Popular Culture Midterm: Authors, Key Concepts, and Essay Themes

What is Szeman & O'Brien's argument in the introduction?

Pop culture is the shared 'communicative practices of everyday life'; the tension between definitions is the point.

What does Szeman & O'Brien argue about the history of popular culture?

Modern pop culture was born from industrial-era struggles over leisure, public space, and class.

How does Shiach define 'popular'?

something seen from above: the people as the Other

What shift does Yúdice describe in the meaning of 'culture'?

'Culture' shifted from refinement to way of life, to an economic and political resource.

What is Hebdige's argument about subcultures?

Subcultures make meaning through style (bricolage) and are then incorporated by the market and media.

What does Hall argue about Black popular culture?

Black popular culture is contradictory; there is no pure or essential 'black'; pop culture is a terrain of struggle.

What is Nakamura's view on 'media'?

'Media' isn't one thing; access and production are unequal, built on extraction and raced/gendered labor.

What does Gunning say about early film?

Early film was a 'cinema of attractions' built on showing, not storytelling; spectacle never disappeared.

What is Mulvey's argument regarding classic Hollywood?

Classic Hollywood builds a male gaze: woman as image, man as bearer of the look.

How did Fuller-Seeley describe TV in the 1950s?

TV entered the 1950s home through gender and family ideology, and families reshaped TV in turn.

What does Scheiner argue about 'Queen for a Day'?

'Queen for a Day' gave working-class women a rare voice, while selling consumption as the fix.

What should gaming studies focus on according to Miller?

Gaming studies should skip panic vs. hype and 'follow the money, follow the labor.'

What does Rando say about mixtapes?

Mixtapes are wish images that reassemble the music commodity; streaming co-opts that desire.

What is Balance's argument about Asian American YouTube performance?

Asian American YouTube performance is affective labor that turns alienation into connection.

How does Abidin describe TikTok fame?

TikTok fame is post-based, not persona-based, and requires constant visibility labor.

What is the key argument of Unit 1 regarding popular culture?

There is no single correct definition of popular culture; the struggle between definitions is about power.

What is the best evidence Szeman & O'Brien provide for their argument?

Coffee as an everyday culture that carries colonial production history, labor exploitation, and branding.

What does Szeman & O'Brien say about urbanization and industrialism?

Factory time disciplined workers and destroyed older festival and street traditions.

What does Shiach's historical tracing of 'popular' reveal?

'Popular' has been defined from above, often equating the people's interests with the state's.

What does Yúdice mean by 'culture as control'?

Institutions like museums produce 'well-tempered' citizens who discipline themselves.

What is the significance of cultural citizenship according to Yúdice?

Cultural citizenship recognizes difference as a basis for rights, risking bureaucracies becoming 'brokers' of otherness.

What does Yúdice mean by 'cultural capitalism'?

The 'creative economy' that harnesses culture for economic growth and social programs.

What is the main argument of Yúdice regarding culture?

Culture's critical potential should be reclaimed beyond expediency and intrinsic value.

Who is associated with the concept of subcultures and style?

Dick Hebdige

What do spectacular subcultures communicate through style?

Opposition to the dominant order of meaning.

Define 'Noise' in the context of subcultures.

Subcultures act as 'noise' in the system of representation, creating temporary blockages in societal understanding.

What is 'Bricolage'?

Rearranging ordinary objects to create new meanings.

What does 'Homology' refer to in subcultures?

The fit between a group's values and its objects, music, and behavior.

What is the purpose of 'Signifying practice' in punk style?

To remain unreadable and shock, often using symbols emptied of traditional meaning.

What are the two forms of incorporation of subcultures?

Commodity form and ideological form.

What does the 'Commodity form' entail?

Subcultural signs are turned into mass-produced goods.

What is the 'Ideological form' of incorporation?

Media redefines groups either as dangerous Others or harmless kids.

What does Stuart Hall argue about Black popular culture?

It is contradictory, rooted in real experience yet commodified and stereotyped.

What are the three coordinates of the 'moment' in Hall's argument?

Displacement of European high culture, rise of US as cultural center, and decolonization.

