Defining Popular Culture in Age of Mass Culture - Essay Example

HOW DO WE DEFINE POPULAR CULTURE IN AN AGE OF MASS CULTURE? [Name of Writer] [Course’s Title] [Instructor’s Name] [Issue Date] Introduction This paper discusses popular culture with reference to reality television. Whereas, TV was once thought of as a ‘means to escape reality’ the inclination of the majority of today’s population is to turn on the tube, simply to be caught up in a reality show has become a unique aspect of today’s popular culture. The importance of popular culture can be seen by the fact that today, more than twice as many young people apply to MTV’s “Real World” show than to the Harvard University (Eakin, 2004). The paper commences with a description of mass culture vs. popular culture. After wards it goes on to discuss popular culture in a post-modernistic society. Various examples of popular culture are also provided. Reality television and its obsession with the audience have been discussed with reference to the Frankfurt and the Marxist school of thought. Afterwards, the same is discussed in accordance to the view of feminism. The question of the essay has been directly answered under the heading; how do we define popular culture in an age of mass culture? Lastly, a brief conclusion is provided, to give the reader an overall viewpoint. Popular Culture (Post-Modernism) Cohn (1976) states that, people usually think that only a small proportion of the society is associated with popular culture. In addition, it is thought that as popular culture comes from the general public that is why democracy exists in popular culture. Overall the general view is that the people think of it as beneficial, restorative and positive in general. Similarly, Srinati (2004, pp.3-6) in his book has defined popular culture as, “high culture and popular culture are ideal types, or stereotypes.” He prefers to use the term popular culture as opposed to high culture. Srinati has divided culture into public culture and private culture. Public culture focus on, mass media and other public cultural institutions, whereas private culture is the one that people create and practice at home and in other private spaces. Lewis (1986) believes that popular culture flows from industrialized countries to non-industrialized or developing nations. He has also maintains that popular culture in present-day society is able to transcend primary cultural boundaries to such an extent that with the passage of time people are no longer able to make a distinction between foreign cultural imports to those of their own. A number of pictorial examples have been provided in the study. Among them is that a poster of Tarzan in Morocco (people all over the world can relate easily to him) and the American fast food chain Mc Donald’s (again, which is present in numerous countries across the globe). Lewis (1986), in his study, has described these as tourist culture- a produce by a culture, specifically for outside consumption. A pre-requisite for tourist culture is that it has to be symbolic, easy to understand and transport. On the other hand, Cusic (2001) thinks of popular culture in terms of economics. He states that as popular culture is highly influenced by mass media (this includes the reality television shows), one should look at statistics related to viewer-ship in order to find out what form of media is a culture most inclined towards. This will automatically give the researcher details pertaining to the type and origin of popular culture in a specific society. Mass Culture vs. Popular Culture Mass culture includes the norms, customs and values that are dispersed into the society through various forms of media. Newspapers, television, radio, magazines etc. are all included in this category. According to Homans (1983) universities became interested in the study mass culture during the 1950’s and differentiated it from “high culture.” However, the cultural turmoil of the 1960’s eliminated the clear distinction between high and mass culture. As a result of which ‘popular culture’ came into being. Popular culture is also known as “low art.” During the 1970’s and 80’s popular culture became heavily influenced by politics and the society in general. Therefore, mass culture and popular culture are not two different ideas; rather they are both inter-related and complement one another in a very unique manner. In fact, popular culture came into being solely as a result of mass culture. Popular Culture and Reality Television According to Song (2003) the three main reasons why reality TV has gained popularity today are fame, money and guilty pleasures. According to him, money is the primary factor. An immense amount of monetary funds are provided to the winner of a reality television show. The winner is often neither very bright in mind nor enchantingly beautiful in appearance. However, this provides the viewer (the audience watching the show of television) with the notion (or even hope) that if the person on the show, who is mediocre in both appearance and intellect, is able to get rich quick, then maybe, the viewer will also have such luck in the future. The second reason for the quick gain in fame for reality shows is fame. The concept of a reality television show takes people who have not had any significant experience in life and puts them in extraordinary situations. A reality show provides them with “an experience of a life time” and “with memories to live by.” Even if the notoriety is for a limited amount of time, the person still receives the fame and glory similar to that of a popular movie star. According to the researcher (Soong, 2003), the last reason for the popularity of reality television shows is guilty pleasure. Guilty pleasure implies, “taking pleasure from the pain and sufferings of others.” When a person is on television, the producers like to play and have fun with the characters in the series. Often after the show has aired, most of the contestants defend themselves by saying that their personality has been portrayed in a wrongful manner and they are in actual life not like this. It mainly occurs due to the editing processes that take place after the scenes have been shot. The producers and other stakeholders of the show simply want to play up the various characters in order to make them an item of gossip and easy recognition for the general public. The more the people talk about a show, the more popularity it will have and thus, as result of which viewer-ship will obviously increase. This is the reason, behind portraying the characters on television as mundane or arcane. When a person is on reality TV, with the cameras tuned on to him/her twenty-four hours a day, round the clock, some human idiosyncrasies and eccentricities are bound to show up. Therefore, when