Growing Up In The 50's

The 1960’s were arguably the most influential years in American music’s history. The music helped connect people of all races, whom enjoyed visiting jazz-clubs in the early to mid-60s, to listen to the music and poetry performed by African-Americans. Much of the music from the 1960s also led to the creation and popularization of new genres and subgenres, such as rock-and-roll. These new music styles influenced the lifestyles of a large majority of Americans, particularly teenagers and young-adults, who mimicked the lifestyles of many stars of the time.

Music is often considered “the universal language.” Throughout, history it has symbolized love, brought people together, and has been the cornerstone of many lives. In the 1950s, a new form of music entered American mass culture that drastically changed the culture of the United States (U.S.): rock music. In the U.S., it began as Rock ‘n’ Roll, a originally “black” music genre that was then taken and promulgated by white Americans. Post WWII, many Americans—especially teenagers—struggled with the newfound societal conformity and normalcy, and rock provided them a form of retaliation. From its beginning, Rock united the younger generation of Americans, stirring up a sense of community amongst teenagers and troubling many adults by their actions—heightening

The 1950’s represent the beginning of the development of the music industry, as it is known today. It is from here on that the genre of ‘popular music’ existed and began to dominate the charts. Of course, there were acts that existed before the 50’s, and made a good name for them selves, acts like Bing Crosby, but it was in the 50’s that certain artists became household names, and idols to the masses.

Music in 1950s comprised of sweet lyrics, light melodies, feel-good tunes, virtuous and innocuous songs and sensible singers. While parents were listening to the melodies and country music children were attracted to the new beat songs. Rock-n-Roll became popular which was developed newly in 1950s among the high school teenagers. This generation had plenty of time and surplus money compared to the previous generations and could spend money on records and gramophones. The musical style Rock-n-Roll was owned by youth with live performances, lead and follow concerts which influenced the attitudes, lifestyles, fashions and language. Movies during this period were appealing to the families since they reflected the society and the way that families deal with their

Throughout history, people have looked towards past history to recognize the problems that society endured. Some might say certain time periods was the best time to live as others periods were full of failure and the mistakes and should not be repeated. The idea of a perfect time to live is known as “golden age thinking” which is ultimately defined as a certain time period is better than the one they live in today. This hasty generalization bases an entire era with very little evaluation and thought due to people lacking to realize there is no such thing as the best era. However certain times may have accompanied better economic stability or less social oppression such as Stephanie Coontz’s article “What We Really Miss About the 1950s.” The idea of making a golden age by force by structuring society in very detailed manners causes a loss of privacy, choice and ultimately a loss of freedom due to the deprivation of individuality. The loss of individuality causes a loss in competition within a society causing people to lose interest in being more than what is just allowed like in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story “Harrison Bergeron.” Every era in history has had its setbacks but that is why every time period is run through trial and error.

Like Solnit, I believe society, especially the younger generation, has suffered greatly with the expansion of the Digital Revolution that we are now living in. One of the main perpetrators in my opinion is the emergence of the smartphone. Considering that presently there are over four billion mobile phone users in the world right now, and that 3.5 billion people with access to the internet in 2016, a 900% increase since the year 2000, it is no wonder that our society has changed drastically in these past few years. Thanks to smartphones, the vast population of the world now have easy access to the internet from their back pocket. In recent years smartphones have become the most popular way to surf the web, so with that in mind I have chosen the smartphone as an object which will signify how our culture has changed in recent history.

One of the social changes in the 1950s was rock-n-roll music which led to teens rebelling against the social norms and being able to freely express themselves. In fact, much of the older generation looked down upon rock-n-roll because they considered it tasteless and music from the devil. While in the 1960s, music was considered a way to really express yourself and tell the world about how you really felt about the current situation. Much of the 60’s music was used to protest the Vietnam War and show the government that they did not want to go off to war to fight. The 1950s was a decade filled with change and prosperity while the 1960s were the years of rebellion and

Many people inaccurately assess the 1950s and 1960s. Historians, in particular, tend to describe the 1950s as a decade of prosperity and the 1960s as one of turbulence. According to most, peace and harmony defined the 50s while violence and protest conjured the 60s. This isn't true because controversy existed in the fifties, many achievements occurred in the sixties, and both decades had its political ups and downs. With all the criticism surrounding it, the 1960s remains one of the most controversial decades in American history.

In such a short period of time people now seem more absorbed by these objects which are meant for communication but at the same time separate people from each other and shape the way people communicate. It is almost as if everyone was from a different country and did not know how to communicate with each other. My main focus on this project was the dining halls but since I currently live on a ten story building here on campus I could also notice this same behavior of using phones in the elevators. People usually walking in listening to music or with their phone, and the eye contact is kept to the minimum. Nobody says anything but a very few amount of people who say a greeting when they walk in. So with the observations on the elevator I saw that this behavior was not only displayed in dining halls, but basically everywhere and because everyone has these items I could notice it even while I was walking to my classes. Some people did not even pay attention to where they were walking because of being focused on a phone. In the most extreme cases I saw people on hover boards while using their phone which is life-threatening for the user and people around

The 1950s is considered to be the model decade of America. Families were close, children respected their elders, workers worked hard to provide for their families who grew up in nice neighborhoods, and the economy was booming. The forced conformity, neglect of the poor, and segregation are often overlooked when talking about the decade as they were during the time period. The 1950s were a prodigious time period for family life but not for the individual or societal ethics.

The fifties and sixties were completely different in so many ways; the times had changed a lot in the transition of decades. The types of music, for one, were in great contrast. By the sixties the rock-'n'-roll and pelvic thrusting of the fifties had transformed into the pop, rock and folk music of the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Teenagers changed a lot over the two decades a lot, too. The tight pant, leather jacket bodgies, with their greased hair, and the widgies, with their rope petticoats and flared dresses, were replaced by the teenagers of the Psychedelic era. These teenagers preferred the swirled shapes and bright colours, with their newly found mini-skirts, and for the guys it was paisley shirts.

The music of the “swinging 60s”especially influenced the lives of many teenagers, with the rock ’n’ roll craze of the 50s still

Technological advances during the last fifty years of human history have given billions of people instant access to unprecedented communication methods. Individuals are no longer limited to letter writing and sending telegrams to convey a verbal message. E-mails, text messaging, video chat, instant messenger, and various social media outlets are all platforms for human communication in the modern world. One of the most significant communication devices to surface from the technological serge is the cellular telephone. Every individual with a cell phone has the ability to call any person, place, or agency at anytime as long as the individual is within the service provider's coverage area. The prevalence of cell phone owners has increased the use of cell phones in public places, such as schools, restaurants, and theaters, and their use in public is associated with both positive and negative implications. Some argue cell phones should be banned from public places because they are a social distraction, inhibit the user from being able to focus properly, and can cause safety concerns by interfering with airplanes and hospital equipment. Despite the negative impacts associated with cell phone use in public places, cell phones must be allowed in public for safety reasons, emergency scenarios, and to support the individual's right to personal freedom.

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,

It is amazing how everyone’s life is changing by through us of technology. “Technology by definition means, the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science”(Technology). Today people use different kinds of technology like: cellphones, iPods, laptops, mp3s, and all of the devices create a convenient and comfort for every individual. As technology is updating every day, and every second it is affecting people’s lives and changing the pace of everything that relates to humans’ routines. One of the most important things that technology changes is the way everyone communicates. Technologies create more powerful and effective ways of communication. People are getting used to a new way to be alone together. Conversation in number and quality decrease as technology replaces in human interaction. In this article author gives insight into how technology distracts people without considering what price they are paying and persuades how technology has a huge effect on people’s conversation.