Web Civ: The ‘Call Me Maybe’ Revolution

Last year, the wave of democratic revolutionary uprisings in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring warranted worldwide attention. This spring, it’s a Canadian pop song that’s taking the world by storm. Basically the same thing, right?

The last time you and your friends danced around your kitchen to a pop song and recorded it on iMovie, you were either 1) in 7th grade, or 2) older, but too embarrassed to admit it. Leave it to Selena Gomez and J. Biebs to make the seemingly bizarre socially acceptable.

The power couple and some of their less famous friends (e.g., Ashley Tisdale, Carlos Pena of Big Time Rush) were all hanging out in their sweatpants, hoodies, and mustache glasses when they decided to record a video breaking it down to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” and post it to YouTube. Since this video was posted in February, it has gotten close to 20 million views (Jepsen’s original music video has only 1.6 million views!), while “Call Me Maybe” currently holds the ninth spot on iTunes’ “Top Songs” list under “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. That’s some high praise. Implications and impacts of the “Call Me Maybe” Revolution after the jump.

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are the world’s best PR team… ever. Like Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen is Canadian. The two are signed to the same record label and share the same esteemed manager, Scooter Braun. “Call Me Maybe” was instantly popular in Canada but had yet to pick up speed in the US of A. Selena and Justin took advantage of a basic modern American truth to help Jepsen’s song gain momentum: obsession with anything Bieber and/or Gomez is most definitely guaranteed, so there’s no way you can fail if S & J are helping to build and maintain your brand image.

Your Wednesday nights just got better. “Call Me Maybe” has become so popular that it even played at Whisko last Wednesday night. Celebrate accordingly by shaking yo’ booty like Ashley Tisdale (although she kind of weirded us out in this one — isn’t she, like, 30 years old by now?)

Dancing around a house is now socially acceptable (and even beneficial). Follow Justin and Selena’s example: ride the “Call Me Maybe” wave to promote a specific cause or event. Since everyone (including you) is obsessed with this jam, shit still gets real as you and your friends dance around your kitchen and have fun while you score major publicity points in the process. Brown’s very own Out of Bounds Sketch Comedy group has implemented this strategy to promote their show March Salomadness (TONIGHT, 3/10 at 8 p.m. in Salomon) — I don’t know about you, but I’m really jealous of how much fun they’re having, especially in that congo line.

You can now ask people you just met to call you, maybe. Carly Rae Jepsen gives us an excuse to be forward in our pursuits: ”Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me, maybe?” Try this one out at Gala tonight and let us know how it goes.