such characteristics show up on a reality television show and especially when a person messes up in the public eye, we always feel good that we are not in a situation as bad as him or her. This consequently results in us feeling superior to the poor contestant in a reality show television. An Example of a Reality Show A new television reality show by the name of Loft Story now airs on a local French television. This show is similar to the widely popular international series knows as the Big Brother show, which is based in a number of countries and airs in many more through out the world. In Loft story a number of young people live under the same roof for about 70 days. Just like in Big Brother, cameras are present everywhere and the inhabitants of the house are under surveillance 24 hours a day. The basics of the game are for people to form alliances with other so that they will not be eliminated from the house during the weekly elimination rounds. The prize, which consists of house, will be given to the winning couple that forms and maintains a successful alliance couple. In addition to being aired by a local television network, full Internet coverage is also provided to the show. Therefore, one can browse the internet at any time, go to the required site and find out what the people in the house are doing at any time of the day and night. In addition, the show has become so popular that numerous private television networks also provide short summaries of the every-day happenings in the show. The French initially reacted very positively to the show, which resulted in huge increase in the ratings. In addition, a number of erotic and sensuous scenes in the show also helped in increasing the popularity of the reality television show. Though, such scenes are a part of most reality shows, they were not taking in stride by the French public. A number of viewers protested against the erotica being shown on French public television. Most of these protestors were enraged at the overall quality of the French television as well as culture and could not believe that the media would stoop so low simply to gain viewer ratings for the television show. Riots have also occurred to protest against the show. Many people stated that the people locked up in the house were hostages and it was imperative that they be liberated and not treated in such a way. Another argument that these protestors presented was that by rioting they were actually saving the entire French public from having to view such crass reality television shows (Hight, 2001). Marxist Theorists A citation from Eakin’s (2004) article states that, Big Brother in reality was seen as a representation of Marxism and Communism. In such a state totalitarianism exists. No one has any secrets because everything gets heard and every thing gets seen. Though a person may think that they are alone but that is not the case. The show Big Brother has been based on just such an idea of a totalitarian state. Big brother may reward a person favourably or he may punish some one that he is not pleased with. And if someone displeases him to an extent that person can also be kicked out of the system (in reality it would be the equivalent of being killed, but in the reality television series the person gets kicked out of the house). Similarly, everything is seen and heard on the reality television show, as there are hidden cameras present everywhere in the house (with the exception of the toilet area). The show consists of about ten people from different walks of life, who have to live together in a single house, without going out or meeting anyone else (not even their friends and families). Thus, the cohabitants have to live with each other and bear with one another for duration of a few months. The last remaining contestant in the house receives $500,00. This implies that people who may not agree to the theories of Karl Marx do not mind sitting down in their homes and watching a television show that is based on his instruction. One of the unique aspects of reality television is that it helps to answer the question, “what if”? What if we were to live in a totalitarian society? What if our mere survival depended on a Big Brother? What if our every action and move was watched and scrutinized? What if we had no privacy even in our homes? All of these can be fully answered with the help of reality television shows, such as Big Brother (the show has been successful in a number of countries around the globe). This also helps to educate a younger audience (as well as the general public) on the pros and cons of living in such a society. The Frankfurt School of Thought The Frankfurt School (established in 1923) is also known as the Institute of Social Research. The institution was known to deal with such varied areas as psychoanalysis and musicology. During the World War, the establishment was shifted to the United States. But, as soon as the war was over, few of the critics, philosophers, theorists etc. tried to re-establish the school in Germany while others stayed in the United States. The fact that any college course on culture, ideology, Marxism, social psychology, philosophy of science and aesthetics are bound to contain some reference to the Frankfurt School shows its influence and importance in the field of thought in today’s world (Frankel, 1983). This school of thought basically became world renowned in the 1970s as an authentic and viable institute. Before this, either the school was unknown or was vehemently opposed to and rejected by the Orthodox Marxists (Frankel, 1983). As the Frankfurt school of thought is an offshoot of the Marxist school of thought therefore, the approach taken by a member of the Frankfurt school would be very similar to that of the Marxist school of thought. The Big Brother or Loft Story would be two reality shows that definitely fit in to this category. Feministic Approach to Popular Culture According to Roberts (1994), the rap music industry has been for long, a male dominated industry. The essence of rap music has been that the audience pays attention to the lyrics of the song, as opposed to the music being played along with the song. Lyrics in rap songs are known to be explicit, political, chauvinistic and sexist. However, with the as more female rappers join the industry, a twist to the chauvinistic aspect has been added. Not only is the verbal text used but non-verbal signs, gestures and innuendos are also used to convey the message of the rap song. The female rapper uses her sexuality to portray the image of a sexually aware and independent woman. The message that often comes across in rap songs of female artists is, “I’ve made it in a male dominated society.” Thus, this is the underlying message that is the aim of any woman who wishes to excel