What Is Popular Culture - Essay Example

? Popular Culture s Popular Culture I. What is ‘Popular Culture’? The term ‘Popular or Pop culture’ has become an intrinsic part of modern society that consists of a set of phenomenon and ideology reinforced by media representations. Although, it has no set definition but, generally refers to a lifestyle characterized by the ‘culture of mass-consumption’ and contemporary ideas that pervades almost every aspect of the society through an unofficial consensus. It encompasses the widely accepted norms of the majority and is the mainstream of the culture taking heavy inspirations from the western, particularly American mass media. Pop culture has been known for moulding ideas and the roles of various ethnicities in the society. (Storey, 2003, p. 130) Pop culture has been heavily inspired by various domains of society, be it politics, literature, arts or music. It is characterized by various trends and fads that gain exponential momentum but dissipate with almost the same speed. The phenomenon is ever-changing, which is why the term itself has no set definition. It gained primary impetus in the 19th century, in order to sum up the cultural values of the ‘lower classes’ in England. In truth, Pop culture initially rose as a valid phenomenon through urbanization. This was in fact triggered by the industrial revolution as a result of the financial upheaval in a capitalist market economy. Moreover, the latter triggered an ostensible distinction between classes, which as a result rightly labels Britain as the main breeding ground of the popular culture. (Storey, 2008, p. 13) II. Neo-Gramscian perspective, High culture and Folk Culture Italian Marxist, Antonio Gramsci (2009) views ‘Pop culture’ in an entirely different light; by calling it the hegemonic goals of the elite groups to establish their own power through intellectual supremacy to dominate all the inferior classes in the society. Unlike conventional Marxist view, Gramsci shifts his attention from the economic activity to intellectual domination as a means of maintaining its iron-clad control. The concept is described in terms of ‘bourgeois capitalism’ that is meant to pacify the subordinate groups by enforcing some of their demands to keep them from rebelling, yet simultaneously reaffirming the social hierarchy. (Strinati, 1995, p.p 25-27) He vastly sees popular culture as a tool for the elites to restrict the creativity of the masses. Gramsci’s ideology is summed by Bennett (2009), who in light of Gramscian philosophy describes popular culture in the following statement: “The field of popular culture is structured by the attempt of the ruling class to win hegemony and by forms of opposition to this endeavour. As such, it consists not simply of an imposed mass culture that is coincident with dominant ideology, nor simply of spontaneously oppositional cultures, but is rather an area of negotiation between the two within which – in different particular types of pop culture – dominant, subordinate and oppositional, and ideological valued and elements are ‘mixed’ in different permutations.” (Storey, 2008, p. 26) His perspective can also be used to further understand the media representation of ethnic minorities that will be discussed in detail as the prose develops. It has been further speculated that Pop culture overlaps high culture and folk culture; the latter being communal or traditionalist ideology whereas, high culture are practices and customs of the elite that are much more sophisticated and enhanced in its quality. Pop culture incorporates elements of both high and folk culture. Elvis Presley is one such example, who has been classified as being a major part of Pop culture but in reality he was a country musician; a folk genre that was combined with Blues music. Thus, Elvis brought high cultural aspects into his performance through innovations and has now been dubbed as an eminent ‘Pop culture icon’ (Therien et.al, 2001). The obvious dichotomy between high culture and folk culture is believed to have led to laying the groundwork of modern media and even led to an art form called ‘Kitsch’. The latter term is more or less of a euphemism that refers to a trashy form of art that is very low on intellectual content with almost negligible artistic merit. Kitsch pervades almost every area of mass media. Although, it lacks the artistic complexity and intellect of high or folk art, but it is largely meant for entertainment and draws in a lot of profit. It is ostensible that pop culture took its inspiration from both communal and elite customs that has turned it into a fodder for social scientists to pave way for interdisciplinary studies through extensive researches. In a society driven by media, pop culture permeates every inch of an individual’s life. Unwittingly, every person is affected by the phenomenon and may even have conversations that are infused with pop culture references or allusions. Moreover, the substance of this prose will evaluate the concept from all the various perspectives, consecutively. III. Literature & cinema The field of art and literature has played a pivotal role in the establishment of ‘pop culture’, as it is a prime medium in propagating ideas. Both fields are conventional tools for politicians and propagandists. In