Popular American Culture Yuliana Diaz SOC/105 Dr. Cheryl Y. Avant Popular American Culture Currently, people cannot turn to the right without being influenced by technology, it can be said that the popular American culture in 2011 is mainly leaded by technological devices and their products. Oxford University Press defines culture as “the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group” (“culture,” 2011) there are many factors that affect the different cultures around the world such as trends, which are elements of popular culture. Popular Culture and Trends “Popular culture encompasses the most immediate and contemporary elements in our lives.” (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007, para 8) although it does not give a specific definition, it states that popular culture is contained by the everyday elements people use, for example the Internet, which has become a powerful tool for anything thinkable in peoples’ lives. Another powerful “element” is the telephone, it became more than a useful communication tool, (the main reason it was invented for), it is used as a productivity, organizational, and recreational tool in the American popular culture. Popular culture also can be a term that refers to what other cultures look up to, from a personal experience, people who grew up in another country always say how the American culture has the most influential trends around the world.
lar American CultureRunning head: Popular American Culture Popular American Culture SOC/105: Introduction to Popular American Culture August 27, 2012 Popular American Culture Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people,” (BrainyQuote, 2011, p. 1). In this paper the area under discussion are the definitions of culture and popular culture. There is a vast variety of major trends that are apparent in popular culture. Three major trends in popular American culture are the FaceBook , reality television shows, and Barbie doll. Popular American culture affects personal decision-making and is another subject for discussion in this paper.
From one generation to the next Culture is portrayed, through verbal communication, material objects, ritual, institutions (including schools), and art. This will discuss and identify patterns in popular American culture, describe sorts of items which are more common, describe values which are being communicated and will determine the level of which the values of popular American culture have directly impacted decision making. Popular American culture is constantly changing and it is particular to place and time. Pop culture is patterns of humanity and the representative structures that give such activities significance and meaning. Popular American culture is defined as popular written literature and broadcasting, popular music, popular dance and theater, certain decorative arts, sports and recreation, and other cultural aspects of social life distinguished by their broad-based presence across ethnic, social, and regional groupings.
Culture can be represented through art, schools, material objects, and communication. Popular Culture Popular culture is always changing. Popular culture is “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people” (Dictionary.com, 2012, p. 1). In popular American culture it can be viewed in written literature, broadcasting, music, dance and theater, decorative arts, and sports and recreation (Collection Overview, n.d). Popular American culture can be defined differently from one person to the next; there is not a set standard definition of popular American culture.
1. What is popular culture? How is popular culture defined? Remember to discuss the complexity of defining popular culture. Make sure you discuss “folk culture,” “popular culture,” and “high culture.” What definition(s) is/are more compelling and why?
Things have changed. Not only do we concern ourselves with trends, we become them. Advancements in technology and communication have reached an all time high. These advancements have changed the world, and the way in which we live. Media and communication have the utmost control over our lives, allowing marketing ploys, advertisements, and campaigns to become our greatest influencers as a society.
With the constant change in culture because of what society finds acceptable at that time react from our given surrounds in a specific time period. In this current time period there are three major trends in American culture. Starting off with the biggest is reality television, shows such as “Jersey Shore,” “Teen Mom,” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” All these reality shows are a huge hit in America, by being able to watch these people’s personal issues play out is fascinating to some people and boring to others. The second major trend but one of the oldest trends sticking out through many of years would be body modification. Getting things such as tattoos, body piercings, and now things like plastic surgery, such as breast implants are all new ways of people to find joy in enjoying their bodies.
Influence of Visual Media Paper Culture and visual entertainment media have more than one thing to relate. People can relate what goes on in TV shows and Movies, Some shows and movies are base off a true story. These types of media can or have help others by teaching them about life, and other people how they live. One of the biggest impact on TV shows and Movies in this media are Celebrities, They can make a big impact how we think and how we will learn throughout the future. America has been shaped by this type of media in many different ways.
Viral ads, which are also known as guerrilla marketing more often nowadays, are the newest way to get media messages out to the public through the spread on the internet. Many of these are over the top and very innovative. Music is used widely here to make their messages memorable and to keep audience members entertained and intrigues as these messages are fairly longer than normal TV advertisement spots. “The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify individuals with high Social Networking Potential (SNP) and create viral messages that appeal to this segment of the population and have a high probability of being passed along,” (http://fasttrack2business.com/). One popular viral ad that can be looked at for this discussion would be for the new Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper.
Influence of Entertainment Media HUM/186 Influence of Entertainment Media Entertainment media today has a strong grip on American society, which needs some consideration. If society allows today’s entertainment media to influence and control people, Americans today will need help to recover their strong family values and structure before they are lost. Today the American culture is influenced by entertainment media. There are more reality television shows today, viewed by many of society’s young people. A large number of these young people are easily influenced.