How Do I Get a Pinterest Invite?

So people have been asking. This Pinterest thing seems to be the newest fad and Pinterest growing pretty fast. How can I get an invite so I can try it out or at least figure out if it is something worthwhile?

Pinterest is a “virtual pinboard” used to share images from around the web. Many businesses are now using it as a way of attracting visitors to their sites. Pinterest is already growing to be a big traffic driver for a lot of retailers as people “pin” up products they like or things they find artsy or beautiful.

Ok enough talk, so how can I get an invite!

Two Ways to get an Pinterest Invite

1. Ask around for an Invite!
It’s cool. It’s not like begging for an invite to a party you aren’t invited to. You’ll be surprised how many of your friends are already on Pinterest and pinning away. Just ask people on Facebook, Twitter and see if one of your friends already have an account. Then when they offer, first accept the invite, open your account then say “Why didn’t you invite me earlier! You hid this from me! You are not my friend!” JK.

2. Ask Clean Cut Media for an invite!
We are happy to give away a few invites, but we’d like to give it to our most engaged readers so here is what you can do to secure an invite from us. It’s easy. See below!

Securing an Invite from Clean Cut Media

1) Leave a comment below telling us how you plan to use the account! (valid email so we can invite!)

2) Follow Us on Facebook & Twitter – and send us a note via one of these accounts asking for the Pinterest invite!

Follow @CleanCutMedia

that’s all!
Looking forward to seeing some of your Pins!

Related posts:

1. Pinterest Moving up the Social Media Ranks
2. Who has Access to Your Facebook? Clean it in 1 Minute.
3. Teens Don’t Use Twitter, What the Tweet?

Twitter Can Censor Your Content

Twitter has announced through it’s blog that it could “reactively withhold content from users in a specific country”. Basically, twitter is saying it has the right to remove content if it is against the laws of a particular country or if needed by special request.

This created a bit of controversy.

Is upholding Freedom of Speech important enough to break local laws?

Twitter Controversy – Freedom of Speech > Local Laws?

Freedom of information advocacy groups criticized the decision, afraid that it curbs the freedom of information and expression. Their concern is that it opens a dangerous precedent. Twitter’s response is that as they enter countries “that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression,” that they need to comply to such laws. One example is France and Germany banning pro-Nazi content. Of course, there are more controversial bans such as China’s famous suppression of information regarding Tienanmen Square, and more recently the killing sites discussing human rights issues during the Beijing games.

Google famously refused to cave into China’s censorship rules thus was never able to gain ample market share in the region. However remember China is a unique case of extreme censorship control.

Twitter has said that they have not used this ability yet, but if they do, they said “we will attempt to let the user know, and we will clearly mark when the content has been withheld”. They also admitted that some country’s views on this issue is so divergent that they won’t be able to exist there at all. China is one such country where twitter has been banned altogether due to being a source of news the government does not look kindly on.

Questions to Ponder about Twitter

• Is Freedom of Speech being violated considering this Local Laws of other countries may differ?
• Should we demand Twitter to uphold Freedom of Speech, if it means ignoring Local Laws if other countries?
• Is Freedom of Speech a right that goes beyond Laws, a higher right that everyone deserves?

Related posts:

1. Teens Don’t Use Twitter, What the Tweet?
2. Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter Statistics: Raising $200 Million
3. Growth of Social Media Statistics Video: Socialnomics

What is Pinterest? How does it Work?

Pinterest is a clever social media bookmarketing site where users can “pin up” pictures and snippets of interest from all around the web. Users create pin boards in different categories and share with all their friends who then can repin your pin ups to further spread the fun. Pin board categories can be anything from Humor, Weddings, Photography, Art, Gadgets or anything else the user desires.

Pinterest is Rising in the Social Media Ranks

Pinterest has been growing rapidly, increasing 400% just in the last quarter. In December Pinterest had 7.51 million unique visitors. Many retailers are also showing Pinterest as a top 5 referrer.

Pinterest on Clean Cut Media

Clean Cut Media has also felt it’s impact as we have been seeing a stream of visitors from many of our Chalk Art pictures being pinned up on various pin boards. Pinterest has lodged itself as a top 5 referrer here as well!

Clean Cut Media also has a pinterest where we will do our best to post some of the great examples of clean creativity and art across the web.

Pinterest Infographic

• Have you tried Pinterest? How do you like it?
• Do you feel Pinterest is a fad, or an idea that will continue to grow?

How do I get a Pinterest Invite?

