Contemporary Synthesis

ash.p3.t8

(Victoria Carlos, Taci Chin-Robinson, Grace Giberson, Joshua Roquemore, Katie Whitworth)

Define "pop culture" and explain how certain examples of art--you choose at least one example from dance, music, painting, drama (theater), and novel writing--help to define it. What is the sensibility of "pop culture"?

            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.

Contemporary Synthesis - Asher P4 T5

“Pop culture” is that which is determined by the popular preference of the people living in the era.  During the contemporary era, “pop culture” can be defined by the dance, music, painting, drama, and novel writing of the current time.  With the aid of the media’s influence, “pop culture” has enveloped the lives of the majority living in the technological age of the 21st century, bringing a sensibility of competition in advancement and digital connections.
Hip hop dance has become popular during the contemporary era.  Although it was conceived during the 1970s, teenagers express themselves in this way by break dancing both when spending time together and at organized functions such as formal dances.  This type of dance goes hand in hand with the type of techno and dubstep music that has given rise during the contemporary era.  Instead of merely vocals and an instrumental accompaniment that dominated the culture in previous eras, digital sounds are incorporated in the vast majority of the contemporary era’s “pop culture” music.  For example, in Rihanna’s “Love in a Hopeless Place,” not only is her voice autotuned, but technology is utilized to create a beat in the background of the song and add an energized harmony to her singing.  Artists compete to be the most popular among those that are completely involved in the “pop culture” of the contemporary time period in order to be successful.  Through smart marketing in the media and the ability to key into the musical preference that is influenced by technology, these musicians have been able to move to the top of the charts.
The trend of writing that incorporates a teenage girl who saves the world while living in a dystopia has dominated the plots of popular books.  Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, entranced the “pop culture” of today with the story of Katniss and her quest to survive the brutality of the Hunger Games.  The male dominant media emphasizes the importance of body weight, skin tone, the “right” clothes to wear, etc., and has shaped society’s mind about what “beauty” is.  Girls who feel like their value has diminished when they do not reach the media’s standards turn to characters like Katniss for the strength and motivation to break the limits they have been living with and become their own hero.  Books like this have appeared eBooks, both on the Internet and on handheld devices.  This portrays society’s preference to have information and entertainment literally in the palm of the people’s hands.  
The theatre in today’s era is very open to provoking thought about controversial issues.  For example, “The Book of Mormon” by Matt Stone and Trey Parker comically show thoughts about Mormonism in today’s context.  In terms of paintings, massurrealism rose in popularity, in which artists emphasize technology in combining pop art, mass media and surrealism.
Technology has played a large role in the zeitgeist of the contemporary era.  “Pop culture” has proven to adapt to the media’s influence, thus spreading society’s value of digitized forms of artistic expression to all those living in the contemporary era.

Wylie Period 1, Team 5

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)

P6 T3 Wylie Contemporary Synthesis

Contemporary Synthesis Question Pop culture is commercial culture based on popular taste. In order to capture the ability to appreciate and respond to the influences within popular culture, it does not require great effort. This is due to the easy accessibility for mainstream audiences. Pop culture is a “popular culture” because a person can easily access it and become involved with the lifestyle. In the present day, one can go on the Internet and search for what the most popular books, movies, songs, and fashions are, and become integrated with the newest movement within minutes. The search engine, Google, is an indirect pop culture icon for people throughout the world as a result. In today’s culture of easy accessibility and instant gratification with literature and art, Google has become a nearly living model of this philosophical tendency. Mainstream popular culture has created great controversy as a consequence, and many people state that it has led to negative impacts towards peoples’ imaginations, creativity, and (for writers, artists, and public figures) ability to gain popularity should they not adhere to the model of popular culture. The song “M.T.V. Get Off The Air” by the punk band Dead Kennedys states it cleverly. The song states how popular culture and the creation of music television is destroying our imagination and creativity with programming that is purely created for profit and for propaganda and sedation of the viewer. This is conflict; for pop culture’s easy accessibility and instant gratification sets barriers and obstacles for art and literature because they do not meet these prerequisites. (256 Words) Dylan Mulcahy James Jin Amber Austin Caleb Ong Amber Austin Robert Meza Period 6, Wylie