fact, classic literature too has made its niche in the present-day society through contemporary representations of iconic and archetypical characters. Shakespearean tales epitomize this aspect, as it continues to inspire major literary and artistic works to depict various facets of social interactions. Literature experienced a steady boom in the interbellum period; that is the1930’s, as the world was plunged into political and economic turmoil. Largely the literature entailed humorous or escapist themes that provided the masses with a diversion from the dilapidated condition of the world as a result of wars. The works of classic fiction writers such as Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Victor Hugo became extremely popular; from English literature to French, all of these stories were then depicted theatrically and some of them were even adapted in to full-length motion pictures. Some of the literature also overlapped significant elements from folk culture that were represented in a high cultural manner. Therefore, such literary works had all the elements that classified them as pop culture and were greatly lauded by audiences. Harry Potter series, Twilight Saga and Lord of the Rings trilogy are some works that serve as valid examples of the aforementioned point. However, the folkloric elements entailed in the Pop culture are heavily commercialized and tailored according to the demands of the people. Hence, the folklores depicted in pop are modified versions largely meant for the entertainment of the audience rather than paying homage to the folk culture. Pop culture cinema portrayed some very intriguing aspects of the society that were quickly garnered immense amount of attention such as the civil rights movements. These movements not only had a strong impact on the society itself but also affected the cinematic portrayal and representation of ethnic minorities. Though, the trend continues to fade from the mass media of the 21st century, but in retrospect it had dominated almost every aspect of television, radio and films. These films endorsed the hegemonic ideals of white supremacy by relegating the portrayal of dominant ethnic minorities such as Black Americans to slaves and servants on the silver screen. (Mistry, 1999) Black Americans fundamentally assumed the roles of servants, who were completely devoted and loyal to the white households they served; reinforcing the idea that the Black segment of the population was quite satisfied with their slave status in the then-society (Mistry, 1999). Moreover, Blacks were shown as having poor grammar that was meant to signify their low intellects and to further distinguish them from a typical Americans. In more recent representation, Black Americans were vastly shown as reckless and frivolous youngsters, who only cared about singing and dancing. This can be further elucidated through Gramscian perspective, who explained in his theory how dominant groups use such stereotypical images of the minority to keep them from gaining dominance and disparage their image in the society. It was a widely held belief that pop culture was used to instil such ideology that in turn aids in maintaining the social hierarchy and the reinforcements of these stereotypes that ensure the moral breakdown of a particularly community. Thus as it is postulated by Gramsci, these practices make the minority groups more susceptible to dominance, in this case it is the domination of the white population. Pop culture later on depicted Black Americans as hooligans, corrupt and impoverished segments of the society. With political and social movement Blacks have begun participating in mass media activities that has alleviated their portrayal, but it is undeniable that such preconceived notions and stereotypes were initially instilled by this phenomenon. Despite the rising popularity of ‘Film noir’, directors also took immense amount of inspirations from classical authors and literatures. The plot structures of Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth and King Lear were adapted into “Throne of blood” and “Ran”, respectively becoming celebrated marvels of Japanese Samurai cinema by the legendary director, Akira Kurosawa. Additionally, “Clueless” was the movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma; Cruel Intentions brought the characters created by Choderlos De Laclos in ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ to present-day Manhattan. The list of literatures that has turned into Pop culture emblem is endless, but all the aforementioned movies and literature has played a substantial role in moulding pop culture to what it is today. IV. Arts Similarly, when considering the merits and contributions of literature and modern cinema to popular culture, art has also done its fair share of work in making pop culture a significant move of the 21st century. Art has now transcended into a sub-classification of pop culture that is known as Pop art. The movement of Pop art was first initiated in Britain, in the early 50’s and then later on it steered its way to United States of America. Though, innovative in its representation, Pop art contradicted the disciplines of fine art and incorporated kitschy style of imagery, making it appealing to the general masses. Art has