Dying to try it out but don’t know how to get an Pinterest invite?
We are happy to give our readers an invite, but since it’s limited, we want to give to our best readers.

Come visit this post where we explain how to quickly get an invite!
Invite Post: How do i get a Pinterest Invite?

Related posts:

1. How Do I Get a Pinterest Invite?
2. Does Social Media Work for Small Business?
3. Growth of Social Media Statistics Video: Socialnomics

YouTube Statistics - Views Per Day

YouTube – Hits 4 Billion Views a Day

• How many videos do you watch in a week?
• How many times have you gone to youtube to watch 1 video and ended up watching 7?

Google confirmed that YouTube is now averaging 4 BILLION views per day. They also confirmed that 60 hours of video is uploaded into the site, every MINUTE.

Back in 2010 we were awed that YouTube hit 2 billion views per day, bringing up many discussions about whether YouTube was helping or hurting our culture as a whole.

Then Back in May 2011, a mere 8 months ago, YouTube celebrate it’s 6th birthday by citing YouTube is averaging 3 billion views per day and 48 hours of video uploaded per minute. Incredible. At the time, YouTube cited this is equivalent of every US Resident watching at least 9 videos per day. That is EVERY US RESIDENT. That means if some guy without internet is not watching a video, someone is watching 18 times. But now at 4 Billion Views, YouTube has seen a 50% increase in views in about less than a year. At this rate, they would probably hit 5 billion within 6 months.

Is there a ceiling to this?

How many videos can one person possibly watch in a day?

That is an insane about of videos. We really need a resurgent of hobbies or find some meaningful work! Anyone have any good stories of replacing mundane video watching with something productive?

Ironically having said that, below is a YouTube video highlighting this latest milestone. HA! Add another view to that figure.

Confession Time

So a little confession time. Let us know below in the comments & poll:

• How many videos do you think you watch a week?
• How many times have you gone to youtube to watch 1 video and ended up watching 7?

Don’t leave out those outliers where you watched 25 videos with your two friends around the couch!

Related posts:

1. Youtube Statistics – 2 Billion Views Per Day [Infographic]
2. YouTube Statistics – Growing like a Man Child [Infographic]
3. Youtube Statistics – The Ultimate Time Suck

Do you know who has access to your Facebook? Your Twitter? To your Google Account?

What Apps, Programs, Websites have you given access to over time that you have forgotten about?

You may be surprised how many apps have access to your account!

With the new year, take a few minutes to see who has access, and clean it up! A new site called “mypermissions.org” provides links to the various settings pages. It’s quite simple. No login needed. Just click on the link to go to your settings and see who is linked to your account.

If you are so lazy or so fearful of clicking over to another site… I have provided the direct links to your setting pages below. Just click on the links below, log into your account (unless you are already logged in) and you should be at your settings/access page. Just click off the ones you don’t want accessing your data! A fresh new start for 2012.

Facebook Settings
Twitter Settings
Google Settings
Linkedin Settings
Instagram Settings
Flickr Settings

• Let us know, how many applications were accessing YOUR ACCOUNT?!
• Were you surprised?

Related posts:

1. Change Your New HTTPS Facebook Privacy Settings Now
2. Top 10 General Security Tips for Facebook
3. Complete Facebook Privacy Settings Checklist

Improv Everywhere – Mall Santa Musical

Merry Christmas Everyone! A little Holiday Post for you all! For all your Musical Lovers and Improv Everywhere lovers… check out this heart warming spontaneous musical at a New Jersey Mall. Who doesn’t enjoy random musicals breaking out at the mall? This one centers around sitting on Santa’s lap.

Look! Santa Claus is Singing a Musical!

Improv Everywhere – Carousel Horse Race

Also enjoy this fun, feel good Improv stunt where the agents take a regular Carousel and make it into a live, legit horserace. Must have been exciting for the kids riding the carousel and the parents who witnessed this spectacle.

See more Improve Everywhere Musicals Here.

Google Releases Zeitgeist 2011 Search Statistics

Google has released it’s Zeitgeist 2011 statistics. Google Zeitgeist highlights the top search trends of the year. I also see it as a snapshot into our culture because it really highlights recent fads, what sparks our interest and what grabbed the most attention. Whenever I see these lists, it’s a mix of excited curiosity and a bit of sadness over what grabs the most attention in our society. Take it as you will. Here is the top 10 list with some notes and comments for reference.

