American pop culture can, for the most part, be referred to as ‘mass culture’. It is the music, dance, art, drama, literature, media, social institutions, etc. that large groups of the present public gravitate towards. Today, pop culture is greatly influenced by pop stars, and movie stars. These individuals are the epicenter of media attention. What these individuals focus on permeates the public, which is both aware in some cases and unaware in others.
Today pop culture is rapidly evolving through social media. It would be carless not to mention the role of medial outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sites such as these when referring to popular culture. This is because the driving force behind pop culture’s rapid evolution is the shortening of media’s exposure time, and the ability of advertising to be global. What this means for those people in the ‘eye of the public’ is instant fame or instant misery. The site YouTube has played its part in creating a star or two, for example Colbie Caillat, pop singer, was discovered from her videos she posted of her singing and song writing abilities. The ability of people to use sites like this to enter the difficult world of music is indicative of the contemporary era. What once took years of trial and rejection can happen instantly through the idea of rapid exposure. People want to get noticed. Just as fast as people become successful through this rapid media, they can be targeted. There have been several instances of inappropriate photographs of stars such as Scarlett Johansson circulate through social media. These instances can both damage some people’s careers and public appeal.
However, the rich and famous are only a small fraction of individuals. Today people are gravitating towards self-promotion, just like famous people have television and movies; regular people (e.g., soccer moms, gym trainers, dads, personal chefs, teens) have the ability to promote their talents through the Internet and social media. Today pop culture is all about the gimmick, the hook, which is going to attract a following. Todays individual whether part of the pop culture troupe or even the counter culture want to attract people who will praise them, agree with them, or simply validate what they are doing.
Todays pop culture revolves around increasing exposure through technology and attracting praise.
What you say in your synthesis is very true. Pop culture is indeed defined by today's perspective on art, literature, music, etc. while being heavily influenced by the celebrities and media. I find it quite interesting how you mentioned that not only is today's society greatly focused on the pop stars of our time, but also allowing for greater exposure of everyday "regular" people such as soccer moms and teens through forms of media such as television and internet. It goes to show how strong our communication system has become over the years, to the point where something on the news can be transmitted instantly from the other side of the world. However, there are downsides to this as increased exposure to media can also mean increased exposure to dangerous websites, scams, and other security risks. Despite this, the contemporary era shows immense progress in technology, advancement, and improvement. Not only that but there are also signs that our society is changing, becoming more open and accepting as exposure and communication allows us to connect with each other through the use of social media such as Facebook Twitter, and Tumblr.
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