Not again...

Scott did it AGAIN!  This time, the line was, "you are the caretaker of the music."  Damn it, Scott, why did you have to make me think RIGHT NOW?!?!

Affects of social media on fan perception of drivers

As I was pondering what to write about, I started listing off the possibilities in my head.  My train of thought went like this:
1)  favorite drivers
2)  what about them
     a) skills
     b) how they conduct themselves
3)  why do I care about how they conduct themselves
4)  effects of social media on fan's perception of drivers
5)  wow, that could be a blog entry possibly worth reading
6)  my list looks like a rough outline for a paper.

I feel that it's safe to make the assumption that most fans have a favorite or few favorite drivers they cheer for.  (If this is not the case, I EXPECT a crap-ton of comments telling me that so I won't make a faulty generalization about that again.)  My favorite happens to be Graham Rahal.  I can't tell you how that started, although I think it had something to do with him being young and showing some promise.  What can I say, I was a 17 year-old girl.  :)  However, I didn't really toss all my "fan-eggs," to coin a new term, into his basket until the Indy 500 last year.  Since then, I've been hooked.  I've watched his progress and, thanks to the internet, gobbled up every bit of info about him that I can.  Before anyone informs me that I am slightly obsessive, I'd like to pose this question:  isn't that what being a fan is about?  Think about it.

When I pause to think about why I'm a fan of Graham, I come up with a few reasons.

1. He has the skill.  As evidenced by his improvement on ovals and overall consistency, he is honing his craft.  
2. He makes you want to cheer for him because he's not Marco.  He's not a whiny brat who relies on daddy to give him a ride.  Also, he takes responsibility for his actions.  
3. Watch this, especially 3-4 minute mark.  When I saw this, my respect was gained.  

As I look over this list, the definitive things are 2 and 3.  A thought occurred to me:  since when has all this other crap become important?  I mean, why am I even considering something other than skill?  Why do I care how a driver conducts himself/herself?  Dear possibly non-existent readers, I believe social media has brought about this change.  Before youtube, facebook, twitter, or fan forums existed, fans had to either rely on word of mouth, driver interviews, or meet a driver in order to know what they were like.  Social media has altered our perceptions of drivers.  Without all of this media at my fingertips, I wouldn't have reason 3 on my list.  Also, reason 2 would be far more limited.

Due to social media, fandom is changing just as our perception of drivers is changing.   Greedily, fans search for whatever they can find out about their drivers.  Why?  For me, it's so I can gain a better understanding of who they are as people.  I want to know that the guys and gals who drive those cars are real; I want to know that they're just like me.  In the age of social media, we do know these things.  These drivers aren't just drivers; they're real people too!  When they're perceived as people, they are judged as people as well.

Since we have access to drivers' lives due to social media, it opens the door for criticism or praise of how they conduct themselves.  This concept is clearly seen in fan forums.  On the Indycar Nation forum, Marco Andretti is NOT a favorite.  If you search for Marco, I guarantee you will find more negative posts about him than positive ones.  Searching more carefully, you'll find that some negative posts come from people who used to be his fans but are now put off by his attitude (I fit in this category).  Now tell me that social media hasn't changed driver perceptions...

Note:  I hope this opens up some discussion.  Probably won't since nobody comments this, but I can dream, right?

IICS Fans and Dichotomous Thought

Hey soon to be readers.  This will be my first of many rants.  For those unfamiliar with me when I rant (which will be nearly all of you), I tend to come up with irrational ideas and then rationally argue against them while still clinging to the irrational.  This amuses my boyfriend to no end.  Hopefully this one doesn't end up like that.  Here goes.

I was perusing the IndyCar Nation forum today as I do every day and read the new posts on the topics that interest me.  One topic, that was originally was about car numbers, has been hijacked into a driver vs. team slugfest.  You can read the whole thing here (page 1 is irrelevant unless you really do want to read about car numbers).

For awhile, this was rather relevant: car numbers are an easy way to recognize drivers and since drivers change teams often, this can produce a problem regarding recognition and fan-gear (I think that's another blog, though).  However, when the "casual" fan vs. "hardcore" fan was brought into the mix, it made me pause a moment.  Based on one poster's definition, I am only a "casual" fan because I think of drivers more than the teams.  Wait, what?