Top 10 Fastest Rising Google Searches in 2011

1.) Rebecca Black [WHY?!!]
2.) Google+
3.) Ryan Dunn [He was the main daredevil in the show jacka**. Died this year]
4.) Casey Anthony [Mother was found not guilty of first degree murder charges of her daughter Caylee]
5.) Battlefield 3 [Video Game]
6.) iPhone 5
7.) Adele [Singer]
8.) 東京 電力 (TEPCO) [Japan's Nuclear Power Plant Evacuated after Quake.]
9.) Steve Jobs
10.) iPad 2

Considering all the tragedies that happened this year, you would think such things would be higher on the list, but Rebecca Black? Really?

Couple more top 5/10 lists for those interested.

Top 5 Google Searches – Gadgets

1.) Amazon Kindle Fire
2.) iPhone 4s
3.) Sidekick 4g
4.) HP Touchpad
5.) Spb Shell 3d
*6) iPad 2 [case you were wondering]

Top 10 Fastest Falling Google Searches in 2011

1.) Myspace [it has traffic to be falling?]
2.) Hi5 [oh I hate those spam friend emails!]
3.) Mebo
4.) Nasza Klasa
5.) Netlog
6.) Baidu [Largest Search Engine in China.]
7.) Wer Kennt Wen
8.) Meinvz
9.) Hotmail Correo
10.) Delta Airlines

Top 5 Clean Cut Media Searches

Only because I know you are dying to know this…
I’ve also linked to the article driving the most traffic.
Note that these statistics favor postings that came earlier in the year since the data is cumulative.

In 2011 (search queries grouped by category).
1.) YouTube [YouTube Statistics - The Ultimate Time Suck]
2.) Chalk Art [3D Chalk Arts in the Streets Part I]
3.) Michael Jackson [Michael Jackson Death Causes Social Media Explosion]
4.) Social Media [Social Media Statistics Video]
5.) Clean Movies [Clean Family Friendly Movie Reviews & Ratings]
6.) 9/11 [Sept 11, 2001 - World Trade Center, Remembering 9/11]
7.) Art [Amazing 3D Building Chalk Arts]
8.) Photoshop [France to Regulate Airbrushed & Photoshopping Pictures]
9.) Facebook [Change Your New HTTPS Facebook Privacy Settings Now]
10.) Nickelback [Nickelback - Savin' Me Music Video]

• Any of this shock you or surprise you?
• Any thoughts on this list?

Related posts:

1. Top Searches in 2009 on Yahoo & Bing
2. South Korea: World’s Fastest Internet, PC Gaming Capital
3. YouTube Statistics – Growing like a Man Child [Infographic]

Most Shared Stories on Facebook 2011

Facebook released the top 40 Most Share Stories on Facebook of 2011. It’s a list dominated by Yahoo and CNN stories ranging from light-hearted articles of babies and dogs to more serious topics such as the Japanese Quake and Steve Jobs.

Here at Clean Cut Media, we’ve posted on a number of articles on these very popular topics from Steve Jobs, the Japanese Quake, to the Golden-Voiced Homeless Man. Finish this article then check them out later!

Top 3  Media & Parenting Related Articles Shared on Facebook

Since we are a media site, we wanted to list below a few notable and well written articles related to MEDIA as well as Parenting. We’ve provided an excerpt so you can get a feel for the article before clicking through. The titles of the Articles are links.

Enjoy! Please leave comments below on your thoughts on the article!

How to Talk to Little Girls

This is a very enjoyable article discussing how even the smallest compliments can really mess up a girl’s perception of what is important especially when it comes to her looks. Considering we’ve written many articles here about a Girl’s Self Image, Young Girl’s Perception of Beauty, among many other similar topics, this article seemed pretty relevant to our readers. I think you’ll find yourself saying “that makes a lot of sense…” Please do comment your thoughts on the comment section below on this post.

Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, “Maya, you’re so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing!”
But I didn’t. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are.
What’s wrong with that? …
…This week ABC News reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat.
…15 to 18 percent of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly;
…eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down;
…25 percent of young American women would rather win America’s Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize.
…Even bright, successful college women say they’d rather be hot than smart.

…Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything.

Parents, Don’t Dress your Girls like Tramps

This piece is more of a rant towards parents than anything. However, the rant is still valid in pointing out that parents really need to take more responsibility about how their kids dress and understand how they are really messing up their child’s perception of themselves by dressing them up inappropriate ways. Check it out, then if you feel like ranting about it , leave some comments below on this post ok!

I guess I’ve been out-of-the-loop and didn’t realize there’s been an ongoing stampede of 10-year-old girls driving to the mall with their tiny fists full of cash demanding sexier apparel.

