Have you ever wondered how or what YOU are influenced by when it comes to the fascinating words of ‘Popular Culture’? How does one become popular? What determines if something is ‘popular’? Before we begin we should grasp an idea of what in fact these words mean. John Storey an American Politician, helps us dive deep into the meaning of Popular Culture, with the help of Raymond Williams (1983). Williams “calls culture ‘one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language” having three definitions.
These include “‘a general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development“, “a particular way of life whether of a people, a period, or a group“, and lastly “the texts and practices whose principal function is to signify, to produce or to be the occasion for the production of meaning.” (Storey, 2015). With these meanings, popular culture is an ideology that is formed. Storey furthers this idea with coming up with a few ideas which narrowed down its variety of meanings. These include “culture that is widely favoured or well-liked by many people“, “mass-culture“, “authentic“, and it can been seen as the “left-over” after what has been decided to be high-culture. (Storey, 2015) This is so hard to define, it is something that is liked by most, and also could be liked by most because it is infact liked by most. Confusing hey. Whether it is the clothing you decide to wear everyday, or the rocking artists that play your favourite tunes. It all infact is coming down to the influence of pop culture.
What am I guilty of consuming? Lunch time rolls around, and I am craving a slice of sourdough with avocado from the closest cafe down the road. The avocado toast that costs $17, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. That yes, could be made at home for the fraction of the cost, but nonetheless the experience and time spent out is an activity. Snapping the perfect instagram story to show our viewers that we are out and about. It’s the ideology that is created and beliefs that are associated with seeing this. It is the healthy lifestyle, the positive connatations that are associated with the image that people make it so popular. The expensive, yet healthy food that all millenials are craving to have.
Bibliography
Storey, J. 2015, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture : An Introduction, 7th ed., Routledge, New York.
Lecture Slides – Week 2
Victoria Bobbermien 