Engulfed in Pop Culture

Pop culture, like most things, is perceived in various ways by different people. Some believe it’s driven by the media, while others feel it’s more of a sociological offshoot. There’s no definitive answer to what pop culture springs from, but there are good points within most of these arguments.

The media and one’s surroundings are probably the two sources that have the most influence on pop culture in my mind. With the media, you have an array of outlets persistently beating you over the head about what you should watch, read, listen to, and give your attention to.

Take a look at the promotion for the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean. If you turned on a TV, saw the previews at the movie theater or flipped open a publication not named The Christian Science Monitor, you probably saw something about the film. For 98 percent of the female population, this was a glorious, fulfilling stretch of time, but the point had been made: the media wanted us to see this movie

One’s surroundings also play heavily into pop culture. When there’s a buzz generated about something, whether it be an upcoming movie or Britney Spears being knocked up again, someone’s more likely to buy into the hype if most of the people around them are paying attention to it.

For instance, I wouldn’t watch American Idol, expect perhaps at gunpoint, but a lot of people almost feel obligated to watch it, if for nothing other than to have a clue who the hell this Taylor guy everyone keeps talking about is.