What’s that you say? Ten-year-olds can’t drive? They don’t have money, either? Well, how else are they getting ahold of these push-up bras and whore-friendly panties?
Their parents?

Noooo, couldn’t be.

What adult who wants a daughter to grow up with high self-esteem would even consider purchasing such items? What parent is looking at their sweet, little girl thinking, “She would be perfect if she just had a little bit more up top.” …

… It’s easy to blast companies for introducing the sexy wear, but our ire really should be directed at the parents who think low rise jeans for a second grader is cute. They are the ones who are spending the money to fuel this budding trend. They are the ones who are suppose to decide what’s appropriate for their young children to wear, not executives looking to brew up controversy or turn a profit.

What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents

This piece is not “media” related per say, but an article I enjoyed mainly because I have many friends who work full time as teachers and understand a little bit of the pains teachers go through. A good interesting read none-the-less. Feel free to comment with your opinions in the comment section below.

Today, new teachers remain in our profession an average of just 4.5 years, and many of them list “issues with parents” as one of their reasons for throwing in the towel…

…For starters, we are educators, not nannies. We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and often see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don’t fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer. I have become used to some parents who just don’t want to hear anything negative about their child, but sometimes if you’re willing to take early warning advice to heart, it can help you head off an issue that could become much greater in the future…

…Please, take a step back and get a good look at the landscape. Before you challenge those low grades you feel the teacher has “given” your child, you might need to realize your child “earned” those grades and that the teacher you are complaining about is actually the one that is providing the best education…

Hope you enjoy those! Please leave some comments below and give us your thoughts on these matters!

Related posts:

1. News: Delete Facebook Page Original Admin
2. Facebook Video, Photos Getting Bigger & Better
3. Social Media Consume 1 out of every 6 Minutes

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales Hit New Records

Online Shopping for Black Friday once again broke all previous records with sales of $816 million, up 26% compared to 2010. Even Thanksgiving Day (November 24th) which traditionally is a low sales day, saw a 18% increase in sales to $479 million.

Cyber Monday is estimated to have produced $1.25 billion dollars in sales (according to ComScore), up 22% from Cyber Monday 2010 which also was a record at the time. Last year we were stunned as Cyber Monday exceeded 1 Billion. However the sales continue to roll in. Other surveys conducted by IBM and eBay found even greater increases of 33% and 25% respectively. It’s final. Americans are spending more and more each year. Doesn’t matter if the economy is down, people will buy what they want.

Black Friday Sales Statistics at $816 Million

Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target & Apple Leads the Way

Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Apple were the top 5 most visited retailer properties during Black Friday. 50 million Americans were out and about, visiting retail stores to search for the best Black Friday deals. These visitors accounted for a 35% increase in visits versus 2010.

A source from Apple Retail has shared that Apple’s forecast for Black Friday was 4X the normal sales levels. However, by 7PM, Apple had already blown past those forecasts fueled through big ticket items like the iPad and MacBook Air sales.

Other Black Friday Sales & Visit Statistics

• Mobile devices accounted for 14.3% of all online Black Friday traffic, up 5.6% and responsible for 9.8% of online sales.
• Ecommerce sales were up 59% compared to last year.
• Black Friday mentions on Facebook & Twitter was up 110%.

Cyber Monday Sales Statistics – Tops $1.25 Billion!

On Cyber Monday, the average American consumer spent $198.26, up 2.6% from 2010. That’s nearly $200 dollars a person folks. More than 1 in 10 people used a mobile device to do research while about 6.6% of sales took place on the mobile device itself. This is 3X compared to 2010.

Mind Boggling Numbers: What do you think?

• Any of these statistics surprise you? Disturb you?
•  Were you able to find anything good on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Related posts:

1. Black Friday 2011: What’s the Buzz (in Social Media) [Infographic]
2. Bias of American Media – Influence of Media Money

Benefits of CommentLuv Premium: SEO & Community

First of all, I thank every one of you for visiting Clean Cut Media and double thanks to those who contribute to the discussion through commments! You are what makes this blog go and keeps me motivated to continue.

We are now testing out a new commenting system called CommentLuv Premium. It’s called CommentLuv because it shows “love” to those who leave comments by allowing them to leave a link back to one of their own blog entries. In theory (and through the testimony of many prominent bloggers), over time this should increase blog traffic as well as increase engagement on the site. It gives incentive for the “LURKERS” (people who read but never contribute) to actually leave a response. It also attracts bloggers from other blogs to come leave a comment. It also gives visitors incentive to “like” our facebook page or “+1″ our content. (Go Like our facebook page!!)