Define 'Marginality as productive space'.

Cultural production occurs in the margins despite discrimination faced by Black people.

What is the difference between 'Wars of position' and 'war of maneuver'?

Culture is won through ongoing shifts in power, not one decisive battle.

What does Hall mean by 'Against essentialism'?

Rejecting the notion of a pure, biological 'black' identity.

What is the significance of style, music, and the body in Black culture?

They represent cultural capital and identity within the Black diaspora.

What is Lisa Nakamura's stance on media?

Media are not neutral; they reproduce inequalities and require analysis of their specificity.

What is the debate surrounding media according to Nakamura?

Whether media are liberatory or coercive.

What does Walter Benjamin argue about mechanical reproduction?

It kills the artwork's unique 'aura' but makes art accessible to the masses.

What is Theodor Adorno's view on the culture industry?

It sells standardized culture for profit, made for the masses, not by them.

What does Marshall McLuhan mean by 'the medium is the message'?

Media extend human capabilities and shape our experiences.

What does Benedict Anderson say about print capitalism?

It creates 'imagined communities' and national identity.

What is Nakamura's critique of Web 2.0?

Participation exists but does not eliminate misrepresentation and exploitation.

What example does Nakamura provide regarding labor exploitation?

The use of female Navajo workers in semiconductor production on their reservation.

What is Tom Gunning's argument about early cinema?

It was a cinema of attractions that directly addressed the audience.

What does Mulvey argue about classical Hollywood cinema?

It constructs a male viewing position and hides the camera.

What is the cinema of attractions?

A mode of filmmaking focused on showing exciting moments and directly addressing the audience.

What significant shift occurred in cinema around 1907-1913?

Narrative took over from the cinema of attractions.

Define 'Attraction' in the context of cinema.

A moment designed to hit the viewer with sensory or psychological impact.

What is the difference between exhibitionist and voyeuristic cinema?

Exhibitionist cinema acknowledges the viewer, while voyeuristic cinema pretends the viewer isn't there.

Who are Lumière and Méliès?

Lumière represents realism, while Méliès represents fantasy in early cinema.

What are Actualities in film?

Short unedited non-fiction scenes that were prevalent before 1906.

How did vaudeville and amusement parks influence early cinema?

Film was one act among many, and attractions like Hale's Tours created immersive experiences.

What does the quote 'Every change in film history implies a change in its address to the spectator' mean?

It suggests that shifts in film style reflect changes in how films engage with audiences.

What is scopophilia?

Pleasure in looking at another person as an object, as described by Freud.

What is narcissistic identification in film theory?

When viewers identify with the on-screen figure, akin to recognizing an idealized self.

What does 'to-be-looked-at-ness' refer to?

The way women on screen are coded for visual and erotic impact.

What is the significance of the active male and passive female dynamic in narrative cinema?

The male protagonist drives the plot, while the viewer identifies with him and possesses the woman through his gaze.

What are the three looks in film according to Mulvey?

The camera's look, the audience's look, and the characters' looks at each other.

How does Mulvey differentiate voyeurism from fetishistic scopophilia?

Voyeurism investigates and punishes the woman, while fetishistic scopophilia turns her into a perfect object.

What is the argument presented by Kathryn Fuller-Seeley regarding 1950s TV?

TV reshaped family schedules and gender roles while adapting to existing gender practices.

What were the utopian hopes and fears associated with television in the 1950s?

TV was seen as a unifying force for families but also feared as a disruptor of conversation and family life.

How did daytime TV programming target women in the 1950s?

Daytime programming was cheap and aimed at women as consumers, often reflecting their roles in the home.

What does the 'TV-stove' represent in the context of 1950s television?

It symbolizes how TV was marketed to fit into women's domestic labor, blurring the lines between labor and leisure.

What was the premise of 'Queen for a Day'?

Women shared hardship stories, and the winner received prizes, highlighting class struggles and consumerism.

How did 'Queen for a Day' reflect patriarchal structures?

The show often revealed men's failures as breadwinners, questioning traditional gender roles.

What is the significance of altruism in 'Queen for a Day'?

