Popular culture involves the practices, views and objects that exemplify the extensive implications of the social scheme. This includes various exercises such as, entertainment and leisure, fashion and trends, media objects and more. William’s (1983) states popular culture is, ‘… a particular way of life, whether of a people, a period, or a group’ or, ‘lived culture and practices’, which includes activities such as holidays, sports, literacy and religious celebrations. He furthermore defines it as, ‘…the works and practices of intellectual, and especially artistic activity’, which engages with films, television series and comics that have underlying meaning for audiences to translate themselves.
Popular culture is literally ‘culture’ created by individuals themselves but is well liked/ shared with everyone else. It is determined by people’s daily interactions with other individuals and undertakings. More examples of this can be fashion and foods that people consume.
Sport and television are believed to be the two most broadly consumed examples of popular culture. Sport is watched and played by millions of people worldwide from every social class. Major events such as the Olympics which are currently playing in Japan create a massive, shared community who love the same thing. A human allying themselves with a team (such as their nation) is a big part in the sporting world and provokes self- identification. On top which, cheering for a team or athlete creates a sense of untidiness amongst millions of people.
On the other hand, television is used in some shape or form by a numerous number of individuals on this planet and thus watch it for hours and hours. Almost like it is a part of the daily routine and as important as someone’s job. It is popular for people to use particularly to wind down after a long day at work or school.
Personally, I consume myself in multiple types of popular culture, as I believe I am heavily influenced by what I see in the media which therefore leads to me copying daily trends, etc.
I consume myself in areas such as, the fashion world. I love to see and get inspiration from numerous of people on their sense of fashion and reflect that onto my own style. I am always looking at influencers on Instagram or Pinterest wearing the new current trend and keeping up to date with that sort of stuff because I personally love the fashion world. I then love to shop and try on clothes that I feel suit me and bring out my good features. I also can personally say that I immerse myself within both the television and sporting world too. I adore sport such as tennis, soccer, running, basketball and believe without it, life would be a lot sadder. It makes me feel like I have a goal I need to reach and ultimately aspires motivation. As well as television, I can easily say I am that one of a numerous amount of people who spend various hours watching TV on the daily.
Overall, popular culture is an aspect on life that allows individuals to unite on something they love and thoroughly enjoy and are furthermore created by individuals themselves.
Academic Sources:
No author (2021), ‘Philosophy Now’, Pop Culture: an overview, viewed August 12 2021, https://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview
NNA (1961-2021), ‘Popular Culture’, Popular culture – magazines, music, radio, television and social media – have helped create a shared Australian identity. It is continually changing and reflects Australian society at the time, viewed August 12 2021, https://www.naa.gov.au/learn/learning-resources/learning-resource-themes/society-and-culture/popular-culture
allegraslovitt.com 