Into to Popular Culture

Introduction to Popular Culture

• Popular culture encompasses various aspects of modern life, contributing to the diversity of cultural expressions across different countries.

• Examples include:

  • Japan: J-Pop, visual kei, anime, local commercials.

  • United Kingdom: The Beatles, Spice Girls, Doctor Who.

  • United States: Elvis Presley, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Vogue.

  • South Korea: K-Pop, Samsung, K-Drama.

  • Cuba and Mexico: Che Guevara, Selena Quintanilla.

  • Philippines: Trese, Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga.

Defining Culture

• Culture is defined as a way of living encompassing traditions, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms (Schuck, n.d.).

• It is formed when a group agrees to recognize certain practices, such as social cliques among classmates.

• Matthew Arnold (1869) describes culture as "the best that has been thought and said in the world" but his view is also seen as elitist.

The Spectrum of Culture

• The spectrum of culture reflects a range from high culture to folk culture:

  • High Culture: Represents sophisticated art forms, intellectual discourse. Examples include:

    • The Magic Flute by Mozart.

    • Gitanjali by Tagore.

    • Philippine Scenes by Lucresia Kasilag.

    • The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.

  • Folk Culture: Local traditions practiced by specific groups before widespread dissemination.

    • Examples: Songs like Paruparong Bukid, dances like Tinikling, festivals like Ati-Atihan.

  • Popular Culture: Sits between the two; reflects traditions and material culture available to the masses.

Defining Popular Culture

• Popular culture (pop culture) is accessible to the general population and includes:

  • Music, art, literature, fashion, film, television, and the internet.

• John Storey provides six definitions of popular culture:

  1. Widely favored culture without negative connotations.

  2. Culture defined by what remains after identifying high culture.

  3. Commercial objects produced for mass consumption.

  4. Authentic culture arising from the people.

  5. A negotiated culture between dominant and subordinate classes.

  6. Blurred lines between authentic and commercial culture.

Categories of Popular Culture

• Six major groups of popular culture:

  • Entertainment: Media forms (TV, film, music). Examples: K-Pop, MCU.

  • Lifestyle: Trends in fashion, language, food. Examples: Visual kei, swardspeak.

  • Sports: Traditional and electronic sports. Examples: NBA, Mobile Legends.

  • News: Significant events. Examples: Sandy Hook, Laglag Bala issue.

  • Politics: Political events and figures. Examples: Kim Jong-Un, Martial Law Crisis.

  • Technology: New media forms including social networks. Examples: TikTok, 4chan.

Subsets of Culture

• Subcultures: Cultures contained within larger cultures, exclusive to specific groups.

  • Examples include Aeta culture (folk subculture) and ballet (high subculture).

• Countercultures: Groups that oppose established norms of popular culture, forging their own identity.

  • Examples: Hippie culture of the 1960s, punk culture.

• Co-cultures: Subcultures existing alongside a parent culture, negotiated and sometimes conforming.

  • Example: Filipino-American culture as a co-culture within American society.

Youth Culture

• Youth culture reflects the dynamics of identity formation among teenagers.

• Influences trends within popular culture, driven by their quest for self-identity.

• Significant during the Modern Era, post-Industrial Revolution.

• The role of youth culture manifests in educational and communal spaces, impacting society at large since World War II.

References

• Arnold, M. (1869). Culture and anarchy. Project Gutenberg.

• Crossman, A. (2019). Sociological definition of popular culture. ThoughtCo.

• Danesi, M. (2018). Youth culture. Encyclopedia.com.

• Schuck, R. (n.d.). Introduction to popular culture.

• Storey, J. (2019). Cultural theory and popular culture. Routledge.