Selena Gomez’s reactions at the MTV VMAs led to hot takes and a wide array of thinkpieces. The way she responded to all the viral moments prove that she’s really over all of it and brings up an important discussion about celebrity social media discourse and public opinion.

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Whatever you think of all the Selena Gomez viral videos and hot takes about her VMAs appearance on social media, she’s over it. The multi-hyphenate’s reactions during the MTV Video Music Awards garnered plenty of attention, and all sorts of discourse has put her on the top of the trends list once again.

“DRAGGED FOR BEING MYSELF”

Selena went viral during Olivia Rodrigo’s VMAs performance, where the deja vu singer reenacted her vampire music video by staging a faux stage and pyrotechnic malfunction and Selena could be seen holding a hand to her ear. And of course, the narrative people on social media ran with was that she didn’t like Olivia’s performance.

This is completely unfair and out of context: Olivia pretended to have her set break down and semi-explode as she was fake rushed off stage, and Selena was reacting to that, probably thinking something was really going wrong. #VMAs https://t.co/lOYsxKv2Ct

— Gibson Johns (@gibsonoma) September 13, 2023

People defended her, though, clarifying that Olivia’s set surprised and confused the audience, especially with the singer’s fake-worried reaction to her own stage. Selena herself commented on an Instagram post about her reaction, explaining “I heard a loud noise and it scared me.”

Second, when she made a face at convicted assaulter Chris Brown’s nomination, she earned all sorts of reactions—mostly positive, though. She was praised for showing disapproval of the artist. And then she made headlines again when she commented on an iHeartRadio Australia Instagram post about the “incident” saying, “Who cares lol.”

Selena took to Instagram after all that to comment, saying, “I will never be a meme again. I’d rather sit still than be dragged for being myself. Much love.”

Within a day, public opinion about Selena swayed so fast with just a few seconds of videos and some viral posts. And it’s happened many times to Selena before, her Francia Raisa incident among them.

And while it’s ironic she’s making headlines (even ours) after subtly (and perhaps inadvertently) shedding light on sensationalism, it’s worthy to have a discussion about the problem with going viral, unwarranted think-pieces, and pushing our own narratives on celebrities and everything we see on social media.

THE PROBLEM WITH VIRALITY

Selena has had a year in the spotlight. From the “beef” with Hailey Bieber, to being made a meme multiple times, the star has gone viral so often just for existing—as celebrities often do.

And whether or not you like or care at all about Selena, all these instances beg the question of how easy it is for us to fall into the trap of basing our opinion of people and issues on what we see through a screen. Of course, a person’s actions do help form our opinion of them, but in the spotlight, at a time where anybody can post a photo or video without context and frame a moment however they like, our assumptions and hot takes are less grounded on actual facts and context and instead hinges on “what’s this account with thousands of followers implying?” or “what’s the majority of people saying?” for fear of getting cancelled.

Celebrities themselves can also frame a narrative however they like (they literally have teams of people advising and executing such plans), so it’s really been tough to critically examine things or form our own opinions when control of media and public opinion is so easy to take.

So, it’s kind of new and refreshing to see someone like Selena Gomez herself take control of the narrative and stand her ground with the truth on her side. People are quick to turn unnecessarily cruel or perceive not just celebrities, but anyone they see online, not as people but as fodder for hate or gossip or think-pieces. The online world has become so tricky and exhausting that we really often need to take a step back and reexamine ourselves, our obsession with celebrities, and our social media consumption.

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Monopoly GO! is revealing quite a bit about people with the way they play the game.

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If you’ve been sent a link that says “Play MONOPOLY GO! with me” and completely ignored it because of how scammy it looks, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, it’s legit. And if you give the game a chance, we guarantee you’ll find yourself rolling dice, collecting stickers, and leveling up buildings for hours on end.

WHAT IS MONOPOLY GO?

@monopolygo #rollforriches #monopolygo #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo

Monopoly GO! is a recent viral game adaptation of the classic board game Monopoly and just as fun—if not more. Essentially, you get dice rolls to spend on trying to earn enough money to level up “landmarks” on each level or board on the map (there are over 100 boards!).