now permeated the advertising industry by incorporating various icons in pop cultures. This genre fundamentally focuses on mass producing artistic elements to cater to the vast population all over the country. During this time, comic strip culture also experienced a significant development through print media. From the newspaper trend, comic strips were taken to a whole new level with the emergence of Marvel Comic books that has produced some of the most important fictional figures in the history of civilization. This popularized the superheroes trend, which was later followed by the cult success of the Star Wars series that became ubiquitous within the pop culture sphere. Some prominent comic strip icons are Batman, Spiderman, Super Man and X-men; characters that have also been portrayed in movies. Another distinct art form that gained popularity during the 80’s was imported from Japan and ever since then it has gathered a vast audience and enthusiasts from all over the globe. The phenomenon was known as Animes and Mangas; the former was a term given to Japanese animation, whereas the latter are Japanese comics. The entire western world was held in awe of the art that started off as a sub-culture but considering its popularity, it has now definitely made its niche in the society as Pop culture. Anime and Manga art is heavily inspired by the artistry of Hokusai’s works such as the “Great Wave off Kanagawa”, using flamboyant colours and shading that visually appeal audiences. Though, Animes and Mangas use western art as a reference point, they have adopted a distinct manner of creating their characters weaving eccentric storylines. Most of the Anime plots are based upon post-apocalyptic themes that are meant to portray the ravages Japanese society suffered as a result of a nuclear attack that shook the entire country during the World War II. During this period, the works of Hayao Miyazaki under Studio Ghibli also came in to the spotlight with anime movies like spirited away, Howl’s moving castle, Kiki’s delivery service and my neighbour Totoro. The storyline largely entails feministic plots and a touch of Japanese folklores that has given it an edge over western animations. Studio Ghibli has been dubbed into countless languages and is also known for hiring renowned Hollywood actors to lend their voices to the anime characters. Japanese art is highly sophisticated that has also acted as a spur to western animations. Their sophistication in the field has been summed up by Manohla Dargis, who states: “... Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox.”(New York Times, 2007) Pop art also consists of graffiti and recently, internet memes have experienced a boom. It is followed by a rise in the number of Netizens using their own creativity and life experiences to make internet memes. The latter phenomenon is heavily inspired by comic strips, but memes are much shorter. They are generally symbolic of cultural practices rather than following the life of a single character; as is the case in comics. Conversely, Graffiti is a form of street art that has been in practice since the Roman Empire, but in contemporary society graffiti has become synonymous with the Ghetto sub-culture that is glorified by American hip hop music and rap artists. Memes and Graffiti have also been classified as a kitschy form of art that lacks any form of artistic depth or sophistication. Both forms of pop art have been the subject of great censure due to its lacks of philosophical depth and destruction of artistic values, as the critics call it. Though, memetics are largely restricted to the internet, whereas Graffiti is a more tangible form of art, but is considered to be vandalism. Graffiti art has been widely known as an outlet or a mode of expression for the impoverished youth residing in Ghetto areas. It is a form of rebellion that was taken up by the youth but as stated earlier, the phenomenon transcended into pop culture through music that glorified it immensely. (Williams, 2009, p. 67) V. Music With the advent of Rock & Roll genre of music, the western society saw the rise and fall of artists that were later on christened as the emblem of popular culture. The latter includes Elvis Presley as one example that was discussed earlier along with iconic rock group such as The Beatles. Popular music has been the subject of immense criticism and has often been defined as a piece composed and written for the sake of commercial successes. They are produced with a purely profit-motive and are meant to be distributed to the biggest segment of the general population. This genre of music is characterized by catchy, electronic beats and rhythm coupled with simple lyrics about love; glorifying clubbing and dance parties reinforcing frivolity in the society through pop culture. The unique selling point of this genre is that it incorporates technologically advanced equipments that produce distinct sounds and enhance vocals innovatively. It is extremely catchy and is vastly meant to reach out to the younger generation, who are its target audience. Youth plays a key role in moulding pop culture as it is, particularly through musical appreciation. Since its advent, Rock and Roll genre has evolved greatly and a number of sub-genres sprang up that were later known