Popular culture (known by most as simply "pop culture") can be defined as the mainstream ideas, perspectives, attitudes and other aspects of culture that are prevalent in Western society. Pop culture is continuously changing and evolving, so it can be difficult to pin down the zeitgeist of an era whist it unfolds. However, taking a step back and examining a certain aspect of modern culture can help to clarify the sensibility of an era.
Let's take a look at modern music. There's certainly a lot of it. Reading this, it may occur to some just how difficult it is to define this age with any particular genre or style. That, in itself, says much about contemporary music. Largely due to the music industry's evolution alongside the internet, music has grown to become more specialized and varied. Now more than ever, people are listening to more genres and types of music. Because anyone can walk around with days' and days' worth of music in their pocket, as opposed to keeping an expensive stack of vinyl records at home, people take advantage of the access that has been built to lots of varied music. As a result of this, modern artists do not have the control over a huge fan base, like some artists were able to accomplish in the past. Ask almost any Baby Boomer, and they will tell you how great Led Zeppelin was, or that they still have Thriller in a box somewhere, or that they definitely caught David Bowie's eye when they saw him perform. These artists were able to appeal to their respective generations on an almost universal level. Today, not everyone loves Lady Gaga. Some can't stand Kanye West. In modern pop culture, what people enjoy in music is extremely diverse.
What this says about pop culture is that there is an emphasis on the desires of the individual. Often, homogeneity is discouraged, and people are motivated to explore their own passions and interests. Modern music also has an interesting feature. It's extremely rare that bands exhibit any singularly amazing musician. Where are the Jimmy Pages, or Jaco Pastoriuses, or David Gilmours? It's no longer necessary to be an incredibly talented musician to create successful, well-received music, as nearly anyone (Rebecca Black, for example) can rise to prominence if they can grasp a population's attention. Pop culture stresses the both the power and wishes of the individual, allowing anyone to define that culture for themselves.
-Evelyn Ashleigh, Nick Hudson, Anne Kitchens, Bennett Kopperud (Teem Destinee, man)
Contemporary Response
ReplyDeleteOur group agrees entirely with your definition of pop culture. Pop culture is definitely a combination of the prevalent ideas, attitudes and emotions present during a specific era. We also found it interesting to learn of your opinions on music. Technology, such as IPods and MP3 players, has played a large role in the development on pop culture and the ability to listen to various types of music. However, our team believes the most famous artists in this time period definitely have extremely large fan bases. Technology has allowed these fan bases to grow more widespread through the use of the Internet.
Furthermore, our team does not believe this era has had as large of a focus on the individual as you mention. There have definitely been generic bands, such as the famed “boy band.” For example, the Backstreet Boys have often been criticized for their superficial lyrics and repetitive background beats. However, this has not stopped them from contributing to the contemporary era and popular culture with songs such as The Call and Larger Than Life simply because popular culture is meant to be somewhat superficial and mainstream. Not only have the Backstreet Boys influenced culture musically, but they have set overwhelming trends. They have reinforced the need for close friends and belonging to groups. This template for producing bands has inspired other groups to form, such as the now popular One Direction. They have a very similar style. Popular culture is not about uniqueness, but the mainstream.
Team 4: Cody Dunn, Carlton Lew, Stephen Hwang, Tyler Wong, Rin Sone