Contemporary

Rachel Yeo

Lorena Huang

Diana Huang

Per. 5

Synthesis

Pop Culture is the combination of ideas, perspectives, art, etc of Western culture, predominately the e21st century. It is heavily influenced by mass media and deemed by many to be the mainstream and, therefore, superficial and shallow. Al Yankovic or otherwise known as “Weird Al” has been a predominant musician of the Contemporary Era. His songs are all parodies of pre-existing songs. Many look down on this form of music because they claim that there is no art in simply taking what belongs to others and making a laughing stock out of it.  A form of dance that has risen with pop culture is break-dancing. This is also looked down upon by the older generation and is thought to have no aesthetic value, a dangerous activity that many teens seem to be taking part of.  It is hard for older generations to understand and appreciate much of pop culture because they are used to art forms that solely reflect beauty. Classical music, ballet, lyrical sonnets, and paintings all possess the same quality of a typical flowing beauty. Pop culture, on the other hand, does not. It possesses charm, rather than beauty and a sort of appealing value to certain people. The line of painting of Campbell’s Noodle Soup cans is a key example. This certain line of paintings is one that has been wildly claimed in pop culture. However, many be confused once they see it for they are all just basic plain paintings of soup cans. The beauty that pop culture possesses is not the aesthetic value of the art, but the knowledge that people are free to draw what they want, how they want, and people still finding it acceptable. 

WYLIE P1 T3 Contemporary Synthesis

Synthesis Question: Contemporary Era

Pop culture, short for 'popular' culture is easy to understand, people used popular culture starting since the earlier 19th century and in the 1960s shortened it to pop culture. Art created by painting helps clearly define the meaning and understanding of 'pop culture'. Since painting has a strong and deep meaning behind each brush stroke and color you see on the canvas, it helps us humans to know things at a mainstream movement. Which many people come to an understanding and then go out to other people to get them involved. Even though pop art occurred in a past era, it is still effective in modern society. The infamous Kony 2012 campaign used painting/art to gets it point reached across the world. As also the internet, by making videos. People prepared for April 12, 2012, a date that was saved for people to have put or make posters and paint murals around their city to let people know about the infamous African leader, Kony, and make him famous. The idea they had worked and more people understood who Kony was, which later made the campaign popular and shortly important in our social culture. Pop culture is just something many people find important and turn it into something of an everyday feeling. Many influences affect this culture, especially the media. The sensible thing of pop culture is that not everyone views  it as something important. They view it as something negative and give it many criticism so some groups follow and ignore what other was to show. Religious groups are perfect example of people who seem pop culture as something useless. 

Misael Navarro, Michael Abelev, Marc Yu, Hyrum Judkins wylie period 1 team 3

Contemporary Synthesis

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

Contemporary Era Wyl. P5. T6

Pop culture is simply defined as “Commercial culture based on popular taste.” Pop culture though, is more than just a commercial culture that people follow. It has to do with being unique, and different, but at the same time, fitting in the time and culture that you’re in. In society today, people tend to like different things, but they also have to fit within what people like. For example, the artist Nicki Minaj, performs songs that many people enjoy. Anyone could have done what she had done, sing a song, become famous, and reach her dreams. In order for her to  keep her name out there, she needed to do a sense of branding. The unique attire, and the way she presents herself, causes people to take a step back and look at more than just her music. This plays a big part in pop culture, people follow, but until something new comes up, there is nothing to follow.  Novels that are written nowadays also take the “following” idea. Writers started to create novels that were based off of fan base. The syntax of novels slowly started to form into how people normally spoke to each other. Novels started to tell stories that people could relate to in their everyday life. For example, in the biography, Delivering Happiness- A path to profits, passion, and purpose, writing in this novel is very similar to the way people speak. Slang is now being used in novels as something that is normal. Pop culture displays the idea of following new things, but also the creation of new ideas.

