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Essay / What is popular culture and its impact on society
Table of contentsIntroduction: what is popular culture?Impacts of pop culture in society todayConclusionWorks cited:Introduction:what is popular culture? What is popular culture? This essay defines popular culture as the longer form of pop culture which is described as the set of beliefs, attitudes, ideas, perspectives, images and other aspects belonging to a given culture. Genres such as films, songs, literature, celebrities, fashion, cartoons, among others, constitute pop culture. Such elements target all people, regardless of gender or age, and notably influence their thoughts, tendencies, behaviors and tastes. Today, through advertising, media plays the most important role in introducing people to pop culture (Fiske, 2010). Almost everyone is exposed to the media and wants to know more about every aspect of celebrity lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Social bonds and divisions are both the product of popular culture and media influences; This can be understood by examining how communication channels influence people's thoughts, perceptions and opinions. The influence of popular culture and mass media in contemporary society is particularly linked to the construction of identity, as this often affects the interests of individuals and dominates the dynamic nature of social norms and cultural values. This facilitates social integration and generates opportunities for interaction between dispersed groups of people. In addition to this, popular culture signifies unification and connects those of equal status, while simultaneously creating "outsiders" and disassociating those who are perceived as not belonging to a particular culture or community. Therefore, celebrity behaviors and trends influence the way society acts or perceives itself. Most people in society, especially women and adolescents, admire and aspire to emulate celebrities because they are iconic figures in the modern world (McRobbie, 2004). For example, many young women in the 21st century look up to Beyoncé, one of the most powerful and influential women in the global entertainment industry. This is because they perceive Beyoncé as the face of the 21st century woman as well as the best cultural signifier of current feminism. Therefore, this article discusses the impacts of popular culture in today's society. The body part will highlight the type of effects that pop culture creates in society, more on women and teenage girls. It will look at both positive and negative effects. The conclusion will summarize thoughts on what has been discussed throughout the paper. Impacts of Pop Culture on Society Today Pop culture influences modern society in both positive and negative ways. First, pop culture helps teenage girls define themselves, which is their own definition. This definition is an important element in the maturation process of any adolescent because it influences the way in which he perceives himself. For adolescents, personal choices influence their self-definition, while the images and behaviors they see and learn from pop culture elements like songs, movies, and advertisements on television or social media in their daily lives influence these choices. Although researchers do not agree on the exact extent of thesepop influencers, they nevertheless recognize that popular culture has an impact on adolescents' self-definition (Thompson, 2007). For example, not all teenagers who listen to gangster rap music define themselves as gangsters. In fact, many learn music and are therefore able to define themselves in a positive way. Pop culture provides cues by which adolescent girls can develop their self-definition. In this way, they perform themselves, imitate various characteristics of different celebrities and distinguish whether certain pop culture contexts display is good or bad. Personally, as a teenager, pop culture helped me build and strengthen my interactions with people whose culture we share. There are events like Comic-con that support pop culture, which can help people from different backgrounds build good relationships. Pop culture therefore acts as a unifying agent for young people around the world (Burke, 2017). Thanks to Comic-con, I can make new friends and find new topics to discuss on social platforms. Additionally, popular culture has helped me grow and become more knowledgeable given the number of representations found in its contexts. For example, after watching the movie Breaking Bad, I developed a great interest in studying chemistry. In a word, pop culture promotes good relationships between people living in the same society and increases knowledge and understanding of different things. Pop culture has also made women realize their value in society. Besides genres that present women as objects or inferior beings, there are others that praise and show the worth of women (McRobbie, 2004). Some women like Naomi Wolf have criticized the judgment placed on women regarding their beauty. She says women should be accepted as they are. She praises the fact that women of color like Beyoncé and Rihanna have gained publicity across all media platforms (Wolf, 2002). Additionally, celebrities like Queen Latifah have shown the value of women by launching a clothing line for plus size women. The plus size group has long been considered unattractive due to their shape and so society has not fully embraced them. However, thanks to pop culture, some of these beliefs have been eliminated and most women have gained their place in today's society. Despite the benefits that pop culture provides to society, it also seems to harm the same society, as many teenage girls idolize people from pop groups. Personally, I've always loved Janis Joplin. Even though she's dead, I really like her songs. Joplin was an American singer-songwriter who was very talented in her singing. However, I learned that she died of a drug overdose. With this, it means that society will be affected even more if more young people like me imitate it. As teenagers, we may choose to go the extra mile to look or act like Joplin, which may involve using drugs or other unacceptable means. Indeed, a person will only be able to imitate it when they are high or rather drugged, because they may not be able to express themselves when sober. Therefore, it harms society due to the lack of people who can build it, as many young people might indulge in drug use and thus become uncontrollable by the way they speak and act. Popular culture has also had a negative impact on society due to the way women view drugs. their bodies. Many women, young people andadults, suffer from body image issues due to what they see on social media, in magazines and on television. These channels show advertisements that these women want to watch again and again because they are very attractive. Advertisements use attractiveness or sexuality to market their products (McRobbie & Mcrobbie, 2003). They feature various staff members, mostly women, looking very pretty due to the use of certain products that make other women buy similar products to look like themselves. However, most of these advertised products are for weight loss and most of them are not safe to use. A large number of women want to look like the models they see in advertisements and therefore consume the products. For example, some girls grow up idolizing and admiring certain popular actresses like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, without knowing that one is in rehab while the other is anorexic. Pop culture has made it difficult for people to stay the way they are because they spend most of their time judging themselves based on others. Advertisers need to raise awareness that there is a difference between real beauty and digital manipulation to stop misleading others. Additionally, pop culture has destroyed society by changing the normal way of dressing to a provocative way thus promoting sexuality. That is, the culture has led to the display of various celebrities dressed provocatively in fashion magazines, websites, and advertisements (McRobbie, 2004). Many teenagers and adults admire these celebrities who imitate them because they think it is the right way to dress. For example, in the book “Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf (2002, p. 3), she states that “the famous Calvin Klein ad campaigns eroticized sixteen-year-olds when I was a teenager, fourteen-year-old models eroticized in the early 90s, then twelve years in the late 90s." This shows how popular culture has encouraged women and girls to copy others in terms of dress, which has increased immorality sexual in society. Additionally, pop culture has also led to the objectification of women. In today's society, sex sells and many men are attracted to women based on their sexual engagement and attractiveness. Whenever these men see a particular advertisement featuring a beautiful and sexy girl, all that comes to their minds is sex (Burke, 2017). Therefore, the need to attract male attention and the desire to be desired has forced some women to change themselves and their bodily appearance. Once again, popular culture has encouraged violence within society. Research has shown that some pop genres, such as music listened to by teenage girls, advocate violence, making some of them very aggressive (Thompson, 2007). I have personally played video games that contain violence between players. Over time, I became very hostile towards my friends until I had to stop playing with them. Although not everyone who listens to music or plays video games containing vehemence becomes violent, it is clear that aggression expressed in pop culture can have negative impacts on adolescents' lives. Parents must therefore supervise their young ones. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essayConclusionIn conclusion, popular culture is the combination of all aspects such as beliefs, attitudes and the ideas. (1996)..