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shaping personal and cultural identity
shaping personal and cultural identity
the influence of pop culture on society
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“Culture” is a term that over the years, has taken many forms, served many purposes and has been defined in a variety of contexts. At the rise of the industrial era, inhabitants of rural areas began to migrate to cities, thus starting urbanization. As this new era began to unfold, urbanization, mass production, and modernization became key ingredients in the transformation of culture. As more people became literate and the production of mass media such as magazines, pamphlets, newspapers etc. increased, many had the option and desire to identify collectively – popular culture began to rise. Popular or “mass” culture can be described as a “dynamic, revolutionary force, breaking down the old barriers of class, tradition, taste, and dissolving …show more content…
On an individual basis, popular culture helps establish and mold the subjective self. It influences the way individuals think, act and respond, and this becomes part of how people develop their personalities, preferences, beliefs, and their overall identity. For example, most people idolize certain fashion statements or fads which determines their preference of clothing. This process of self-formation coincides with both elements of personal choice and the responses and attitudes of others. Furthermore, the identity that an individual asserts is influenced by and helps determine the development of social relationships; it influences the communities and groups to which an individual will identify with and how that identification is processed. In the establishment of communal bonding, mass culture helps with, as Leavis describes, a “leveling down of society” (35). The lines of class distinction have been blurred which, to Leavis is not a good thing, but it unites us nonetheless. Popular culture also promotes unity in that it “blurs age lines” (29). As stated earlier, the products of popular culture are targeted towards a variety of audiences; adults read comic books, children watch adult films, etc. (Macdonald 29). Similarly, teenagers and young adults are brought together through night clubs, fashion, and music; college students come together to enjoy campus events; book fans wait in line hours for new releases, etc. Each of these instances produce feelings of belonging, acceptance and connection with members of society over a common
The historical study of popular culture is distinct in that it diverges from the elitist perspective that governs much of our reflection on past events. Although, certain groups may face subordination in a given society, that does not imply a deficiency in their cultural achievements. From the Native people of the new world to the uneducated peasants of later years, their inferior social status in society often led their unique cultural practices into relative obscurity; dominant groups were the societal dictators of culture and the practices that future generations would deem as applicable to that time period. However, neglecting outranked cultural practices of past societies deprives historians of a more complete and accurate depiction of past societal realities. Contemporary accounts of early modern popular culture such as works by Ginzburg, Yassif and Bakhtin allow the reader to witness a shift in the earlier Romantic emphasis on the fascination and domination of the subordinate cultures [Herder] to a notion of cultural reciprocity between the elite and popular strata of society.
1. Explain why America became involved in conflict over Korea, and explain why this was a “limited war.”
Popular culture refers to information or an event that briefly hold the interest of the public. These events and information are mostly heard or broadcasted on mass media such as radio, television, newspapers and the internet. It is one of the cultures that is easily accessible and considered much more entertaining by the greater part of the population in the world. It has helped in the enhancement of human relationships and socialization in our modern world. As a Haitian, below I try to outline some of the popular cultures I can think of.
I ) Why are some songs so popular? What makes them popular? But also what makes them negative in the lives of kids and teens? Well let’s get some of this sorted out then. Studies show that kids and teens who listen to music such as rap, metal, some rock and pop, or hip hop, etc. that have risky or bad lyrics show to have behavioral issues and have problems in school.
One tradition that has made every country different is its culture. A culture represents and creates the country’s history and traditions. From the hard working environment in China to the laid-back lifestyle in America, these are some examples of unique cultures. Even with different cultures, travelers can experience the hardships that occur when traveling. One article “ Adventure of a lifetime” demonstrated these difficulties when a family moved from America to Peru and their struggles during their transition. During their stay, Lawrence and her children experienced new ideas that were different from America. Some complex situation that arises while making a step in their new culture is the adjustment to the new environment and the language
In all quarters of the globe, you can see some form of popular (pop) culture shape an individual's behavior, sensibility, and perspective on life. Every culture, religion, and ethnicity has changed over time under the influence of pop culture whether it is based on food, clothing items, or simple values and beliefs. Dr. Lawrence Rubin describes popular culture as a, “...banality, it certainly seems meaningless...even potentially destructive. However, if instead we recognize that it is simply an expression of our collective experiences, its importance becomes more clear” ( Popular Culture: We are what we consume,2009). Yet, current pop culture can be seen as a heterogeneous social conception. Particularly, it is always changing and what’s new today will be old by tomorrow. Famous celebrities and latest trends of designs and
A growing economy, new technology, and a changing way of life. Something different was happening to the society, like nothing we've ever seen before. All of which was documented by artists that were creating a new style of art, pop art. The rise of pop art marked the start of a new era for the United States. It was the visual representation of the exchange between consumerism and culture.