-Nancy Lai, Kelsey Nakamura, Janelle Li, Zachary Lindecamp

Period 3 team 5

Pop culture is a combination of interests and activities that the lower and middle class share which composes the zeitgeist today. An excellent example of music from today’s pop culture would be I got a Feeling, by the Black Eyed Peas. It really reflects how great and worry-free the American life is. We don’t have to sleep with one eye open, or worry about any life threatening issues. We can instead just enjoy life and have a comfortable life. Sadly, the world we live in today, doesn’t stress the importance of art. We never needed to go to the theatre to watch a play, nor did we ever have to do the museum to look at art. It’s all online. But the paintings online that people actually put up, are mostly reflecting the scenery architecture has displayed for us today. There are pictures ranging from a cookie cutter houses along a street, to a trolley moving along its rails, to the simplicity of a man reading his book on the beach; all of which show the American life.  A drama that shows the would be Wicked, which a post storyline to the Wizard of Oz. This represents a very nostalgic mood to people as they it brings them back to their childhood.  As the amount of people who value different mediums besides digital begins to fade, society starts to lose interest. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irvine, is an example of the novels today reflects today’s society. Authors are focusing on modern society and writing stories about this time period, rather than historical ones. Hip hop dancing today is also very popular. Hip hop has been adapted to many cultures of the lower class because it acts like a voice for the voiceless.  The moment that people watch and listen to hip hop is because it is a temporary getaway for the oppressed people.  All of these define the sensibility today shows how the people today, reflect their personal feelings through different mediums of art and express themselves. Technology gives the lower classes a voice to express themselves. 

Contemporary Synthesis ash.p3.t1

According to dictionary.com, popular culture is "contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted, cultural patterns that are widespread within a population; also called pop culture."
It is also what is distributed across many forms of mass media such as newspapers, television, radios, advertising, and internet in contrast to high forms of cultural art such as operas, classical music and artworks, traditional theater and literature. In mass communication, the term popular culture refers to messages that are designed to amuse and entertain audiences.

Disney is one example of pop culture that has highly influenced the modern world. During the early formations of Disney productions, he would borrow fairy tales and put a modern contemporary twist to them in his works. Over time, Disney grew more popular especially due to the character Mickey Mouse; in fact, it is said that Mickey was what made Disney famous, not the other way around. Nowadays, there are numerous references to Disney within today's pop culture and pop art such as television, film, movies and music. For example, the tv show The Simpsons made a great number of references within the episodes. One episode of The Simpsons includes a television show titled "P.U." written in the sky, in reference to Disney Pixar's film Up. In that same show, there are figures in the clouds that resemble the main characters from Toy Story, Monster's Inc., and Wall-E. Aside from that, there are other pop art that also references Disney's many works such as Futurama, The Fairly Odd Parents, Doctor Who, and Business Week maganize. These all help contribute to pop art by making references to an internationally recognized production company that helped catalyze today's popular culture.

The sensibility of the contemporary era (which some claim that we are still living in now) is the more open attitude towards everyday, popular attractions, not what is considered "high class" or "fancy". It signifies acceptability of different styles and works, willingness to explore further in art, and unison towards common interests and goals. In the end, it shows how closer together the communities in the world have become by spreading around popular art and culture for everyone to view for their pleasure and entertainment.

Wyl.P5.T9 Contemporary Synthesis

Contemporary Era Synthesis Question

2. Define "pop culture" and explain how certain examples of art--you choose at least one example from dance, music, painting, drama (theater), and novel writing--help to define it. What is the sensibility of "pop culture"? (Research Questions 5, 8, 9)

#2) Pop culture can be defined as ‘commercial culture based on popular taste’. However, the more accessible definition of pop culture describes it as whatever is trending within the younger generation; what songs are on the radio? Which TV shows are the most talked about? Who is the new teen heart throb? The answers to these questions would all fit the category of pop culture. Additionally, pop culture would most likely involve certain ideas or movements that are somewhat non-traditional, and that members of an older generation may object to.

One example of pop culture in the world of theater is the show, Spring Awakening. Spring Awakening was actually written in Germany in the 1800s, but due to the controversial nature of the show, was not extremely popular until recently. The play was reconstructed into musical format and set in the 19^th century, to the sound of rock music. The play deals with issues such as suicide, sex, abortion and abuse, among teenagers. These ideas, which today’s younger generation identifies with immensely, coupled with the current and exciting musical score, and finally, the fact that parents don’t generally approve, all make Spring Awakening the perfect example of a pop culture piece.

