Popular Culture
Popular culture
A shared set of practices and beliefs that have attained global acceptance and that can usually be characterised by being associated with commercial products, paraphernalia and making money; developing from a local to a global acceptance; allowing consumers to have widespread access to the products that create the popular culture; and constantly changing and evolving to maintain interest and market share.
Syllabus p.56
Related depth study concepts
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Commercialisation
The process of adding value to an idea, product or commodity with the aim of selling it and making a profit. Commercialisation is about preparing the item for sale and making money from it. The success of commercialisation often relies on marketing and advertising.
Syllabus p.51
Consumption
The process of selecting and using a product. Consumption involves a conscious decision to engage with a commodity.
Syllabus p.52
Ideology
An organised collection or body of ideas that reflects the beliefs, values and interests of a group, system, institution or nation. In general use, the term refers to the body of doctrine, myth and symbols held by the group that guides individual and group actions.
Syllabus p.56
Commodification
A social process by which an item is turned into a commodity in readiness to be traded. The process relies on marketing strategies with the aim of producing a perceived value in the item.
Syllabus p.51
Institutional power
The power that exists in institutions and how it is used to control aspects of society. Institutions such as the family, school, law and government use inherent power to control, change and maintain continuity of interactions.
Syllabus p.54
Syllabus p.51
TASK: Define each of the concepts and explain how they relate to popular culture.
The Nature of Popular Culture
Students develop an understanding of the nature of popular culture through:
– developing from a local to a national to a global level
– allowing consumers to have widespread access to it
– constantly changing and evolving
- identifying the distinguishing characteristics of popular culture as:
– developing from a local to a national to a global level
– allowing consumers to have widespread access to it
– constantly changing and evolving
- examining their own interaction with popular culture
TASK: Examine the ways you interact with popular culture, keeping a diary for a week or so
The following videos are examples of popular culture (stop the Vampires one at 3 minutes)
The following videos are examples of popular culture (stop the Vampires one at 3 minutes)
Focus Study - Social Media
Jodi Arrow (SCA) has issued this warning about choosing a Focus Study for Popular Culture.
The creation of popular culture (social media)
• trace the origins of popular culture
• outline its development locally, nationally and globally
• consider the role of mythology in the creation and perpetuation of popular culture
• outline its development locally, nationally and globally
• consider the role of mythology in the creation and perpetuation of popular culture
TASK:
(1) Research the origins of social media.
(1) Research the origins of social media.
* Please note that Facebook, as the main driver of social media, had a clear development path (not Harvard, then the world, as Jodi Arrow insinuated):
- LOCALLY (January 2004): Facebook started at Harvard University, completely contained within the student body of Harvard (almost half the students were on Facebook within a month)
- NATIONALLY (March 2004): A controlled roll-out of Facebook commenced across US university campuses, starting with Stanford, Columbia and Yale
- GLOBALLY (September/October 2006): In September Facebook allowed anyone over the age of 13 with a valid email address to join but didn't really go global until October when it expanded to UK universities
(2) From your research, outline how social media, and in particular, Facebook, developed from a local level to national level to being global.
(3) Perform an Internet search on mythology in social media and list the 10 most relevant myths related to social media as a form of popular culture.
(3) Perform an Internet search on mythology in social media and list the 10 most relevant myths related to social media as a form of popular culture.
The consumption of popular culture (social media)
• identify the consumers of popular culture
• identify the processes involved in consumption and the nature of the product
• consider aspects of continuity and change in consumption
• examine the role of the media in consumption and interaction
• consider the roles of heroes and mythology
• identify the associated paraphernalia
• consider the role of technology in the interactive process
• examine the influence of business, marketing and/or advertising
• identify the processes involved in consumption and the nature of the product
• consider aspects of continuity and change in consumption
• examine the role of the media in consumption and interaction
• consider the roles of heroes and mythology
• identify the associated paraphernalia
• consider the role of technology in the interactive process
• examine the influence of business, marketing and/or advertising
TASK:
(1) Perform primary research about the consumption of social media using one of the following methodologies:
- questionnaire
- observation
- interview
(2) Examine an analysis of abs statistics on the use of social media.
(3) View the infographic How the world consumes social media
(4) Read:
The control of social media
• identify the stakeholders in the control of popular culture, including: media, groups, marketers, governments, family, peers
• consider the ownership of popular culture
• examine the issue of access, including: class, age, gender, location, ethnicity, sexuality
• consider the role of official and unofficial censorship
• relate the control of popular culture to issues of power and authority
• consider the ownership of popular culture
• examine the issue of access, including: class, age, gender, location, ethnicity, sexuality
• consider the role of official and unofficial censorship
• relate the control of popular culture to issues of power and authority
TASK:
(1) Search for articles about places where social media has been banned (in certain countries, in the workplace, in schools, etc) and censorship and make a mindmap. Example:
(2) Discuss issues of control and access to social media: age, gender, sexuality, location
(1) Search for articles about places where social media has been banned (in certain countries, in the workplace, in schools, etc) and censorship and make a mindmap. Example:
(2) Discuss issues of control and access to social media: age, gender, sexuality, location
Different perceptions of social media
• identify resistance to popular culture and introduce examples
• consider the acceptance and rejection of popular culture
• identify tensions between producers, owners and participants
• consider the acceptance and rejection of popular culture
• identify tensions between producers, owners and participants
- Resisting Facebook for Comfort and Safety (BuzzFeed)
- Social media harder to resist than cigarettes, according to study (The Verge)
- Why social media is so addictive (Infographic)
The contribution of social media to social change
• identify the positive and negative aspects of popular culture that have become a part of society
• identify ways in which popular culture may have contributed to social change
• identify ways in which popular culture may have contributed to social change
Some of the issues that arise from the use of social media include:
- privacy: see the article No secret safe in an online world (smh)
- sexualisation of children: Instagram beauty contests
The Future
Students will explore future issues related to the focus study, Popular Culture, by:
• evaluating continuity and change in relation to the popular culture
• considering the implications of globalisation for the popular culture
• identifying the impact of technology upon the popular culture
• considering future directions for the popular culture.
• evaluating continuity and change in relation to the popular culture
• considering the implications of globalisation for the popular culture
• identifying the impact of technology upon the popular culture
• considering future directions for the popular culture.
Read how to analyse The Future of your focus study (CSU HSC Online).