CommentLuv Premium is an EXCELLENT piece of plugin. If you are a blogger, go to the link below and check it out. It’s on sale for a limited time!

LINK TO COMMENTLUV PREMIUM WEBSITE

The CONS of CommentLuv Premium Plugin

The only downside is that many visitors will now come simply to try to add their links, try to draw in visitors but most of all to get “link juice.” A link what? In the world of SEO (search engine optimization), a link to your site in essence gives your site a vote of confidence in the eyes of the search engines. It gives your site more credibility. When super simplified, Google assumes that if people are linking to your content, it is because they like it. Thus the more links you got, the better. The more links you have from STRONG sites with high “pagerank” (a score determined by Google), the better. Our site at the moment is a solid PR 4, so I expect a lot of spam from those seeking to get links to their site. Luckily CommentLuv has a great spam filter built in.

But because of this, some house rules that were always in place but thought I’d share…

Commentluv Comment House Rules

1) MODERATION: Every comment here is moderated. When you Comment, it’s put into moderation to be reviewed before going live.
2) NAME: You must leave a LEGITIMATE name. If you put in names of your products or particular keywords you want to stuff in there, it will not be approved. (ex. Brian = Good, Internet Games Online = Not Good)
3) URL: It must be a good, clean site. Get rich sites, inappropriate sites, arbitrage sites, or any site that I wouldn’t want any of our users to visit will be removed.
4) COMMENT: Hey SEO guys, it’s really easy to spot spammers. More than 1 URL link? Disapproved. Nonsensical Comment? Disapproved. Comments clearly written by some outsourced company who does not speak english? Disapproved. Keyword stuffing into comment? Disapproved. Any links to pharmacy products or get rich schemes? Disapproved. Comments that say absolutely nothing but “Good Post” “Informative post” coupled with a keyword stuffed URL? Disapproved.

Basically, leave a real name, a good comment and there is nothing to worry about.

Examples of Bad Comments

Might as well have our readers learn a little about commenting! Here are some examples of bad spam comments that is supposed to be “sneaky” but then on a second look is obviously random.

POST: Siri Humor 
- Comment: “insightful, made me think a lot…”
- Response: this is not a thought provoking article.. it’s a bunch of screenshots of hilarious siri responses to funny questions. This comment is obviously a canned answers pasted through automated bots or by cheap SEO services using cheap tricks to put up links.

POST: Sept 11, 2001 – Remembering 9/11
- Comment: “You certainly understand how to keep a readers amused. Between your wit as well as your videos, I was nearly moved to start my own blog (well, almostHaHa!) Congrats. I truly loved what you needed to state, and more than that, the way you offered it. Too awesome!”
- Response: First of all, this comment is so poorly written. This is written by someone outside of the country. Secondly this post was about 9/11, it was a very SERIOUS post. This comment is utterly inappropriate, but it makes sense because no one had read the article. Again just bot or a mindless comment eager to get a link.

More Fun Fake Blog Comments

Lot of these remind me of those non-sense sentences written in asian stationaries . I left small commentaries on each one. Enjoy!

“No matter the ending is perfect or not, you cannot disappear from my world.”
- Yes… so true.. I think

“Hello, I just wanted to tell you, I disagree. Your post doesn’t make any sense.”
- So what did you disagree? You don’t make any sense…

“Very energetic post, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?”
- Energetic post.. nice

“Incredible quest there. What occurred after? Take care!”
- One quest is enough for me.

“This video post is really great, the echo quality and the picture feature of this video post is in fact amazing.”
- Especially when there is no videos in the post. Echo quality?

“Hurrah, that’s what I was exploring for, what a information! present here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web page.”
- “what a information”… what?! “weblog”… who says weblog?

“Hello, every time i used to check webpage posts here in the early hours in the break of day, for the reason that i enjoy to gain knowledge of more and more.”
- sounds like a bad parable..

“Hello to all, for the reason that I am genuinely eager of reading this web site’s post to be updated daily. It includes pleasant material.”
- omg

“I every time emailed this website post page to all my friends, for the reason that if like to read it next my contacts will too.”
- I every time think.. I understand, so I read it and so my contacts will understand and think a posting.

“Hi there, I want to subscribe for this blog to obtain most up-to-date updates, so where can i do it please assist.”
- This one is very sneaky!!! but it’s not legitimate.