The nature of the contemporary era is a resistance to conformity and uniformity. There is a constant, unrelenting desire among teens these days to be unique and stand out. As a result, interestingly enough, “standing out” is now what’s popular and it is no longer unique. Pop culture in the contemporary seeks to satisfy these cultural trends and to define this era as its own sensation, of a like that has never before been seen. The truth of the matter is, however, and to the great dismay of the teen generation, that it has all been done before. Of course the Justin Biebers, Twilight Movies and Wickeds of this time belong solely to the contemporary era. But in terms of the idea of non-conformity, ‘pissing off’ your parents, and going against the norm, the statement, “history repeats itself”, has never been more true.   

Audrey Ford
Nicki Quiles
Gus Shettleroe

wyl.p5.t4.contemporary

Contemporary pop culture can be characterized by the break down of traditional societal structures. It is not so much a reaction and rebellion to past times, but the complete destruction of many long-held beliefs. One of the biggest contributing factors to this destruction is the technology that has developed within the last twenty years.

Technology has changed our awareness. The movement of environmentalism has stemmed entirely from the progress in science and technology worldwide. As we learn more about our surroundings through technology, we become more aware of the issues facing society. With the advent of the Internet, and social networking sites, we can also spread awareness to everyone. Through the internet, we can instantly find out what is going on in the world, not just what is going on in our city or country. This has revolutionized the way social activists bring about change, however it can also result in a pessimistic attitude.

Technology and media allow us to be more in tune with the travesties and evils of the word. This is a negative influence on many writers, as evidenced by the number of dystopian novels that are published. Now more than ever, the proportion of dystopian novels being published is at its greatest ever. One example of this is the wildly popular series of The Hunger Games. The book series, which is also becoming a movie series, features teenagers in a dystopian society fighting for their lives. This is a metaphor for how people may feel in the contemporary era.

-Joyce Alexander, Lilian Coie, Kevin He, Matt Wong

Asher P1 T1 Contemporary Synthesis

Wiktionary defines popular culture as “the prevailing vernacular culture in any given society, including art, cooking, clothing, entertainment, films, mass media, music, sports and style”. Random House Dictionary defines it as “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people”. While the literal definition of popular culture is quite easy to understand and define, explaining its sensibility is a much more difficult task. What’s popular and what’s not seems to change by the second in our society, and pinpointing a general trend in our pop culture is difficult in the present.

With the rise in popularity of social media websites like Facebook, Tumblr, and Youtube, people all across the world try their hand at creativity and wit. While the attempts at creativity seem to hint at a lack of a central theme of pop culture, these attempts usually prove futile and we instead spit out different interpretations of novels, theater, etc. that were once considered original. The sensibility of pop culture today (or lack thereof) seems to lean towards one of emulation and building off of previous works. In fact, only one out of the ten top grossing movies for each of the past ten years can be considered ‘original’ as the list is dominated by films like “Toy Story 3”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Harry Potter films which are adaptations of previous movies, novels, comic books, and even amusement park rides. Because of this, one has to search far and wide for truly original works such as the movie “The Artist” or the musical “The Book of Mormon”, and because of this, these works tend to receive much praise and acclaim from critics. Even novels, which tend to be original works, become homogenous. Authors try their hand at dystopian and fantasy novels (popularized by “The Hunger Games” and the Harry Potter series) in order to earn some cash.

The heavy focus on immediacy and profit keeps pop culture growing and every changing as people continue to churn out more and more ‘works of art’. However, quantity does not mean quality, so it’s difficult to identify whether the pop culture of the present will remain in our history books, or whether it truly lacks a strong sensibility that seemed so dominant in other eras.

Asher Period 1 Team 3 Contemporary Era Synthesis

Pop culture describes the popular ideas, images, and creations of a specific decade or era. Pop culture reflects the mainstream ideas of a period of time. Music best represents the pop culture of the Contemporary Era.

 Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” was a song that dealt with acceptance. Jackson sings of acceptance of others no matter their race. The lyrics to the song show that the mentality of this era revolved around equality. Jackson sings “See, it's not about races, just places, faces where your blood comes from is where your space is. I've seen the bright get duller. I'm not going to spend my life being a color”. Here, Jackson represents the pop culture that reflected the idea that race was an inferior factor in determining one’s character. Jackson continues with his message of acceptance by repeating the line “It doesn’t matter of your black or white.” Jackson captures the mentality of the generation, showing that race is irrelevant and that society is striving to become color blind. With another resounding message for equality, Jackson sings “I said if you’re thinking of being my brother, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white.”  This song gained popularity during the Contemporary Era because of its positive message. This song captures the pop culture of the era that dealt primarily with acceptance and equality; that race does not determine the composition of one’s being.

