Popular Culture

What is popular culture and what does it mean to you?

Simply said, popular culture is what is “in” right now in fashion, music, technology, politics, etc.  It changes constantly and what is “in” today will probably be “out” in the next month or year. Popular culture is the culture of the masses, or a majority of people, and it is affected and shaped by several factors including economical factors, educational factors, exposure factors, and finally, emotional and sensational factors.

Economical factors make popular culture affordable because, since it has a short shelf life, more products will be supplied and their price should be much lower.  Everyone wants a piece of hot pie and if one hesitates to jump on the wagon, he or she misses the opportunity to make money. Educational factors do not play any significant role in popular culture because popular culture is relatively easy to understand. Exposure factors play the most important role in spreading popular culture. Almost every moment, we are bombarded with commercials and advertisements played on the TV, the radio, and the internet or printed in newspapers, magazines, and billboards, just to mention a few of the many exposure channels. We are unable to even watch the news, the most important source of information, without commercial breaks. Emotional and sensational factors are the easiest ways to get hooked on popular culture because if you are like me, you think from the heart or sometimes even from the gut instead of with the brain. So in order to get my attention, make me laugh or make me angry. I respond to those physical sensations very easily. Popular culture plays on that emotional card because it works. We all want to feel good and have a good time.

Popular culture, whether you love it or hate it, it is here. It surrounds us and as I am getting older, I find myself more annoyed with music, technology, and reality shows. I am wondering if five years from now, we are going to remember any of these reality television stars like Kim Kardashian. I do not think so. Following popular culture is a tiresome job and as I grew older, it got harder and harder. It felt impossible to keep up and at one point, I fell from the bandwagon.  I grow out of that popular culture outfit. I am returning back towards “my generation’s popular culture” and things that make me happy because I like them and not what marketers want me to like. I am too old to fall for that again.

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?

Popular culture, like it or hate it, plays a major role in a business environment.  In today’s world where information flows 24/7, each business must keep up with all the technological advancements and open its walls to the public. Businesses must be able to change and adapt to new ways of doing things and do them faster and better. That adaptability could be a survival factor for those companies. By the time one buys, for instance, a 4G phone, there is a 5G or 5G3D phone on the market. By the way, did you see the commercial for those new phones? They moved from the old commercial “Can you hear me now” to “Do your business anywhere.”  From a device that was used to make calls and calls only, to the device that you use now to do your taxes on, play games, go on the internet, and what else; huge technological advancements have happened in last several years. New generations do not have the patience to wait. They want information as soon as possible and they are not waiting for companies to develop new things or new features on their own; they request and expect from companies to deliver new products with better features. Savvy businesses use that technological advancement to their advantage because they can market their product to any customer that surfs the web.

What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?

I am going to choose the Nintendo Wii gaming system because it made gaming interesting and fun for an older generation. Before the Wii showed up, I was not a big fan of electronic games. For my generation that used to play outside, it was hard to understand how playing games could be more fun than going outside and playing with your friends. The only thing I knew about video games was the fact that they were very expensive and my kids could not get enough of them. When Wii came out and we got it, I was hooked immediately. It was so easy to use and so fun to play. For a short period of time, it brought my family together because we could play games together and compete against each other in tennis and bowling. My husband and I went nuts and played Wii on a daily basis. It was good exercise and really fun to play. Pretty soon, Nintendo announced that a game called Wii Fit and the ‘Wii balance board’ would show up on the market. I was first in line to reserve that game. I cannot tell you how much I love that game because it incorporates yoga, exercise, and fun games together. All of a sudden, I started buying games for my own pleasure and today, I personally own 12 games. My favorites are Wii Fit Plus, EA Active, EA Active 2, Walk It Out, Just Dance, Just Dance 2, and Zumba Fitness.