“Hi there, after reading this awesome post i am too cheerful to share my familiarity here with friends.”
- Too cheerful to share your familiarity? Oh COME ON!

• Anyone else has hilarious examples of comments left in your spam folder? Share below! (please remove all links and no inappropriate words)
• How has your experience been with CommentLuv?

For bloggers interested in CommentLuv, Click the Image on Right.

Black Friday – Billion Dollar Business

In 2010, 212 million people spent around $45 billion dollars on Black Friday alone. As social media continues to grow and become mainstream, social media mediums such as Facebook and Twitter has become a huge source of buzz and announcements for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

• So what is the buzz on Black Friday?
• What are people talking about?
• Where are they headed?

Where are people planning to shop?

• Walmart: 21%
• Best Buy: 20%
• Target: 13%
• Macy: 11%
• Amazon: 10%
• Kmart: 9% (Kmart is still alive!?)

I'm so excited to buy stuff for myself!!!

Who will they buy it for?

• Themselves: 46% (selfish!)
• Others: 36% (aww…)
• Both: 18% (feeling justified?)

What will they buy on Black Friday?

Computers / Tablets: 18% (iPads & Macbook Pro)
DVD / Music / Video: 17% (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Call of Duty: MW3)
Shoes: 16% (Black Air Jordan Cements 3s, Black Air Yeezy 2)
Clothes: 14% (Polo Ralph Lauren, The Northface)
TVs: 12% (Flat Screen, 3D)
Cell Phones & Cameras: 9% (iPhone 4S, Galaxy Nexus, Evo 4G)

“In a recent study, 69% of shoppers stated that they trust the Internet for information on products and services (versus 43% who said magazines, and 35% who said TV). And 55% of shoppers say they’re less impulsive shoppers because of the Internet – they now take the time to research.”

Tablets: iPad vs Kindle Fire

10:1 - For every time Kindle Fire is mentioned on social media, iPad is mentioned 10 times the amount. As shoppers tend to discuss the brands and items they desire on social media, this is a trend that is noteworthy.

• Anyone planning to get an iPad or Kindle Fire?

Black Friday Statistics Infographic!

• What are you buying this Black Friday?
• Do you end up buying something you need, or something you didn’t really need at all!

Related posts:

1. Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales Hits New Records
2. Bias of American Media – Influence of Media Money

Watch the Brave Pixar Trailer

The new Brave trailer is out. Brave is the next Pixar movie slated to make its theatrical debut on June 22, 2012. Pixar has been known to produce high quality, clean, family friendly movies on a consistent basis. I always look forward to Pixar movie releases. They never really disappoint especially compared to lot of the garbage “family” movies out there.

Pixar Brave’s Story & Premise

Brave follows the story of Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald). Merida is a young Scottish woman from the Highlands. She is out to “carve out her own path in life,” breaking the traditions of her people. It delves into the themes of tradition, bravery and self-journey.

Watch Pixar’s Brave Movie Trailer

Traditions vs “Being True to Yourself”

One thing I wonder is how Pixar will go about portraying the breaking of traditions. In our culture, media often romanticizes and promotes the idea of self independence and doing what you feel is right, often at the expense of tradition and responsibilities. It is the idea to forget what everyone tells you because you need to be true to yourself. Rebelling against authority, and following your own sense of right and wrong is sprinkled everywhere because inwardly, we all want to do what we want to do. That is why it appeals to us. In many ways, tradition and duty is often given very little weight, though often traditions are there for good reason.

Movies that take protagonists that breaks traditions, relationships, perhaps cause a lot of hurt and pain, but in the end has everything work out, makes us a little bit more open to that idea that it really is all about being true to oneself. The value of self-sacrifice and holding to responsibilities and duty even if it puts a damper in one’s own desires and plans is undermined in many cases. Think about sacrificing careers to be with your family, giving up own interest for the betterment of the group, giving up your dream because of your commitment to something or someone.

Some movies do fine with these themes. Mulan comes to mind. Mulan is shown as self-sacrificial. She breaks traditional roles, not because she wants to gain something for herself, but to save her Father. But then there are movies where the main character simply does what he or she feels like because it makes them happy or in the name of love or because they are trying to be “true to herself,” meanwhile leaving a string of pain and hurts behind. (But then it all magically works out in the end right? So why not?)

But I will always give Pixar the benefit of the doubt. Unlike most movies, Pixar has always managed to churn out a good message and their movies seems to be sensitive to the family viewers. So hoping for the best and looking forward to Brave.

Chime in Pixar Fans

• What was your favorite Pixar movie of all time?