POPULAR CULTURE
There are differing definitions on defining what popular culture is. A number of elements can be associated with compromising popular culture. Delaney (2007) believes popular culture surrounds the most current and contemporary aspects of our lives. These aspects are often to the center of expeditious change, especially now in the high technological world in which our generations are brought up in today. The understanding of popular culture I feel I relate to most is “Popular culture consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society.” (Browne cited in Delaney, 2007). I believe these aspects have the ability to shape your identity and possibly how you perceive the world. Popular culture has the power to affect language communication and social interaction, it is stated that culture is the software of our lives can be said that it is the program we live by, the rules that determine how we act and think Ryan (2010). When enrolling myself in this paper, at the time, I really did not expect that it would encourage me to think so deeply not only within my own identity but also opening up my mind into realization, of the issues that we face or are subconsciously involved in throughout our everyday lives. I have left lectures with new emotions that I have never let myself feel before, I have been introduced to new ways of thinking and for that I am grateful.
Social structures of societies are becoming more complex with the need of wanting to define oneself culturally feeling the pressure to belong to various hierarchically structured groups within society. Listening to certain genres of music or expressing a liking to certain films can identify one as a member of that cultural society (Horn, n.d.). As our ‘software’ programmes can be influenced by certain prospects of Popular Culture, music has the ability to have an impact on New Zealand’s cultural diversity and today’s society, it can be the drive behind producing rituals that generate social solidarity, i.e. music festivals create a gathering of individuals from all aspects of society for one purpose – solidarity, which can be the basic building block of social cohesion (Helgesen & Thomsen, 2006). It can also enforce communication and social interaction, connect people through festival events and concerts, meet new people with the same interests. Another aspect that has an impact on society is the ability to convey messages through the lyrics of songs, it can be used as a tool for education to touch on social issues, enticing people listen. For example, something I discovered while researching for our group project on gender and equality, Macklemore’s song ‘Same Love’ sends out a powerful message, it sparked by raising awareness about accidental offending, using the word ‘gay’ daily in casual conversations, from there it expanded and lead on to defending and promoting gay marriage. However, there are contemporary issues surrounding popular culture, including, exclusion, cultural alienation, and discrimination. For example, in the 1960’s ethnic gangs began to form as Māori became urbanized and lost touch with their tribal communities the issues mentioned above can be the explanations for these formations of indigenous and ethnic minority gangs. In New Zealand, these gangs include Mongrel Mob and Black Power (teara.nz). It could be seen as an act to regenerate their beliefs and values by forming these gangs in an attempt to gain the sense of a tribal community once again.
“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits” (Declaration of Human Rights). Diener, Oishi, and Lucas, (2009) believe that the two domains of culture and personality can be influenced by social learning, genetics and their interactions within their cultural communities, both have significant influences on ones’ well-being. Participating and enjoying in your cultural life can be beneficial and as a number of things can shape your personality. In relation to myself, the art/sport of surfing in my life has shaped my social identity, I freely participate and enjoy the support as well as the people I associate with, I feel as if I’m a different person when I’m with the surfing community, my slang changes I become more relaxed, more comfortable in my own skin as opposed to the city life lead during university. As Danesi (2008) also writes that culture can be produced within group members and through an emotional connection with a personal experience, which can be used as a template to evaluate life and people around you. I believe it is a taste of my culture as written in my photo board assignment, salt water is in my veins.
“In modern societies, Cultural Studies considers the mass media to be of primary importance” (Hall, p.6,1993). Additionally, the spread of popular culture has been shown largely through its partnership with media and communication technologies (Danesi, 2008). In the discipline of English and New Media, it presents how quickly ideas and statements can be spread throughout the world. Being a female, I have begun to understand the collision between popular culture and feminist theories and practices after reading Browne’s (2005) study on Popular Culture Studies Across the Curriculum. For example, stereotyping within television still demonstrates that most people still look and criticize on what a woman is wearing rather than the knowledge that is being shared. Cupti and Sharkey (2005) express questions that I feel will be challenges I may face in the future when breaking into the media workforce, where are the girl-friendly places in the mass media? Where are the things we can see, read and hear that don’t insult our intelligence? I have begun to think of ways to make my mark in this world, use the knowledge I have gained throughout my 3 years of study and change the world’s perception of women in the media, i.e. we are ‘just a pretty face.’ Media has the power to portray acceptance and diversity, I have the chance to portray messages through the use of social media, visual arts and event to the extent of poems. This type of feminism can be tied in with the disciplinary perspective of education, educating today’s society is crucial for the future development in New Zealand schools, using it as an essential tool to raise consciousness for women in mass media, to use strategic actions in order to intervene in the feminist task of social transformation.
Within today’s modern world, language is not only the dependent communication system. Today, popular culture involving images, artifacts and a variety of visual symbols have peaked with significance. Children, better than adults, have the affinity to connect with new communication systems. (Vasquez, 2003). Popular Culture is not only shaping our identities but also shaping the way we are becoming educated, the appeal of popular culture being spread throughout the world today is mainly due to technology (Danesi, 2008).
References:
Caputi, J. & Sharkey, M. (2005). Popular Culture and Women's Studies. Popular Culture Studies Across The Curriculum, 34(1). dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1542-734X.2011.00766_2.x
Danesi, M. (2008). What is pop culture? In Popular culture: introductory perspectives. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, pp.1-35.
Delaney, T. (2007). Pop culture: An overview. Retrieved 10/05/15 from: https://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. (2009. Subjective Well-Being: The Science of Happiness and Life Satisfaction. The Oxford Handbook Of Positive Psychology, (2). dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.013.0017
Hall, S. (1993). Stuart Hall and Cultural Studies: Decoding Cultural Oppression. Culture, Community, Nation. Cultural Studies, 7(3), 349-363.
Helgesen, G. & Thomsen, S. (2006). POLITICS, CULTURE and SELF (1st ed.). Copenhagen, Denmark: British Library Cataloguing in Publication. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:855441/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=38
Horn, P. Mass Culture, Popular Culture and Cultural Identity. Culture, Civilization And Human Society, 1.
Newbold, G and Taonui, R. 'Gangs - Motorcycle and white supremacist gangs', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/gangs/page-2
Ryan, M. (2010). Cultural studies: A practical introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations. (2016). Un.org. Retrieved 20 October 2016, from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/index.html
Vasquez, V. (2003). Resistance, power-tricky, and colorless energy. Popular Culture, New Media And Digital Literacy In Early Childhood. Retrieved from http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/1/7/e/17eb384a955c2297/new_literacy.pdf?c_id=2455407&expiration=1476937685&hwt=3e7bd425f7d9fb8c67af5aa8e2db72b4
