THE INFLUENCE AND IMPACT OF POPULAR CULTURE IN ETHNIC MINORITY AND RACIAL GROUPS

Submitted by: Liliana C. Duran

Intercultural Communication 2150-002 Dr. Martin R. Clark March 26th, 2014

THE INFLUENCE AND IMPACT OF POPULAR CULTURE IN ETHNIC MINORITY AND RACIAL GROUPS
The concept of Popular Culture is very extent and complex, one of its definitions suggests that Pop Culture is the culture of our everyday lives that works as a mirror of a society and has the power to reflect the ideals of a culture and represent social realities, it is also meant to communicate the circumstances of a particular culture and its influences to its members and the rest of the world. Because Pop Culture is present on every human group or culture, it can be used then as first, a form of expression, behavior and symbolism of a particular culture when its expressed by its members and shown to others; and second, it can play an important role when it comes to influence the culture that receives it. Pop Culture reflects external influences on our everyday lives, the music we heard, the movies we watch, the sports we play, clothes we wear and even the way we react to some situations and even traditions and rituals can be affected by cultures that are, perhaps, more powerful than ours. Other of its many definitions sustains that is the equivalent of mass culture or commercial culture. Although there may be many ways in which we can receive Pop Culture, is media what predominates. The media has the power of not only communicate and inform, but also to influence and even shape the worldview perceptions of the performer and the audience. Power is a key in terms of Popular Culture. Even when there is no study that grants the complete control of Popular Culture to a particular group, many maintain that is American and European culture what predominates internationally.

A clear example that support this theory is the Hollywood industry, most of the films made in the U.S.A are internationally distributed and research has proven that the U.S.A film industry earns more money outside the U.S. The fact that India yearly produces more films that the U.S. but makes less money gives us a clear picture of which culture is the most powerful one (Judith Martin, & Thomas Nakayama, Intercultural Communication in Context, 2013. Pag. 377). The power of these two cultures (European and American) its shown in the fact that much of the Popular Culture is expressed in English. Some countries are now concerned about the amount of information and the many different cultures that are coming to theirs. One of those is the French Government, it has expressed its disagreement with CNN for projecting a world view that French people dont share, and it has decided to launch an international broadcasting network to present their own view to the rest of the world (Judith Martin, & Thomas Nakayama, Intercultural Communication in Context, 2013. Pag. 381). The increasing advance of technology has affected in both, positive and negative ways, the way we communicate and share information, it has given us access to other cultures traditions and beliefs in easier and faster ways than years ago. By far, the Television has been one of the most influential media. Since its burst in the United States in 1950, it has experienced lots of changes and improvement, the many broadcasting networks aired give us numerous opportunities to communicate and share our cultural information, as well as opportunities to receive information from those who we may not know much about. The problem is that we cannot fully comprehend or get to know a culture in the 30 seconds and advertisement may last, nor in two hours of a documentary; we cannot assume that everything we see is true, however we decide to keep that information thats shared about

others and in most of the cases it only increases or confirms those stereotypes we already have. The way women are seen in a society is not only reflected, but also reinforced in its movies, TV shows, advertisement, etc. The role thats for years been shared through advertisement is that where women are supposed to take care of the children and the house, and do nothing more than that, or as a sexual object. Some may say that the stereotype is now changing by showing women as an equal human being whos able to achieve as much as any man; but honestly, when we look at it closely, have we ever seen a man promoting a dishwashing detergent? And if it has ever happened, man have no idea of what theyre doing and is a woman who has to help him finish the task, not only women but men are also being projected in many wrong ways. Nowadays not only the TV (or media like magazines, newspapers, etc.) gives us fast and easy access to other cultures and countries, we also have the internet, which is probably the most powerful source of information today, especially in younger generations. Not only women, but different cultures have been affected by the media. As we search online for information about any particular subculture, whether is black, white, latino, gays, etc. we find thousands of websites, books, videos, studies and music with information and opinions about them, positive or negative, and either we want it or not, our views of those cultures (or pretty much about anything) are influenced by what we read, what we see on videos, what we hear on music, etc. Many subcultures are used by really strong media (like TV shows or movies) to make jokes using stereotypes that are part of whats known as the Popular Culture. People says that using humor to address those conflicts is a way to make it lose power but, is that its

real purpose? Is everyone aware of how offensive or not it could be for a member of that particular culture, and how it can influence the way they are looked by others? Sensitivity to media is different for everyone, as some may decide not to take any joke personally, others may feel offended about it and a target for the rest of his friends or acquaintances because of a five seconds comment they heard on last nights show, in worse cases, those who have never interacted with a member of that culture will save the information received and create a new stereotype that will affect his/her future relations and communication with that culture. As it affects groups negatively, it benefits others too. Popular Culture nowadays, set patterns through the media on how people must behave, what to wear and not to wear, where to go, whats in or not, and whos cool or not. Artists and celebrities are seen as role models for so many, and what they do is shown as what the rest of the people must do if they want to become more like them, words that they use, a particular piece of cloth, etc. Our language, looks, behavior, our worldview, everything is influenced by the Popular Culture we receive through the media. If it is true that we cannot control everything we are exposed to, we do have the final decision on what we keep and use out of all that. We have to be aware on whats part of only a mass culture, the Popular Culture we belong to allows us create a positive worldview and the media empowers us to share that worldview with other and have the opportunity to turn the Popular Culture into one more beneficial and equal to every subculture.

References: Shirley Fedorak: Popular Culture: The Culture of Everyday Life, 2009, pag. 3-14, 38-40. Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama: Intercultural Communication in Context, 2013, pag. 377-384. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_culture#In_popular_culture