Host Miley Cyrus attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Aug. 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
If last night’s were an accurate reflection of youth culture, we have a lot to be worried about. As the VMAs see it, appealing to kids these days is an easy three-step process.
Step 1: Crack open a few of the internetap tubes.
Step 2: Shake out memes and hashtags everywhere.
Step 3: Blast EDM.
The VMAs ( rinsed and repeated that formula to death last night. If you were watching the broadcast from another planet, you’d think there’s an entire youth demographic on Earth who see the world through screens and only measure value in Likes and retweets.
As tempting as it is to agree with that and move on, itap important to remember the real truth of the matter: that the VMAs is an annual reminder of how out of touch MTV is.
Usually, thatap never more apparent than in the network’s music, which is poor to nonexistent. While there were some questionable choices at last night’s VMA’s (Nick Jonas and 21 Stone Pilots must have cashed in favors; dance sensation was curiously absent), the show at least tried to push beyond the horizons of and .
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis popped off a minutely choreographed rendition of their ostensible answer to “Uptown Funk.” The Weeknd proved to a wider-yet audience that he’s the next best thing to come out of Toronto with his performance of “Can’t Feel My Face.” Perhaps the most pleasant surprise came in Tori Kelly, who with little more than an electric guitar and handful of backup singers — about $10,000 less pomp and pyrotechnics than any other performer on the night. That’s just good value.
In almost every other aspect, the VMAs was, in the terms their market research told them is cool and relevant, a #fail of an attempt at relevance. From to , the ceremony strove to show just how much the network gets today’s youth in , and face planted just as laughably.
Itap hard to believe that the same show that once was responsible for the candy shell-shallow pandering of last nightap VMAs. If (Instagram, anyone?!) didn’t make you seriously consider reading a book, Kanye’s convoluted acceptance speech should have.
But then, you know you’ve got a systemic problem when a Kanye rant provides your award show with its most prescient moment. “You know how many times [MTV] announced Taylor Swift was going to give me the award? Because it got them more ratings,” he deadpanned to confused applause. Ultimately, thatap what MTV were after last night — attention, no matter how torn. No doubt they got it, but it was at the expense of their demographic’s respect (what little remains) rather than credit. So long as thatap all MTV strives to be — a parody rather than a speakerbox for the youth — this year’s VMAs were a success.
Otherwise, maybe they should sit down and actually try to be a relevant part of the culture they shamelessly sell to. Or as Kanye put it: “Listen to the kids, bruh!”