In the beginning, the relationship between everyday culture and mass media culture are closed but there are some difference between popular culture and traditional culture. The traditional culture is known as ‘high culture’ which refer to literature, art, music etc. However, popular culture is the produced by mass media, may know it as low culture. People used to entertainment or relaxation. It shared and spread rapidly in groups, communities, societies and so on. Some people may say popular culture help us to understand more about the world because of the globalization factor.
Culture, defined as the art and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. This can be anything from human’s paintings to their photography. Or, it could be their films. The endless movies that come out year after year, some even simple remakes of ones made years ago. But, even if they are simply remakes, we pay to view almost every last one of them. Movies impact everyone. And doing so impacts, what was defined prior, culture. In society today, the movies bombards teens with images and trends. Movies show popular culture; what the trends are, what people should be wearing, what they should be listening to, how they should act, and what they should look like. Pop culture, in turn, defines what one should
What popular culture and mass culture are, their significance to society and how they are consumed are very multifaceted questions that have been subject to wide debate is the fields of Sociology and Cultural Studies. Many theorists have chimed in on the debate to answer these questions. Two notable theories on this topic are that of Dwight MacDonald in his work “A Theory of Mass Culture” and John Fiske in his work “Popular Culture”. MacDonald argues that mass culture is a phenomenon that is detrimental to society. He believes that although mass culture is something that produced “by and for human beings” that is ultimately is what leads to the loss of individuality and individual thought and expression in favor
In my opinion, popular culture is the combination of different beliefs into a singular social group in order to form an overarching culture for the group as a whole. The views of those in the lower class are valued just as much as those in the upper class. In other words, popular culture should include input from everyone, not just the social and academic
Recognizing the influence of culture is an important aspect for social workers when working with diverse populations. The client is a 30-year-old single African-American (AA) single woman with a child. Culture identifies a set of values and beliefs in a community and its corresponding worldview. As the AA culture has been forced to assimilate into the dominant culture, their own culture has been slowly forgotten. The client has deep roots to her ancestors and has mainstreamed into a new dimension. The client is reconnecting with her Baptist faith as she has lost the support from spiritual leaders. “African-Americans have developed abilities and coping mechanisms to deal with racism, and they rely on their social systems that have been perfected over the generations” (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2009, p. 187). The client represents a very diverse cultural group and the intersection of social class and gender which contributes to her oppression. The client is a single AA female with a son, living in poverty, lack of education, unemployed, with a felony charge, and receiving cash assistance from the state to support her son.
It incorporates the daily interactions, needs, desires and cultural moments that make up the everyday lives of the society. It finds expression in day to day practices such as cooking, fashion, newspapers, magazines, television, mass media and the many facets of entertainment such as sports, music, dance and literature. Thus popular culture becomes “culture actually made by people for themselves” (Williams 111). In the essay “Notes on Deconstructing the Popular”, Stuart Hall defines popular culture as all the cultural activities of the people, or their “distinctive way of life” which is considered as popular within social context, and is popularly accepted within the society in any particular period (449). Popular Culture also accommodates cultural texts and practices which fail to qualify as the high or elite culture. This residual nature makes it a site of struggle between the marginalized and the dominant groups in society, where forces of incorporation and resistance against them come into
We have seen culture changes during the course of many centuries. These decades has left us memories of what was important to our society during this time. In some cases, we are still living by these same standards of past centuries and the results of these beliefs is the reflection of the people of this twenty century. The coauthors of Common Culture Reading and Writing About Popular Culture Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure on their Seventh Edition says, “pop culture is the shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific time. Because of its commonality, pop culture both reflects and influences people 's way of life; because it is linked to a specific time and place, pop culture is transitory, subject to change, and
In the contemporary society, popular culture represents the emerging lifestyles, fashions, values, as well as customs that the mainstream population follows without hesitation and with loyalty. It embraces a blend of philosophies, opinions, beliefs, viewpoints, and imageries, besides various forms of events that specific groups of individuals adopt in the society. Popular culture plays a significant role in shaping the way people think or perceive things by offering them a unique interpretation of something that they may eventually like. In this digital age, some of the popular culture known today takes account of television programs watched by many people, the numbers of individuals who currently use the internet constantly as the best means