We Are Pop Culture

“Pop culture is a universal language that manages in all of its seemingly trivial glory to make us dream and smile, to connect us across racial political, and social divides (Talks, 2013).” Documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe gave this definition of pop culture in his TED talk. Through his speech, he debated on the fact on the position of pop culture in the midst of the evolving world through the rise of technology. Using the comparison of politics, religion, values, and beliefs to pop culture, his debate showed the public idea that pop culture is considered trivial compared to the other constructs that shape human function. However, pop culture has become part of our social functions of life, always changing based on trends and informing people of other’s varied ideologies under a universal form of communication. Regardless of its form through words, videos, pictures, or in-person socialization, pop culture undeniably influences the world and interacts with all people. Pop culture, though controversial at times, is beneficial to the world at large.

Pop culture is a conversation starter to light topics and the pathway to debating controversial ones. In the 21^st Century world, social media has allowed the fast-moving of information across the world at an infinitely faster pace than art, paintings, or sculptures did in the past. Just as those art forms caused controversy and created discussion, current pop culture invokes the same response. Due to the rise of social media, people are able to spread their personal ideologies to anyone around the world or simply like or reshare the post of someone else as a sign of agreement. For example, activism has a wider reach yet smaller impact on social media due to this new construct. Malcolm Gladwell proclaimed the “evangelists of social media” believe that signing up for a Facebook donor registry is the same activism as sitting at a segregated Greensboro lunch counter in 1960 (2010, p. 321). Though there is no immediate impact such as protesting in the 1960s, pop culture and social media bring people together on an even level to conversate and debate the issues. There is no hierarchy to the comments section or in-person discussion, allowing everyone to express their emotions on a topic freely, though it could be controversial. A current example is the George Floyd aftermath, which resulted in protests, social media activism, and large debate. As a result, many families and friends had difficult conversations on race, companies publicly commented on their stance, and politicians debated on if new laws should be enacted. Additionally, pop culture changed as well, with social media becoming a place for debate and many shows, movies, and music now reflecting the changing world.

Pop culture is a unifying experience among all people. Aside from the ability to make us debate, it also can make us laugh, smile, cry, and think. Pop culture has evolved into a history bank of daily life and defining moments in history that connect people together. Art, paintings, and sculptures work in the same way as trending topics on Twitter, controversial lyrics in music, and captivating storylines in movies or television. Steven Johnson discusses how televisions have changed over time into complex media that captivates audiences. “…the mind does like to be challenged; there’s real pleasure to be found in solving puzzles, detecting patterns, or unpacking a complex narrative system (Johnson, 2005).” Television is one form of pop culture, and the changing format of television captivates audiences to follow storylines, binge watch to find the next story twist, and talk to others about what may happen next. Pop culture overall connects people together and shares commonalities versus the differences such as religion or politics.

In conclusion, pop culture is good for everyone. It is an experience that creates conversations, commonalities, and emotions among people. Pop culture has changed over the years to become a freedom of expression that constantly changes. With the rise of social media and streaming services, pop culture changes based on what trends at the time, evolving from the formally structured form based on what media came out at the time to the freedom of choice. Phil Miller said in a TEDx Talk, “… are we actually creating popular culture, now, ourselves, through social media, every single second of every day? (2015)” Pop culture is good for everyone, as it is no longer something people participate into, but something they are.