The sensibility of pop culture was a positive message for the Contemporary Era. The pop culture reflected the changing attitudes towards sensitive issues such as race and ethnicity. The pop culture of this era illustrates the overall increasing attitude of acceptance.

Works Cited

""Black Or White" Lyrics." MICHAEL JACKSON LYRICS. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/blackorwhite.html>.

Wylie. P5.T3

 Popular culture, is the amalgamation of ideas, perspectives, and other phenomenas that find themselves in an "informal consensus." Pop culture is constantly displayed and accessible through mass media, thus we are inevitably drawn in by it. Its greatest assets being its ability to attract the "majority," (often times without us noticing) whether it be through print, recordings, cinema, radio, television, or the internet in a given place.  It is an era that has no defined rules, breaking free of any past norms. It is the amalgamation of various art forms like music, dance, art that epitomize "pop culture." Music is one key in pop culture through its availability, it is during this time that with technological advances, many artists have challenged fundamental notions of music like repetition, notation, as well as performance. In dance one can see the decay, for lack of a better word of tradition. No defined structures or specific movements which can be seen in more traditional dances, like ballet. Popular culture too without a doubt be found and expressed in artwork.  If anyone had to personify pop art, it would be Andy Warhol. Whose subject matters came from the imagery of mass culture. An artist renowned for using images of consumer items (Coca Cola, Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup) as well as celebrities (Marilyn Monroe), adamant that theses second-hand images had an "intrinsic banality." In short, popular culture can be expressed in all types of mediums and like sensibility in any period it has provided the opportunity for the development of perceptions, opinions and responses. 

Emily Teraoka, Angela Oh, Karen Cao and Paulina Alvarez

Wylie P1 T4

Contemporary Synthesis

     Pop culture represents the collections of society’s everyday ideas and images.  This culture serves its purpose by being a constant thought in our heads. The daily motion of referencing pop culture naturally enforces a lifestyle with no outliers or variations.  In the contemporary era many forms art clearly define the inner meaning of pop culture.  Pop artists like the backstreet boys and NSYNC kept the routine going by producing music with no way of reproducing the same sound with any instruments of the time.  This style of making a work that in reality isn’t very complex but still holds value due to its basic structure is the very way pop culture progresses.  The only way pop culture stays motivated is by creating the same style of work while still keeping the focus on simplicity.  In contrast to pop culture’s body of work, there still were forms of art that displayed paradox to the current phenomenon.  Many compositions shared the same characteristics in which they all had little lyrics, sounds created from real instruments, and had a complex rhythmic pattern, all of which differ from pop cultures version of music. One may be curious why as a society we naturally gravitate toward the simple and popular yet we don’t give the attention and credit to those manipulating their ability to distance themselves from the ordinary.  The “pop” in pop culture actually provides a huge mental security blanket towards each member. The idea of a large body of people allows humanity to feel a sense of community by hearing agreement with a large mass of people. This is the formula for pop culture artists to continue feeding the public. 

Danny Shapiro--Helena Cassilly--Claire West--Ivy Arbolado--Edward Tyler

Contemporary Synthesis from Asher's Period 1 Team 6

Contemporary Synthesis Question

Pop culture is a shorter term for popular culture. It is based on normal people idolizing and trending the current and time period of celebrities. Lady GaGa is a worldwide phenomenon and pop sensation that revolutionized fashion and music. She brought fashion ideas from the 90’s and emphasized the time period’s unique existence. Since her release of her first album, “The Fame”, released in 2008, she has been given a universal attention and judgment. Full name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Lady GaGa reused the techno like beats and classic rock like tones to write her songs. Her revolutionized pop songs became quickly loved and welcomed. The people of the contemporary era see her as an icon of freedom and a role model of open arms. Lady GaGa’s acts towards the gay community allowed more open minded teens and a more humane future from the close minds of the previous era.

