Popular Culture and the Media

Printed Media

  • Printed media is a traditional form of information dissemination that relies on printed materials that can be held, such as newspapers and magazines.

  • It is one of the most successful avenues for disseminating popular culture and creating lasting icons.

  • Examples include books, magazines, newspapers, and comic books.

  • The Philippine Magazine, launched in 1905, was the first national magazine in circulation.

  • Kenkoy was the Philippines' first comic strip. Jose Rizal’s “Ang Matsing at ang Pagong” is cited as the first comics made in the country.

Radio and Music

  • Radio programs have the ability to influence listeners through the words used in broadcasts.

  • Radio broadcasting in the Philippines started in the early 1920s with stations owned by Henry Hermann.

  • Podcasts are a rising media format for delivering radio-style content.

  • Pop music's societal effect was made possible by recording and broadcast technology.

  • Thomas Edison created the first phonograph in 1877.

  • Emile Berliner invented the flat-disk phonograph (or gramophone).

  • Major Pop Music Genres:

    • Adult contemporary/Easy listening

    • Classical music

    • Country

    • Disco

    • Eclectic Pop

    • Electronic

    • Experimental

    • Folk

    • Gospel

    • Jazz and Blues

    • Opera

    • Rap and hip-hop

    • Rhythm and Blues, Funk, and Soul

    • Rock

  • Indie music is created, produced, and sold without the help of big record companies.

  • Traditional Music in the Philippines:

    • Pre-Hispanic or Malayan-type music

    • Hispanic-type Music

Audiovisual Media

  • Film is based on photographic technology; early effective “moving photographs” were created in 1877 by Eadweard Muybridge.

  • Types of Film:

    • Narrative film: fiction or portrayal of actual events; involves preproduction, production, and postproduction stages.

    • Documentary: nonfiction film depicting real-life circumstances.

    • Animated films: narrative stories intended for children, often created digitally.

  • Genre analysis is an important component of pop culture studies in film.

  • In the late 1980s, big film releases were made accessible for home video viewing.

  • Some Firsts in the Philippine Cinema:

    • The first films were shown in the Salon de Pertierra in 1897.

    • Local filmmaker Antonio Ramos shot films in Manila in 1898.

    • Zamboanga was the first Filipino film to win an international award in 1937.

  • DZAQ-TV Channel 3 was the first television station to broadcast in the Philippines in 1953.

  • Advancements in Film and Television Broadcasting: Netflix and other online streaming platforms have replaced video recorders and video rental establishments.

  • Video Games: Video game currently refers to any electronic game, whether played on a computer with appropriate software, a gaming console, a mobile device, or online.

Advertising and Branding

  • Advertising aims to increase sales, convey social or political messages; brands deliver a promise based on cultural and social trends.

  • The first recorded advertising material was the use of outdoor signs displayed outside shops in ancient cities.

  • Techniques: image-creation, mythologization, aestheticization, reality advertising, and simulation.

  • Advertising and Branding in the Philippines: A major portion of the Philippine economy began to rely on advertising throughout the 1950s.

Popular Language

  • Social trends and movements are documented through language.

  • Philippine Language: Filipino languages have been influenced by various linguistic groups.

  • Pop language is a modern variant of polyphonic speech, often satirizing serious conversation.

  • Slang can evolve into colloquialisms and become part of popular culture; slang terms in social media foster social ties.

  • Effect of Pop Culture on Spelling: Pop language uses abbreviations and unique spellings.

  • The Concept of Textspeak: Textspeak is the language used to communicate written communications through different digital channels, notably mobile devices.

  • Swardspeak (or the “gay lingo”) is characterized as a language that incorporates various languages and names and integrates them in creative ways.

  • Visual Language: Emojis have become a genuine language of their own.

Online Popular Culture

  • Mash-up Culture: The phrase “mash-up culture” describes the ever-expanding internet pastiche culture where everything may be mixed

  • Meme Culture: Popularity now depends on virality (YouTube videos) and memes—ideas that spread through pictures, words, behaviors, or other means.

  • Virality: Videos of unscripted comedy, humiliating occurrences, and anything else that is funny are the most likely to become viral