Pop Culture

Pop/ popular culture is a term which describes the lifestyle, ideas and tastes among a culture, specifically Western culture and it is predominantly apart of the younger society ( adolescents and young adults ). Despite the media’s ability to communicate and express information and ideas it also influences and creates pop culture, and through our study of pop culture, we can construct a deeper understanding of the media. There are four core concepts in media analysis;

1. Media messages are constructed using creative techniques, but the construction process is invisible to viewers, readers, and listeners.

This is statement is especially true in our society. As viewers of advertisements, we only see the final product but we do not see how an advertisement is produced. This can also be related to how the media shapes pop culture into what it wants it to be for the best attraction and it may be a false pretense of what the original pop culture actually is. For example, in the documentary we watched, we observed how likes and shares on social media funds companies. We as uses of the product have very few knowledge on what happens when we do something on social media. We simply see the final result but we can be oblivious to what is actually happening prior to seeing the final work.

2. Media messages are representations of the world. We depend on the media to understand our world and different cultures.

I do agree with media messages being representations of the world. We often know about pop culture from viewing media from sources such as social media, the television and the radio, especially because of how common it is to see different cultures portrayed in it. Despite other ways of getting information on the world and pop culture such as books, internet and even travel to see it first hand, the media is great for getting the information quickly and effectively. In addition, it is also very adept at persuading people with its use of pathos, logos and ethos  thus further influencing people.

3. Media messages have economic and political purposes and contexts. Mass media industries sell audiences to advertisers.

In our current societies, mass media has the obligation and the power to discuss political and economic issues. The media uses this to appeal to society, due to their reputation and popularity among society. Appealing to society further strengthens their power to discuss economic and political contexts and strengthens their relationship with society. Companies now want to cooperate with mass media to reach their targeted audiences for their own benefits.

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4. Individuals create meaning in media messages through interpretation.

Media messages provide room for interpretation. There is no direct message as every individual can perceive something differently.  Whilst a group may not like the content which media or pop culture projects, another group, usually the youngsters may find the content entertaining and want more from it.

As technology advancements continue to increase, the media is further becoming embedded into society and could be the driving force of what we perceive pop culture to be.