You can land on all the classic Monopoly tiles like the street property tiles, where you earn a certain amount of money, “chance” tiles where you get certain advantages, the “Go To Jail” tile where you have to roll doubles to get out or you lose money, the Railroad tiles where you can either destroy someone else’s landmark or steal money from their bank, and more.

@monopolygo how to play #monopolygo #monopoly #gamingtips ♬ original sound – monopolygo

The game is well-made with stunning art and clever themes. It’s also interactive enough to begin and end friendships, what with the various features that allow players to play with each other, whether or not they’re in-game friends, such as being able to collect and trade “stickers”—art cards of various rarities used to complete sticker albums for prizes.

In the months I’ve played and seen my friends and strangers online play, I’ve learned quite a few things about people. And while they might just be biased observations or sweeping generalizations, I’ve gained an interesting look at humanity through how Monopoly GO! has permeated our lives.

We love being rewarded.

@monopolygo how to do it fa$t #monopolygo #luxurylifestyle #rollforriches ♬ original sound – monopolygo

It’s a given. But a large part of why Monopoly GO! is so addicting is the amount of rewards to be earned—large sums of money, dice rolls, and collectible stickers among others. Successful games are those that make players continue to play because there’s always something to look forward to, whether it’s new themes or more rewards.

So, when we’re given a goal with sure rewards, we most likely will do anything to complete it—even spend actual money. I haven’t done it, but I’m sure so many have. The game is pretty generous with its rewards, never too little that you want to stop playing, but never too much that you think it’s easy. Plus, it lets us live out our dreams of being rich enough to buy and renovate properties.

We enjoy a bit of friendly competition (and revenge).

@monopolygo betrayal deep! #monopolygo #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo

A genius feature Monopoly GO! introduced is being able to interact with other players. Tap-and-win games like this one don’t usually have such interaction. When a player lands on a Railroad tile, they can either “Heist” from a player the game chooses and steal their money, or attempt to wreck the landmark of a player they choose (which they then have to fix with game money).

It’s a lot of fun when you’re the one committing the offense, but when someone I knew from high school targeted my landmark fifteen times in a row, it wasn’t as fun. It’s hilarious to do it to someone else, though. Maybe we’re all just predisposed to harmlessly messing around with each other.

People have very different perspectives on how to play the game.

@alyssabsharma Its rough out here yall 😩 #monopolygo #scammers #stevecarrell #games #capcut #monopoly #stickers ♬ ROCKSTAR – DaBaby, Roddy Ricch

In my early days of playing, giving away stickers for free if someone needed it was a no-brainer. Then one day, when I needed a four-star sticker (stickers range from 1 to 5 stars), I asked my friend and to my surprise, they said, “How badly do you want it?”

They eventually promised the sticker to me free of anything in exchange if I didn’t get it from the game after a certain time, but it was the first out of many moments that led me to realize how self-serving we can end up being as people. Even I have fallen victim to thinking that I need something equal or equivalent in exchange for a sticker or else I gain nothing.

People have been selling virtual stickers for up to P300, and that’s just locally. People have also been scammed out of a trade by not sending over a sticker after someone else has sent theirs. An economy of stickers has emerged from this game, and it’s making me wonder if we need to reexamine our values and the mindset we put ourselves in that we have to get to the next level or win the big rewards without having to lose anything, not even the fewest stars. Because what does that say about us as a society, truly?

But when it gets down to it, we do like helping each other.

@monopolygo PSA ! #monopolygo #psa #rollforriches #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo

There is an official Monopoly GO! trading group on Facebook, and countless trades and gifts have occurred across all social media platforms. I’ve had people send me several stickers I needed all at once with no expectation of anything in return, and I enjoy simply giving what someone needs when they need it. A community has risen out of a single-player game, and while we can complete albums and build our empires alone, it’s easier and far more fun to work together.

Try it out for yourself: download on iOS or Google Play and get started on collecting the newly-released album of stickers! Who knows, you might end up being an angel who gives stickers freely or a ruthless, by-any-means-necessary type of tycoon. And then maybe ask yourself what the way you play says about you.

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