With the introduction of social media platforms such a TikTok, the importance of virality when it comes to music videos has become more and more prioritised by music artists. It has redefined contemporary music video production where the possibility for a songs visuals to become TikTok famous drives the purpose of the video. Recent examples of this can include Jack Harlow’s Hello Mis Johnson and Sabrina Carpenters recent music videos as well. These artists have demonstrated use of distinct strategies to guarantee their visuals become part of current digital culture and go beyond the traditional music video format.

Jack Harlow’s Hello Miss Johnson video uses an innovative aesthetic by integrating doorbell camera-style footage that almost mimicks the format of viral internet clips and could be mistaken for footage used in a viral meme. Harlow’s video blurs the boundaries between everyday surveillance imagery and visual art, allowing for an immediate appeal to TikTok users. The glitchy, raw quality of this footage is reminiscent of Steven Shaviro’s exploration of “glitch aesthetics,” where the deliberate embrace of imperfection captures viewers’ fragmented digital attention spans.

Similarly, Sabrina Carpenter’s strategic use of high-profile actors like Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega means there is sure to be significant media coverage of her visuals. These casting choices create mini-narratives around the videos, sparking conversations that spread like wildfire across TikTok and other platforms. This technique reflects the increasing porousness between music video, cinema, and celebrity culture, as noted in Vernallis’s analysis of music videos as transmedia events.

Both examples illustrate how music videos now function as social media artifacts, designed to live as much on users’ For You Pages as on YouTube. This prioritization of virality signals a new chapter for music video aesthetics, where the primary goal is no longer just artistic expression but ensuring digital longevity, virality and cultural impact.

Olivia Coleman – 33752564

Bibliography

Jack Harlow (2024). Jack Harlow – Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q86_nlRoIGw

SabrinaCarpenterVEVO (2024a). Sabrina Carpenter – Please Please Please (Official Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF1Na4AIecM.

SabrinaCarpenterVEVO (2024b). Sabrina Carpenter – Taste. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEG7b851Ric.

Shaviro, S. (2017). Digital Music Videos. Rutgers University Press, pp.51–75.

Vernallis, C. (2014). Unruly media : you tube, music video, and the new digital cinema. New York: Oxford University Press Inc, pp.207–233.