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Several groups of people become victims of this mind of pressure on a regular basis. Songs are good examples of medium through which peer pressure is exemplified. Since time immemorial, songs have always carried the message of conforming to current fashion and trends. Kathy Perry’s song Last Friday Night depicts the scene of a party she hosted and was attended by friends on a Friday night. In certain neighborhoods, house parties can to outdo the previous hosts in terms of quality of entertainment offered.
The clip shows several instances where the patrons at the party try to hook up with partners who seem to be the new of most youth. The other patrons seem to be struggling to fit into the bracket. Kathy herself is the victim of such a struggle – she wants to identify with the crowd that appears to be “with it”. In so doing, she is trying to conform to what her peers think is cool. Therefore, it is sufficient to say that the song depicts the psychological concept of conformity. As the clip ends, Kathy parents arrive home from an event claiming that they had been tipped by her uncle of an ongoing party at the house.
In the conversation that ensues, she asks her parents about their partying ways in their youth. Apparently, her uncle had alluded to it during the party. They affirm and even go ahead to claim that they invented Fridays. This denotes that they used to hold very successful parties. In the clip, a friend who had always appeared as cool to Kathy suddenly dumps his girlfriend when he notices that she had dropped her geeky look for a more hip one. The concept depicted is most definitely accurate.
In real life, the average human being responds more positively to people with exceptional looks or character. For instance, a beautiful lady is likely to receive more help than one with average looks. In the same breath, Kathy receives attention from unlikely quarters when she changes to a more hip dress code than her former geeky look. The comparison in quality of entertainment achieved in parties also goes a long way in depicting the concept of conformity as real. The attendance at Kathy party seems to legitimate the depiction of conformity as real.
It is always a task to invite peers at such parties and her successful party goes against the norm in youth to always alienate geeks are they are deemed to be less fun to be around. The individuals or groups that are likely to be influenced by this music are the out – mostly those in the teenage bracket. This is because most of the activities in the party are those that are deemed to be lusted upon by the youth in that age bracket. During teenage, specifically during puberty, teenagers find themselves attracted strongly to their peers of the opposite sex.
The second lot of individuals likely to be influenced by this video is college students. In colleges, it is a common thing to find students hosting parties where they invite their friends. During such parties, myriad things happen. Drug abuse may take place, or strange sex fantasies may be fulfilled. Orgies are commonplace among college-going students. The aforementioned activities take a toll on the society in general. In as much as they are a depiction of the tearing of the moral fabric in society, they also echo changes brought about by the liberties gained through rebellion.
It is important to the society as it reflects on the activities that may not exactly be bad, but are not specifically good either. Speculations abound as to whether parties among youth of school-going age are legal. To make it worse, alcohol is not allowed for youth of that blind eye on them (Urbanism, 2011). This video has a personal relevance to me and my group. College students, as mentioned before, are frequent abusers of drugs and alcohol. However, it is important to note that not all of them indulge in the same.
It is only prudent to point out that at this stage in life, more youth are prone to experiment on alcohol and drugs, not to mention engaging in irresponsible sexual behavior. As a concept of psychology, conformity plays a very big part in making college students to indulge in alcoholism. Parties present the perfect opportunities where all the three take place. As a result of imbibing on alcohol, which adjusts their Judgment capacities, students are highly likely to engage in irresponsible sexual behavior (Palmer’, 2011).
In conclusion, the setting of Kathy Perry’s song Last Friday night is a party where the patrons engage in drinking alcohol and dancing. However, they also indulge in other activities that point out the concept of conformity in human beings. They show appreciation for what is considered cool or awesome in youth parlance. The video also manages to show that the need to conform cuts across the ages as Kitty’s uncle s reported to have attended the party and indulged in a little more than was necessary. It is accurate to declare that the video truly depicts conformity.
Groups identified as most vulnerable to conformity as displayed in the video are the youth and more specifically, teenagers. In looking at the lot that is the college-going youth, a pattern that is dangerous reveals itself: Indulgence in alcohol exposes college-going students to risky sexual behavior due to clouded Judgment. Peer pressure burdens people with the need to conform with the society, even when the results may not necessarily be pleasant. In other instances, the results may be tragic.