BS: What does Popularity Mean?

Subject: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 04:57 AM

An incidental report claims that someone has tried to analyse what popularity is, and has a web site where you can look at some of their "results."

The slightly sensationalized report, which may be of interest to some with a particular view of "popularity" is at:

MIT ranks most popular people in 20th century.

1,064 soccer players qualify vs. 1 football player (It's O.J.)

Nicholas Mendola
Mar 17, 2014

Fame feels like a pretty arbitrary term, but MIT is trying to make it a bit more concrete. Using an elaborate system, the elite American school has put together a list of the most famous people in the entire world.
Not that it's foolproof, but it is MIT. And it includes two American soccer players.

MIT ranks nearly everything in a project called Pantheon, and the New York Times can help you place the study in context before we get to the soccer player part.

"It has collected and analyzed data on cultural production from 4,000 B.C. to 2010. With a few clicks on its website, which just went live, you can swing through time and geography, making plain the output of, say, Brazil (largely soccer players) or Belarus (politicians). It also ranks professions from chemists to jurists to porn stars."

***

A link in the article is to a previous article that says a little more, and more of the same, about the site:

MIT ranks nearly everything in a project called Pantheon,

A second link in the article claims you can look in the site to see other "results:"

Take your own trip through Pantheon here

I haven't taken much of a look at what's there as yet; but maybe the idea they're trying to figure out may have some value (?).

Comments?

John

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 12:02 PM

Question, born of ignorance: Can a mutation be evidence of potential evolution? If a kitten is born with eight toes on one foot, say, and in due time is allowed to breed, might a line of cats emerge that all have eight toes?

mutation
biology : a change in the genes of a plant or animal that causes physical characteristics that are different from what is normal

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 12:03 PM

Sorry, John. Wrong thread.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 12:16 PM

Is popularity synonymous with fame? And surely popularity has a shelf life? And is it dependent on the media? Raises some interesting thoughts John. I should imagine that this list tells us a lot about the type of society we live in.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 12:28 PM

Skewed data.

All the soccer players are football players.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 12:31 PM

But not all football players are soccer players.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 01:25 PM

"Popular" usually involves 'well known' with a sub-category of 'praised by others who are themselves well-known' and/or has had to most $$$$ thrown at it.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Mar 14 - 01:28 PM

The rankings were the result of a "Pantheon" project (not an official MIT group) composed of students and professors of the MIT Media lab, who tried to "analyze global culture."

It is a summary of Wikipedia mentions, opinions, not a survey. It is based on the 25 language reports in Wikipedia, and a "Historical Popularity Index."

The project opinions are prefaced in the website by a warning about "media distortions" of their list.

Canadians
1. Avril Lavigne
2. Jim Carey
3. Justin Bieber
4. Celine Dion
5. Pamela Anderson
6. Leonard Cohen
7. Michael J. Fox
---
19. Glenn Gould
17, Marshall McLuhan
12. Chris Benoit
11. Neil Young

Ho Hum.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Musket
Date: 19 Mar 14 - 04:17 AM

Err.. Sorry Jack, they are...

Unless they play for Sheffield United of course...

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Mar 14 - 02:56 PM

"But not all football players are soccer players."

The clue is inherent in the name Jack!

It is hardly credible to speak of football, when the ball is carried in players' hands during more than 90% of the game, with only a very occasional contact with a foot.

In fact, I would suggest that the opposing players get kicked more often than the ball.

In fact, I have the same objection to Rugby "football", and for exactly the same reason.

In Association Football ("Soccer" for short), ten of the eleven players are not allowed to handle the ball while it is in play (and "handle" means any touch between elbow and fingertips), while the eleventh (the goalkeeper) only uses hands to prevent a goal, or to drop kick the ball upfield. He is only allowed to do so within the goal area.

As I said, the clue is in the name

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Mar 14 - 03:37 PM

It has collected and analyzed data on cultural production from 4,000 B.C. to 2010.

Tsk. Only another four years back and they could have started at the Creation!

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Mar 14 - 03:44 PM

the eleventh (the goalkeeper) only uses hands to prevent a goal, or to drop kick the ball upfield. He is only allowed to do so within the goal area.

He can throw or punch the ball to other players and his kick doesn't have to be a drop-kick (rarely is). And it's the penalty area you mean, not the goal area (two very different areas!). 18-yard box vs six-yard box.

Subject: RE: BS: What does Popularity Mean?
From: Elmore
Date: 19 Mar 14 - 05:27 PM

What about the world's most popular candlepin bowlers?