Do you remember the days when MTV would actually play whole music videos? The hyper creative mini movies that would keep you glued to the screen? They are but a distant memory for most of us (you’re lucky to get thirty straight seconds of one song on there now).
And just when you thought attention spans couldn’t get any shorter, the network has announced a rebrand with a “louder, shorter and hyper-visual” feel that aims to “bring new video art to audiences worldwide.” MTV worked with B-Reel Creative to develop a system whereby content hashtagged #MTVbump on social media can be sifted through and broadcast on-air in less than two hours. Just imagine, your weird amateur stop motion video art on TV!
It’s all part of MTV’s attempt to reinvigorate itself, by scrapping their old motto (“I Want My TV”) for something more indicative of the zeitgeist: “I Am My MTV.” This seems like a pretty transparent attempt to remain relevant as the creation and dissemination of musical and visual content become more democratic thanks to the internet. And while some may be annoyed by the company lazily relying more heavily on user-generated content, this new platform really has potential to provide exposure to emerging visual artists and inspire a new generation of creatives.
Let’s hope that this actually yields some cool and interesting visual art from talented young artists.