as punk, metal, heavy metal, grunge, alternative and blues. As per Gramsci’s perspective, these sub-genres are a form of rebellion from various inferior social groups. This rebellion exemplifies the theory of Hegemony proposed by Gramsci; as all groups vie for dominance they subsequently try to set themselves apart from the general masses through their appearance (Pozzolini, 1970). To demonstrate this, the emergence of ‘punk sub-culture’ serves as a viable example. In the late 70’s, when youngsters began rebelling by wearing torn clothes, developing a distinctive vocabulary and devising a derivative of rock music that came to be known ‘Punk Rock’. Through these methods, the youngsters were trying to make their own identity by rebelling against the set societal norms. However, soon the entire subculture surpassed in to pop as a number of teenagers began adopting the clothing style. (Therian, 2006; Pozzolini, 1960) Therefore, the punk sub-culture came in to being by frightening people, particularly parents and the high class that disapproved of it immensely. The concept became widely accepted within a vast majority of youngsters that automatically turned in to a mainstream lifestyle. This theory truly explains how oppositional group behaviour is incorporated in pop culture for the dominant groups to maintain their hegemony; they try to alleviate the threat to their power by making the behaviour mainstream. That is how a number of rock genre emerged since then. Popular music basically comprises of all sub-cultures mashed up together in order to become a phenomenon that pacifies all the groups in the society. During the same era, when ‘punk’ genre of music was in its embryonic stages, a number of other phenomena were also quickly gaining impetus that is the “Disco or Night Clubbing Culture”. MTV that was an acronym for ‘Music television’ also surfaced to promote popular music that was later criticized by parents for its censorship policies that brazenly showed sexually suggestive content on a youth-oriented channel. This was a decisive moment in the history of western culture as the sexual revolution was reaching its apex. This era was further marked by the ‘hippie culture’ that unabashedly propagated the idea of free love and the beauty of sex. Drugs, homosexuality and promiscuity became the norm and even many educational institutions established co-educational dorms further facilitating commingling of the sexes. This form of sexual liberation then translated itself not only on a musical level, but later on was highly popularized on-screen and theatres. This paved way for sexually suggestive lyrics and dance numbers to become a part of the music industry; artists like Madonna, Britney Spears and many others rose to fame. There was increased demand for boy and girl bands, a practice that became symbolic of the late 20th century. (Lipschutz, 2012, p.p 12-15) It was during this period that Ghetto sub-culture was also recognized for its distinctive music called ‘Rap’. Rapping was characterized by a spoken prose or poetry that was chanted to a proper beat or rhythm of the music; however, the musical score may or may not be necessary for a rap song and it can be done without any music. As described earlier, rap music was meant to highlight the plight of the people residing in Ghetto areas. Hence, the content of the lyrics made some serious allusions to killings, drug abuse and thug culture. Some eminent rappers of the century were 2pac, 50 cent, Jay-Z and Eminem. Most of the rap artists, who were quickly rising to fame, were largely Black Americans; except for Eminem. Therefore, comically enough there was an outcry against this form of music that glorified and instilled corrupt values amongst the youth; a critique that had racial motivations as well. This was then followed with the rise of Hip Hop genre of music that was played in Black American night clubs. Analogous to Pop music, Hip Hop was characterized by electronic music composed with the help of synthesizers that used various verses from popular songs and looped them. Hip Hop has now become a mixture of rap and popular music because of its catchy beats and foot-tapping rhythm that later on inspired street dance and break dancing culture. It became the mainstream lifestyle bringing with it, a new form dance, clothing and lifestyle that are now indeed a part of the popular culture. Pop culture music has shaped the society on a both conscious and unconscious level. Contemporary music has also been criticized by feminists for its lyrical content, representation of female artists in the industry and the portrayal of women in their songs. The lyrical content and music videos often hyper-sexualize women, where the women either perform the role of raunchy dancers or strippers. (Guins & Cruz, 2005, p.p 50-52) Even the artists such as Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim, have been known for this and even exhibit and promote androgynous behaviour. Their music incorporates highly explicit lyrics and they have sexually suggestive music videos that are produced with the motive of selling the artists, rather than their music. The subsistence of the entire pop music industry is contingent upon propagating the eccentricities of artists like ‘Lady Gaga’. It has transformed the