Here's the problem with that theory:  it is dichotomous in nature.  The concept of a "fan" is not dichotomous.   I offer myself as an example; I'm pretty sure I don't fit the mold of a "casual" fan.  
1.  I've actually been to more than one race and more than one track.
2.  I post on the forum frequently.
3.  Check out my blogroll.  There are many racing blogs there:  I read them and sometimes comment.
4.  I've been watching races on TV or online since '98(first CART, then CART/IRL, then IRL, then ICS, finally IICS) when I was just a kid.
5.  When I go to any kind of car race, I take lap times on my cell phone.
6.  I'm blogging about it (!!!).  
Where do people like me fit into this picture?  I know I'm not a gearhead or anything like that, but I can tell you who drives what for whom and in some cases, who drivers have driven for in the past.  Ex:  Before driving for AGR (now AA), Tony Kanaan drove for Mo Nunn Racing and Tasman Racing.  The "casual" fan just gave me a crazy look and said, "Who cares?"  That's my point, though; a "casual" fan wouldn't understand why that is important.  

I'm willing to wager that I'm not the only fan that has followed open-wheel racing for awhile that fits into this middle-of-the-road category.  So, open up your minds a bit and break out of this dichotomy.  Figure out where you fit in the mix.  If you care to, leave a comment with where you think you fit.

A thought (or two)

Just like the title indicates, I've been toying with a few ideas.  First, I don't really get too personal (exact location, minute by minute account of my day, etc.) on here because
1) that's rather ridiculous
2) I don't want to be stalked
3) I think Jenni's the only one who reads this and she can call me if she really wants the whole story
4) I keep a journal.  You know, that book with the blank pages in it where you write stuff.
5) There's probably something else that I can think of later...

Basically, I'm fishing for ideas about stuff to write because I like the idea of expressing myself, but want to shy away from becoming stalker material.  What to do?  Here's my thought:  write about things that interest me.  I've established that I'm a music nerd and into indy car racing.  (Lost yet?  No?  Good.)  It occurred to me that I could blog about a bunch of indy car and/or music related crap.  Thing is, regarding indy car crap, I don't have much to say that isn't said by any other of the many fantastic indy car bloggers.  I suppose I have a unique perspective because I'm a female college student, but there are female bloggers out there.  Not so unique, I guess.  Would anybody actually read my ramblings?

Hmm...  musically, I could go crazy and come up with things to write about easily.  Music has always been my passion and I am versed in it to write about it well enough.

So, what do you think?  Yes?  No?  Maybe so?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks!

MLIA

Some especially funny ones I read. 


A while ago, I went to see a play based on Monty Python. There was a very intense, suspenseful moment in it. I sneezed. One of the actors turned to me, said, "Bless you", and continued on as if nothing had happened. I now have tickets for their next show, too. MLIA


Today I couldn't remember a word but I knew the definition. I wish there was a backwards dictionary. MLIA


Today, My mom was making a breastplate for her sunday school class to show the "armour of God" She had been looking for about 5 minutes for her armour when she finally gets frustrated and yells: "Where's my breastplate." without hesitating, my brother answers: "I think you call that a bra mom." I love my brother. MLIA


Today, I was driving and I saw a sign that said "DON'T TURN LEFT!". Feeling like a rebel I decided to turn left. There were people dressed as ninja's on the road. I completely regretted disregarding that sign. MLIA


courtesy of mylifeisaverage.com

Nostalgia at its finest.

Nostalgia- noun, wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home      or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.   

I have realized that I am prone to nostalgia and have embraced that fact many times over.  However, it is becoming more apparent to me as break continues.

Here's why:
1.  I love classic movies
2.  I'm swooning over dead attractive actors (Jimmy Stewart, Fred MacMurray, Guy Williams, etc)
3.  I found episodes of Disney's "Zorro" on youtube- which I watched reruns of as a child.
4.  I've hung out with friends I've known since preschool and we've had so much fun reminiscing about our sleepovers we had about 5-6 years ago.

I should be disturbed by this.  Really, it's almost as if I'm clinging to my past when life was simpler.  But, I'm not (disturbed by, that is).  Our past is so important because it has so much power over our lives.  I see this every day in my actions.

So, I'll close with this quote from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"- "  Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become."  That is my prayer today and always.

Happy New Year

It's been awhile since I've had something blog-worthy to write (type) here.  I wrote in my journal to bring in the New Year.  An hour or so of soul-searching later, I was asleep.  So, not that I'm back...  did you miss me?  Ha.  :)

I miss being at school.  I miss the freedom of only needing to answer to myself.  I miss lots of things like that.

I might have more later.