So what exactly is pop culture, and why can’t people stop discussing it? According to ThoughtCo, sociology has a few different definitions of what this means. On one hand, popular culture is the everyday cultural products like music, art and films that are enjoyed by a large portion of the population. But popular culture can also come from the people or be created by companies for mass consumption.
At the same time, people are now capable of creating, altering and sharing pop culture via social media and other online platforms. And of course, pop culture varies widely based on a country or region’s actual culture. For example, the television shows that are extremely beloved in Sweden will probably be quite different from what shows the average resident in South Korea is obsessed with.
Scholars believe that pop culture came about during the Industrial Revolution, as that’s when the middle class was truly created. This class began creating their own culture to share with one another, which was different from their parents’ and bosses’ cultures.
After World War II, however, rapid innovations in mass media spawned significant cultural and social changes in the West. “Capitalism, specifically the need to generate profits, took on the role of marketing: newly invented goods were being marketed to different classes,” ThoughtCo explains. “The meaning of popular culture then began to merge with that of mass culture, consumer culture, image culture, media culture, and culture created by manufacturers for mass consumption.”
When I meet with friends, one of the first things we’ll discuss is any new films or television shows they’ve seen recently or what albums they’ve been loving lately. Nearly everyone I know has a Letterboxd account, a Goodreads profile and loves sharing their Spotify Wrapped on Instagram. We just can’t get enough of discussing pop culture, but why is that?
It’s likely that we love discussing films and television shows for the same reasons that we watch them in the first place. And according to Rahul Rawat at Geeks, we can’t get enough of these media outlets because they provide us with forms of escapism that we can’t get in many other places.
If your life is full of stress, you can watch something relaxing, wholesome and uplifting to take your mind off it all. If your life is boring, you can watch an exciting thriller that will allow you to put yourself in an entirely different set of shoes. And after all of that, you can spend the evening dissecting what you’ve seen with your closest friends.
While we might not always share the same opinions as our friends on the films and shows we’ve been watching, being able to discuss them allows us to strengthen our bonds and feel connected to our communities. In this day and age, it’s so easy to isolate ourselves and spend hours a day staring at screens. But when we take time to share our thoughts and listen to one another’s perspectives, we become more openminded and remind ourselves how important it is to be exposed to new ideas. Plus, it’s so much fun to grab a coffee after seeing a movie and spend hours discussing what you’ve seen!
Now, if you’re not chronically online and aren’t particularly literate when it comes to media, you might be wondering how in the world people even keep up with pop culture. And if you’re looking for some tips on staying in the know, PR Newswire recommends spending some time on social media. Nowadays, over half of adults in the United States get at least some of their news from social media, and this is also a great place to hear popular songs, be exposed to memes about trending topics and find out which films and TV shows to check out.
