People often define pop culture as the contemporary way of life and matters that are well accepted by the population. Also it is the cultural archetype that is widespread in the culture. Pop culture is the representation of the zeitgeist during the Contemporary era started in the 1990s till present. During this period of time, the pop culture is heavily influenced by the growth of technology and mass media, such as the unlimited research and globalization. Furthermore, the pop culture of the Contemporary era is in fact a modernized reflection of the past society. The main philosophy that emerged during this era was environmentalism, which shifted from narrowed issues such as chemical pollution to a wider, global concern such as global warming. Another term that came out during this period was terrorism, the terror that would devastate the entire nation. On September 11, 2001, the series of suicide attacks severely damaged and astonished the civilians of the United States. In addition, the case led to many implementations of laws, such as the U.S. Patriot Act that reduces restrictions for governmental agencies to gather private information. Moreover, the contemporary art represents the idea of remaking and reinterpreting the zeitgeist of the past eras. For example, the newly released movie Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, is considered as an epitome of the Contemporary era. In the movie, the screenwriter successfully conducted the comics back in 1963 to a successful movie in 2012.
Wylie Period 1 Team 1
Ashley Chang, Diana Kim, Justin Park, Jenny Yu
As your group has mentioned the Contemporary era is simply a reaction to the Modern Era. It is almost as if humanity has become weary of things that had previously been happening such as war and corruption. However this weariness is not necessarily positive as it leads many individuals to become existentialist or nihilistic. Many individuals who are fed up with the past world are not motivated to pursue greater goods and rather want to live life for their own pleasure. That is why mass media and pop culture is so effective. The masses are ready to take on the next pleasure item. If the entertainment industry provides it, they follow it and trends become popularized very easily. This is fertile ground for large corporations as new trends and new products and lifestyles can easily be spread. However society must consider the consequences that come with easily following the popular "thing" or idea as it can lead to more corruption.
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