The Gangnam Style music video has swept the Internet, and while it isn’t unusual for a pop song to be so heavily played and inspire so many parodies (including this awesome video from Hubspot), this is a unique case because the song isn’t in English. In fact, many of the song’s biggest fans probably don’t even know what “Gangnam” means.
Actually, it’s a district in Seoul known as one of the most affluent areas of Korea. Singer Psy has said that the song is about how the girls in Gangnam are ladylike, classy, and perfect during the day, but aren’t afraid to party and get crazy at night. So of course, people have latched onto this notion of “I’m classy but like to have fun too.”
Only that’s not the entire story.
Gangnam Style is also a song that pokes fun at itself and at the Gangnam region. There’s subtle social commentary in this song about classes and wealth.
And perhaps most importantly, Psy himself has mentioned that people who actually do have Gangnam style would never announce it, kind of in the same way someone who truly has class would never walk around saying “I’m so classy!” Announcing that you have Gangnam style is kind of like flashing a wad of cash around. If you have to tell people you have Gangnam style, you probably don’t have Gangnam style.
We definitely don’t need more bloggers with Gangnam style.
We don’t need more people flashing their advice and money and shouting “I’m an expert!” We just need people who are experts, or rather, who are learning all they can about this new media world and passing it on.
If you have to tell people you are an expert, you probably aren’t an expert.
It’s not just the terminology either. We can debate all day long about whether you should call someone an expert or an influencer or a professional or something else, but that’s not my point. My point is that we all need to stand on our own merits of action and experience, rather than just doling out advice. If you’ve never made money blogging, for example, don’t start a blog teaching people how to make money blogging.
What have you done? What do you know? What is your passion? The next time you sit down to write a blog post, try answering these questions first. Leave the Gangnam style to the pop stars.
Join the conversation! Do you think too many bloggers are focused on their “Gangnam style”? Leave a comment!
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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