in an industry where only few women are present. Reality television is thought of as a means for women to endorse products and to increase viewer-ship. That is the main reason why young and beautiful women are portrayed in reality shows. The viewer ship of a show is known to increase if there is some “romance” in the show. De Beauvior (1975, pp. 190-1, 543-52); has clearly stated that fashion serves a purpose and that purpose is to not provide a woman with her full rights, to keep her enslaved and to forever make her a victim of her own woman hood. Fashion pushes a woman into blindly following standards set for her by other people (usually men). If the fashion of the era is to be slim and tall, then all those women who are beautiful but petit are automatically considered rejected by the society. They themselves feel awful about their appearance and the self-esteem of such women automatically plummets. Every single piece of clothing that a woman wears is plays havoc with her natural appearance. Men have always worn trousers, which are much more comfortable then the skirts that women have to wear. Women are expected to wear high-heeled shoes every time they leave their homes. What is not considered is the fact that high heeled shoes often results in back pains and swollen feet. But, again because the men of the society want to see their women in such outfits the women despite being uncomfortable and with back pains have to adhere to the domination of their men folk. Women have had to wear corsets, push up their breasts with wonder-bras, and walk like camels simply to satisfy their male counterparts. Women, it seems are constantly being put up on display, as if they are mere mannequins without any brains. Most of the clothing that has always been thought of as feminine and beautiful is an impediment to women. Walking in high heals is terrible. Small and fragile hats really don’t serve a purpose, as they are unable to block the heat of the sun. The mini-skirt that is still the rage are just one of those clothing items that a woman cannot do any work in. On the other hand, tight stockings are a constant source of sweating and itching for any woman. All of these latest fashions have done nothing for the female body except hidden it’s natural body and made it into that is distorted and ill looking. In addition, most of today’s clothes either hide a woman’s body completely to such an extent that no curves are shown or the female curves are enhanced to such an extent that they look visibly deformed. It is not only the clothes, but also the make-up and jewellery that a woman has to constantly wear and spend her time and monetary resources on further proves the point that women are not seen as human beings with sound brains, but rather simply objects to be stared at and ogled over by men. Men (as well as some women) want an idol that is not real or natural and cannot be achieved by any natural process. That is exactly what is being portrayed by our public media and specifically by our reality shows today. Reality shows such as The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire or How to Marry a Millionaire portray women as simply objects of desire. In both of these shows, one man searches for the perfect ‘partner’ among a dozen or so women. Such shows simply depict a number of women clambering after the attention of a single man. Graham-Bertolini (2004, pp.341-343) in her essay on the reality show Joe Millionaire states that, “…is argued to "glamorize" traditional ideas of how women should act, and normalize gender roles. The contestants on the show who are submissive, pure, and domestic are shown in a positive manner, and are rewarded for these characteristics.” In addition, this essay goes on to state that people are not opposed to seeing women in sub-ordinate roles as it is thought to be a norm for our society. Spigel (2004, pp. 1209-1221) in her essay on the reality television series, The Bachelorette states that feminist television studies began to research the acting roles that are stereotypically for women. However, reality television shows such as, The Bachelorette have begun to portray women in a different light. In the show, one woman, (during the course of a few weeks) chooses for herself a fiancé from among a number of young eligible men. The reason behind this, according to Spigel is that in the past two decades, the popular media has started to look at women with a broader, less chauvinistic approach. There has also been a larger focus on female fans and audience interpretation. Defining Popular Culture in an Age of Mass Culture In the end, there are no hard and fast rules for defining popular culture in a mass cultural society. Whereas, in the past there were rigid lines between high and low cultures; that is no longer prevalent in today’s society. Studies have shown that many fashions and styles from the low cultures were taken up by the high cultural society (Srinati, 2004). One of the main examples in this regard would be of jeans, which started of as a mandatory garment for the cowboys of America. Slowly, the attire was adopted by the high-class society as well. And today we see everyone from famous Hollywood actors to British royalty wearing jeans. In addition, whereas in the past one had to be born or married into a high society, that is no longer the case. Any one who works hard and has a certain amount of monetary resources can be accepted in to the best of clubs and dinners parties etc. This reflects the concept of “buying one’s way into the society” which implies consumerism. The society is no longer as strict and stringent as it once was. People are becoming increasingly more tolerant when it comes to the acceptance of new ideas. Globalization also has had a huge impact, in this regard. This brings us to the point that popular culture no longer comes from one’s own society. Rather it is a blend of ideas and viewpoints from people around the world. Conclusion In view of the above arguments, I conclude that in my opinion, popular culture in today’s society is anything that is enjoyed and accepted by a majority of people. Be it rap music, a horror movie or a reality television show. Present day popular culture transcends cultural, social, religious and gender boundaries. In the past, the cultural turmoil of the 1960’s eliminated the clear distinction between mass cultures from high culture. In my opinion, with the passage of time, popular culture will cease to be differentiated from mass culture. Before long no clear majority of people will belong to a specific cultures, but rather small, overlapping groups will have their own set of culture. Therefore, popular culture is slowly but steadily becoming the culture of the masses. 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