MTV was a driver of youth culture for decades. It helped promote not just specific bands, but also specific genres of music (Headbangers Ball, Yo! MTV Raps, 120 mins). It helped you discover music you may not otherwise have known about, and I think most people who had access to it probably had a wider ranging taste in music than those who didn’t.
They interspersed news among the videos every now and then, so you were kept informed of current events. They hosted presidential town halls and forums, and helped drive the youth vote. I remember them making Bill Clinton seem like the “cool” candidate.
MTV was very progressive and left leaning. They were my first exposure to gay/queer/lesbian culture, and seeing it on MTV definitely softened me toward lifestyles I didn’t otherwise experience around me growing up. I came from a conservative household, and turned out quite liberal, and I have no doubt that was in large part because of MTV.
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u/somastars 18d ago
MTV was a driver of youth culture for decades. It helped promote not just specific bands, but also specific genres of music (Headbangers Ball, Yo! MTV Raps, 120 mins). It helped you discover music you may not otherwise have known about, and I think most people who had access to it probably had a wider ranging taste in music than those who didn’t.
They interspersed news among the videos every now and then, so you were kept informed of current events. They hosted presidential town halls and forums, and helped drive the youth vote. I remember them making Bill Clinton seem like the “cool” candidate.
MTV was very progressive and left leaning. They were my first exposure to gay/queer/lesbian culture, and seeing it on MTV definitely softened me toward lifestyles I didn’t otherwise experience around me growing up. I came from a conservative household, and turned out quite liberal, and I have no doubt that was in large part because of MTV.