Women were rewarded for selflessness, which was often the surest way to win the crown.

How did 'Queen for a Day' portray women of color?

It presented them as real people with genuine problems, contrasting with typical sitcom stereotypes.

What is a feminist reading of 'Queen for a Day'?

It can be seen as a 'feminine counter-text' that raises awareness of women's structural problems.

What does Mulvey's theory primarily focus on?

It focuses on gender dynamics in cinema, particularly how women are represented and objectified.

What is the connection between Mulvey's theory and race according to later critics?

Critics argue that Mulvey's theory overlooks race, suggesting a need to pair her work with analyses of race in media.

What is Toby Miller's argument regarding game studies?

Game studies should combine political economy, textual analysis, and ethnography, focusing on who makes games, who profits, and the associated human and environmental costs.

What does Miller mean by 'Follow the money, follow the labor'?

It emphasizes the importance of understanding the economic and labor dynamics behind game production.

How can games be analyzed according to Miller?

Games can be analyzed like any other medium for their societal impact.

What historical fears does Miller reference in relation to moral panics about media?

Fears about romances, plays, printing, skim-reading, movies, comics, TV, rock, rap, and video games.

What is the concept of digital inclusivity in gaming?

While some claim games promote inclusivity, Miller warns it overlooks material inequalities.

What is the significance of commercial interests in gaming?

Companies like Coca-Cola shift ad money into games, making games potential ads in disguise.

What labor issues are highlighted by Miller in the gaming industry?

Young women in China work in poor conditions to build computers, and children handle toxic e-waste.

What does Miller's best evidence illustrate about the gaming experience?

The e-waste cycle shows that the enjoyment of games conceals the labor and environmental harm involved.

What is David Rando's argument regarding mixtapes?

Mixtapes represent a longing to connect and share music that capitalism has fragmented.

What does the term 'heterotopia' mean in Rando's context?

A real space with its own rules that combines different times and places, disordering usual categories.

How does Rando relate mixtapes to nostalgia?

Mixtapes evoke nostalgia by connecting past experiences with music, as seen in works like 'High Fidelity'.

What is the impact of tech co-optation on music curation?

Services like iTunes turn playlist-making into unpaid labor, removing the personal touch of mixtape creation.

What does Rando mean by 'love vs. death' in mixtapes?

Mixtapes serve as expressions of love in contrast to the harsh realities of death.

What evidence does Rando provide to support his argument about mixtapes?

Rob Sheffield's 'Love Is a Mix Tape' illustrates the mixtape's role in expressing longing and connection.

What critique does Rando face regarding the impact of technology on curation?

While Rando argues that technology has killed personal curation, some users find value in data-driven recommendations.

What is the distinction between internet celebrity and influencer according to Crystal Abidin?

Internet celebrity refers to visibility, while influencer denotes a monetized career based on that visibility.

What is the attention economy?

The competition for attention as a scarce resource among platforms and creators.

How does TikTok differ from older platforms in terms of fame?

TikTok rewards individual viral posts rather than a coherent long-term brand.

What are audio memes and templatability in TikTok?

Sounds, rather than images, organize TikTok, allowing users to create content based on reusable audio templates.

What is visibility labor?

The work required to be noticed on platforms like TikTok.

What is affective labor as defined by Michael Hardt?

Work that produces feelings, such as ease, excitement, or community.

What does the model minority myth entail?

The stereotype of Asians as hardworking and obedient, which perpetuates their foreignness.

What is symbolic ethnicity?

A political, pan-ethnic identity chosen by Asian Americans, emphasizing experiential rather than biological connections.

How does hyperconnectivity relate to Asian Americans?

Asian Americans are early adopters of the internet, experiencing a diaspora partly through online platforms.

What does the DIY lineage refer to in the context of Asian American media?

The tradition of expressing anger and emotions outside the polite-Asian stereotype through zines and blogs.

What are algorithmic practices in the context of social media?

Rituals based on an 'algorithmic imaginary' that involve guesses about how the algorithm works.

What are interactive practices on platforms like TikTok?

Rallying support through calls to action, such as 'Please Interact', using likes and comments as political signals.