Written By Xinqi Zhou（33837441）
MV (Music Video) has a profound significance in modern culture. It is not only a visual presentation of a song but also a product of the combination of music and video art. Initially, the main function of MV was to promote songs or albums. With the rise of MTV, music videos have become an important means of publicity for pop music, helping artists to expand their popularity worldwide. MTV is an American cable television channel. It was officially launched in 1981. It pioneered the concept of visual music narrative, combining audio and visual art into a new form of cultural expression.
In 1983, Michael Jackson released the album “Thriller” and launched the music video of the song of the same name. The video caused a huge sensation when it was played on MTV.
This music video is considered a milestone in the field of music videos (MVs) with its unique narrative style, film-level production, complex choreography and visual effects. This 14-minute MV tells a story that combines horror elements with musical performances and is still regarded as an iconic work of pop culture. “Thriller” was the first work that truly turned music videos into visual and cultural events.
Music critic Joseph Vogel wrote: “Thriller was more than a musical record, it was a massively successful cultural and multimedia phenomenon, more than any other in history. It marked the birth of a new sound, a new musical era, a new concept of pop star and a new concept of pop music albums (Joseph Vogel, 2016). It also became a global cultural phenomenon.
Through MTV and other television platforms, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video not only influenced the music video industry, but also changed the way music was consumed around the world. This popularity has extended MV from the music to multiple fields such as dance, fashion and performance. After this, MV also ushered in the golden age.
After that, with the emergence of platforms such as YouTube in 2000 and TikTok and Instagram in recent years, MVs have also become more diverse forms of expression, and music has also innovated in different ways using visual storytelling, creative and interactive.
Today, platforms such as TikTok have completely changed how music videos are consumed. Unlike traditional MVs, short videos are optimized for trends, challenges, and virality.
For example, brat, which exploded in the summer of 2024, was a huge success on social media with pop star Charli XCX’s latest album “Brat”. Netizens called the summer of 2024 “Brat Summer”. The arrival of Brat summer has triggered a trend of memes about the meaning of “Brat summer”. Many memes feature photos with the same or similar green tones as the album cover of “Brat”. This trend is related to music videos (MVs), and artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish have adopted “brat” elements in visuals and performances.
This synergy between the music video aesthetic and TikTok trends amplifies the “brat” image. There’s a reason the song went viral on social media, not only because of the music itself, but also because brat became a trend on social media after TikTok creator Kelley Heyer created a dance for the song in June that has been viewed over a million times and a lot of celebrities join this video trend.
The shift from MTV to digital social networks reflected the evolution of music videos (MVs) from television to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In these digital spaces, MVs are not only viewed, but also interacted with—creating viral trends, memes, and user-generated content, making social media become the new stage for music video.
Reference List:
1,Joseph Vogel, Man In The Music. La vita creativa di Michael Jackson, Arcana Edizioni, Roma, 2012, pag.71).
2,Schonfeld, A. (2024) Why is every celeb doing the ‘apple’ dance – and why can’t we stop watching them?, People.com. Available at: https://people.com/why-is-every-celeb-doing-the-apple-dance-charli-xcx-8681793 (Accessed: 19 November 2024).
3, @luciezicklerova (2024) Brat summer for dummies. Proč Teď Všude Vidíš Zelenou a Jak BÝT BRAT?, HEY FOMO. Available at: https://heyfomo.cz/brat-summer-for-dummies-proc-ted-vsude-vidis-zelenou-a-jak-byt-brat (Accessed: 19 November 2024).
4, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA (Accessed: 19 November 2024).
Digital Audiovisual Media Class Blog 
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