kim’s theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation and resolving areas of conflict in mental health.

I started off by interviewing my roommate to get her personal experience with the scene. Statements in the interview that stood out in choosing my topic of cultural adaptation include, "There's a lot of peer pressure in the pit, lots of people asking if you want to do drugs". I noticed a pattern of events in reference to the different shows she has attended. The people all seem to be friendly and almost as if they insist on you join them in their activities. I gathered from our interview the rave "pit" being almost like a culture. And once you're in, you're in. Although surprisingly enough, the people Sally met at the show, she did not speak to again. I asked her what the best part of being at a rave was, and her response, "When the bass drops".

She talks in-depth about the appearance of ravers and what she likes to wear to shows. Everyone kind of has a similar look: comfortable clothing, bright colors, and sunglasses (to hide their dilated pupils). She says that the experience of a rave on drugs makes for more intensity and heightens her senses. She also says, "People in the pit look out for you like when people start pushing and stuff they're like, 'I got you'". These are just examples of some key phrases that made me think of the rave-scene and how people can adapt over time whether its by the number of raves/shows one attends, the networking/people they meet, and just the overall experience shared with other ravers.

 Over time, people begin to feel like a part of the culture. This ties in with cultural adaptation in whether or not the host is warm and welcoming or not. People are encouraging each other to do drugs and take part in the experience. I would see this as friendly, although it may be a little intimidating or feel like pressure.

I can also speak to the cultural adaptation theory based on my personal experience and time spent in the field. I attended "Life in Color" back in November. Upon entering the auditorium, I saw a huge crowd of people. There was a cool breeze flowing through the room. I knew I was in for.Well, what WAS I in for? We slowly made our way through the pit... struggling to squeeze between people. Everyone was dancing and grinding on one another and the amount of sweat glistening on peoples faces was unreal. I actually ended up crowd-surfing just to make it safely to the side of the sea of bodies!

Here is a look at some highlights from the famous "Life in Color" show

References

Ryan, S. D., Magro, M. J., & Sharp, J. H. (2011). Exploring Educational and Cultural Adaptation 

through Social Networking Sites. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 10. Retrieved October 19, 2012, from http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol10/JITEv10IIPp001-016Ryan883.pdf  

Zhang, X. (2011). Cultural Influence in Intercultural Adaptation: A Case Study of My Son's "Cultural Clash" in the United States. Studies In Literature & Language, 3(3), 29-34. doi:10.3968/j.sll.1923156320110303.l79

Zimányi, K. (2012). Conflict recognition, prevention and resolution in mental health interpreting: Exploring Kim’s cross-cultural adaptation model. Journal Of Language & Politics, 11(2), 207-228. 

Cultural Reporter Project: Dubstep

Culture as a group can be defined in more than one way. Our ideas and perceptions are framed by how we think about culture and the different elements that make a culture whole.  It has also been described as a form of conflict and disagreement. It is normally a group of people who share a similar pattern of behavior as well as mindset/attitude. It is a broad definition that focuses on more than one aspect of communication.

The group I have chosen to research as a culture is Ravers. I have not found a more appropriate word for this group, but know I want to focus on the culture that attends techno concerts and listens to dubstep music. Examples of places you may find this type of culture is at a Pretty Lights concert, DayGlow, and other big festivals in the dubstep world. The group of people can be identified by their brightly colored clothing, accessories, and dance moves.

 This group is a culture because they have a way of life. The individuals in the group have a certain way of doing things and act a certain way when in the environment of a Raver and in their element.

I plan on studying this group by using various interpretive methods. The first method I will use is quantitative methods. I will gather information via interviews with Ravers that I know, and also experience things like concerts and other events firsthand. Furthermore, I will do oral interviews using a video camera to film and question Raver candidates. Finally, I will use the rhetorical approach and analyze text and other research.