Contemporary Era

Dictionary.com defines “pop culture” as “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people.” In other words, pop culture reflects a phenomenon of prevalent happenings—such as music or art—that which define the zeitgeist of society. For example, famous celebrities, such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguliera, and boy bands such as NSYNC, have demonstrated this pop culture phenomenon. Not only through the up-beat pop tunes, but through the way audiences have received music does this reflect pop culture as music is prominently found in society; cars, elevators, and even stores, music can be easily found and is thus recognized as a key in pop culture. In addition, the contemporary era symbolized the deterioration of social classism, allowing every level of society to solely enjoy this form of entertainment rather than focusing on affluence. The Contemproary movement was demarcated by the idea that every person should be able to express his or her emotions as he or she pleases. Moreover, because the Contemporary Era was, and continues to be, one of freedom of expression, pop culture perfectly illustrates its interpretive, non-conformist ideals. Short for popular, the “pop” in pop culture, is easily found in all forms of media and various mediums to reflect the zeitgeist of contemporary society.

Pop Culture Synthesis (Contemporary Era)

Popular culture, also known as “pop culture”, is the “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, the tastes of the general masses of people.”  In other words, pop culture is what is popular socially in a given era or place. It is often affiliated with what is generally considered mainstream and is closely related to   “mass culture” since pop culture itself is known for have the backings of the masses. It is also characterized by the “mass production and mass consumption, by mass media”.  Reflecting this custom, many pop artists use this aspect of pop culture in their artwork. Andy Warhol, a famous pop artist, is known for his use of popular subject matters in his work. For instance, he used icons like Marilyn Monroe and images of the well-known labels like Campbell’s soup in his pop art. By taking these aspects of what was trendy in pop culture and incorporating in his artwork, Warhol exhibits the sentiment on pop art which is taking what is popular in a culture and showing the triteness of it. Pop music, like the boy bands of the 90’s and those that are currently resurfacing now, is also often criticized for its banal concepts and beats. Although, pop music doesn’t have much substance to it, it gains the support of the masses and reflects the heavy influence of the media. In many ways, pop music reflects pop culture because of its tendency to be artificial and heavily produced for the masses. Although pop culture is formed by what the masses believe is mainstream, critics of pop culture believe that there is no individuality in such a lifestyle. The fact that pop culture is known for being so heavily manufactured to fit the popular mold, causes the sensibility of pop culture to be lacking. Pop culture itself is known for producing cookie cutter customs, which are heavily frowned upon by people. Pop culture may be enjoyed by the majority, but to those who deviate from the mainstream believe pop culture is superficial.

Wylie. p1. t6. contemporary

Pop culture can be described as the “mainstream” or appeals of the younger generation that the majority of the population shares. Pop culture is a view not typically held by religious organizations and groups that represent traditional aspects of society. For example, a pop culture dance of the contemporary period can be described as “loose”. It incorporates more freestyle movements that connect “mind, body and soul” into fluid movements. This can be seen in contemporary dance styles that don’t follow “rules”, like in traditional ballets and other dances. Hip-hop, for example, can be considered a pop culture dance because it represents this. Pop-culture music also embodies this definition because it is also rather interpretive, with no traditional chord progressions or “rules”. Much of the pop-culture music of the contemporary era is hip-hop and R&B which has no real structure although there are repetitive chords and sounds. Contemporary string orchestras as well embody pop culture because they incorporate non-traditional instruments and sometimes don’t use the traditional instruments how they’re supposed to. Some contemporary pieces, for example, use the wood side of the violin bow instead of the hair side. As far as art is concerned, pop culture art is almost like post-modern art, incorporating the metaphorical “means more than it seems” Andy Warhol essence; no traditional face portraits with minute detail or cubism, but instead splashes of color and solid objects that have more underline meaning. The contemporary era is a time of breaking away from traditional ties and becoming more “natural”, so to speak. It’s about becoming more fluid between art expression and self. A constant theme of pop culture and this era is the idea of “no rules”, and a phenomenon that the majority of society embraces because it is becoming more common to break free of traditions and harness self expression and individualism. 

-Team Waka

Lillie Moffett, Lauren Wakabayashi, Nicole Lussier, Sooji Hong