Writing Prompt: List Your Favorite Pop Culture Content Curators

Week #2 – The emerging trends of pop culture

On Monday, we discussed the intrigue of pop culture memes as one way of learning about emerging trends in pop culture. Today, we talk about another easy way to come across emerging trends – – content curators. Many people go through great lengths to curate content for others. Your job is to list your favorite pop culture content curators.

Creative Idea Gal’s Thoughts

The concept of content curation is also new to me. By definition, one who is a content curator curates content for others. That means they share information that others created as a benefit to readers or viewers. Reasons for curating content vary from creativity to marketing to strong personal desires. No matter what the reason is for curating content, the result is always the same – – entertainment value!

One of the most common content curators I’ve seen is people who create and share Paper.li online newspapers. Each virtual newspaper is comprised of headlines and pictures of a certain topic or industry. Those who read the paper.li newspapers click the links to read the stories that interest them.

One content curator that I found to be unusual and exciting is a radio station that is local to me.  97.1 WASH-FM plays a variety of music for the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Each morning, the radio hosts talk about videos that went viral, why they like them, and why it would be good for their listeners to watch them. I never really thought of a radio station as a content curator of pop culture, but now this is proof that it is possible!

Tips on How to Spark Creativity in Writing

• Tip #5 – Learn to use Internet memes intelligently and effectively

Writers need to learn to sift through information and use what is relevant. That small piece of advice applies to social media and its many hodgepodge components, including Internet memes. While it is tempting to let our human nature desire to laugh dictate what we do, a better strategy is to be serious about our work as writers and make a determination to review Internet memes thoughtfully and carefully.

Mashable does a great job analyzing Internet memes, concisely describing their creation, successes or failures, and impact on pop culture. Learning to study Internet memes with a blind eye to humor and an open eye for learning is sure to bring new thoughts and especially new writing.

Emerging Trends on Twitter

Here is a sampling of yesterday’s emerging trends based on Twitter hashtags:

• #USMNT (U.S. men’s national soccer team; related: #Landon Donovan)
• #LessPopularWRestlers
• #Ramon (character from MTV show, Catfish)
• #FollowLilTwist (Twitter campaign to get people to follow rapper Lil’ Twist)

Writing Prompt 080

Prompt: List your favorite pop culture content curators

• Step 1: If you are unfamiliar with content curators, do some basic research. Find a content creator you like.
• Step 2: Read, listen, and watch the content from different content curators. Do you notice a theme? Does it help you spot emerging trends in pop culture?
• Step 3: List your favorite pop culture content curators. Describe the approach of the content curator. Explain why you like one content curator over another.

Please be sure to leave comments about this writing prompt. We want to hear from you!

About the Author

Amanda M. Socci is the creator of this unique 10-month training program providing writing prompts to nonfiction writers. Amanda is a diehard creative and an aspiring book author, currently blogging a book on faith, A Slice of Faith, on a community website. Visit Amanda’s blog. Follow Amanda on her journey to book publication. Like A Slice of Faith on Facebook.