way women, especially the ones belonging to ethnic minorities are perceived. The record labels responsible for the production of such videos and music are motivated by the profits and revenue these videos rake in. As pop culture is determined by the preferences and choices of the masses, this explains that despite the moral qualms and furore raised by parents, the trend continues to thrive. VI. Pop culture and Politics As it has been discussed earlier, Politics has great ties with popular culture, as it is one of the tools employed dominant groups; the elite, responsible for the smooth governance of the society, maintain control over the masses as per theories proposed by social scientists. Moreover, it is not only the realm of politics that reinforces pop cultural beliefs, but the Politics itself is also a significant part of it. Politicians and social activists employ pop culture references in order to mobilize or assemble all their supporters, as popular culture is what binds every citizen in the country. (Weeks, 2012) Politicians have great influence in moulding the societal structure. Similarly, their role is very much analogous to that of popular culture; however, there exists a stark difference between the two that political figures are also encapsulated and transformed in to pop culture references. Be it Bill Clinton’s scandalous affair with his colleague or Barack Obama as the first Black president, they have all had major influences on pop culture. They garner support by capturing the attention of the audiences and throughout the history of American politics, there have been quite a number of incidents where politicians use celebrities in their campaigns to secure or consolidate their positions. From an economic point of view, their behaviour seems a lot more justified because this provides them with unequivocal attention that often leads to the candidates becoming endeared to the audiences, who then vote for them (Weeks, 2012). American politics has also had celebrities actively taking part in politics, not only in campaigns, but as candidates as well. The most well-known example would be Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former actor and the current governor of California along with Ronald Reagan, who not only acted in more than 50 movies, but was also an accomplished filmmaker. Therefore, it is evident how strongly politics and politicians are embedded in popular culture. VII. Conclusion Despite all the criticism popular culture has suffered over the years, undeniably it has become an integral part of our society that is entrenched in every single person since their childhood. From Disney cartoons to contemporary cinema, every single member of the society has been absorbing pop culture and its various elements. It is significant, because it determines and provides a degree of predictability in all of the society’s actions and demands that makes it easier to cater to by the market forces through the mass media. (Grindstaff, 2008) Pop culture also acts as a barometer in determining how much the society has evolved in the last few decades. From cinematic to musical tastes, the society has greatly changed by incorporating sub-cultural practices in to mainstream. It may have meant to suppress oppositional forces, but as a result of this, the society has become broad-minded. The masses become more diverse and open to novel things and trends, instead of frowning upon them as it was the practice in earlier days. Popular culture has not only brought new ideas and perspectives to surface, but it has also acted as an impetus to obscure genres of music, literature and folklore. Thus, popular culture has integrated the society by amalgamating aspects of various cultures that spurs uniformity amongst the masses. References: Grindstaff, L. 2008. Culture and Popular culture: A case for sociology. Vol. 619. Davis: University of California Press. Guins, R. & Cruz, O. Z. 2005. Popular Culture: A Reader. London: Sage. P.p 50-52 Lipschutz, R.D. 2010. Political economy, capitalism, and popular culture. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. P.p 12-15 Mistry, R. 1999. Can Gramsci's theory of hegemony help us to understand the representation of ethnic minorities in western television and cinema? [Online] Available at: < http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-rol6.htm> [Accessed 29th March, 2012] Pozzolini, A. 1970. Antonio Gramsci: An introduction to his thought. London: Pluto Press Ltd. Storey, J. 2003. Cultural studies and the study of Popular Culture. Second Edition. Athens: University of Georgia Press. P. 130 Storey, J. 2008. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An introduction. Fifth edition. Harlow: Pearson Education. P.p 13-15, 26. Strinati, D. 1995. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture. London: Routledge. p.p 25-27 Theriean, T et.al. 2006. Popular Culture. [Online] Avaliable at: [Accessed 29th March, 2012] Weeks, L. 2012. Obama is not the first President to meddle in movies. [Online] Available at: < http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126689748> [Accessed 29th March, 2012] Williams, B.T. 2009. Shimmering literacies: popular culture & reading & writing. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, p. 67 Read More