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Ayanna Sisson

Professor Jamey Dunham

English 1201

3 August 2019

The Evolution and Effects of Pop Culture

Binge watching your favorite show on Netflix, or seeing advertisements posted on a wall.

Does this sound familiar? Both of these things go under the category of popular culture, also

known as pop culture. Most everyone is exposed to pop culture on a daily basis without even

realizing it. Pop culture is in almost everything we see and hear including music, print, sports,

advertisement, television, video games, and much more. It’s influence on society can be obvious

or extremely subtle, but in both cases, it has a huge impact on how us as a civilization think and

act on certain situations. These different impacts can be negative or positive depending on the

message being delivered and how we respond and react to that message. The main target for

popular culture is the youth. Pop culture evolves based on the wants of its followers and

influences the youth in positive and negative ways, because of its popularity and effect on almost

every aspect of a teenager’s life.

Popular culture has many different aspects that define it as a form of expressions that are

widely accepted and used within a culture. Meaning the culture appeals to people because of

what it has to offer. The different genres include music, writing, sports, entertainment, television,

advertisement, and much more, as mentioned before. This type of culture is particularly aimed to

grab the interest of younger people as they are easier to manipulate and influence. There are

many different trends and ideas that emerge from this culture that grab the attention of teenagers,
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where they then start incorporating into their own lives. Pop culture isn’t the only type of culture

that exists, as folk and high culture are still around. In the article, Pop Culture: An Overview, the

writers describe what folk, pop, and high culture are and the differences between each one. Folk

culture is discussed as the traditional way of things, normally a much simpler lifestyle. High

culture is defined as belonging to the social elite or the upper-class citizen. Each one of these

cultures have different factors and reasons for their presence, but popular culture is the most

common and influential one.

Popular culture may seem to many as just entertainment that happens to be popular

amongst the youth but, this is very far from the truth. In the article, 5 Truths about Pop Culture,

presented by the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU), written by Walt Mueller,

discusses the truths behind pop culture. The five truths discussed are that pop culture is “…

market driven, fluid, pervasive, entertaining, and unifying” (CPYU). Pop culture bases itself on

the demand of people they can best profit from. The article states that children are currently the

most targeted as they have the most purchasing influence out of all age groups. Influencing them

to have brand loyalties and spending behavior is much easier the younger they are. In order for

this culture to maintain people’s attention this article also states that pop culture is forced to

reshape itself in order to best fit the market and what people want. Because pop culture is

constantly evolving to fit the present trends, it’s everywhere and almost impossible to stay away

from. The constant entertainment and influence that it has had on society is undeniable.

Culture evolves and is still evolving throughout the years, as mentioned earlier. Walt

Mueller discussed how pop culture is market driven and bases itself on the demand of people,

orchestrating its products around what will make the most profit. What’s popular in today’s

society is very different from what used to be popular years ago. Trends change year by year, and
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even sometimes make a comeback a decade later. Examples include clothing, makeup, and

music. Each year a new style is promoted and liked by the mass amount of people, causing a new

trend. Different factors may affect these trends like celebrity promotion or brand deals. If a

popular well-liked celebrity is wearing a certain designer or style of clothing, often their fans or

followers will want to copy this in order to imitate their role model. Brand deals is another

example, as many companies will pay influencers with platforms to promote their products or

services in order to gain customers. Every time this happens pop culture slowly shifts into a new

development.

Pop culture trends have evolved drastically throughout the years. In the fifties, things like

letter sweaters, hula hoops, drive-in theaters, sideburns, poodle skirts, and soda fountains were

popular and adored by the majority of people. Letter sweaters, worn by jocks to show that they

play a sport, is no longer something people do in today’s society. Hula hoops and drive-in

theaters are also not as popular, although these things are still around today they aren’t nearly as

popular or common to have or go to. This same thing goes for poodle skirts and side burns, as

you will rarely see someone showcasing these things in public, as they just aren’t something

people are interested in anymore. A decade later, the sixties, these trends changed into afros, bell-

bottoms, miniskirts, turtlenecks, and the band the Beatles. The style from poodle skirts to bell

bottoms and miniskirts was a huge shift, but a change like this happens every few years. People

started to get bored of the style and started experimenting and watching new celebrities rock new

clothing and style of music, like the Beatles. Some of the 60’s trends are still around today, and

some things like the miniskirt are also becoming a huge part of today’s popular culture, as some

trends return.
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In the 80’s, big hair, mullets, TV, neon colors, and high wasted jeans became part of the

modern culture. Another big shift in interest from the 70’s. The style of clothing and their

interests in things like Television and fast music started to become popular, and some of these

trends ended up staying popular to this day. In the 90’s overalls, rollerblades, bike shorts,

bleached hair and neon windbreakers became prominent. Then in the 2000’s lip gloss, bedazzled

pockets, choker necklaces, halter tops, studded belts, and tracksuits became favored and common

amongst the people. Now in 2019, some trends from the past have come back into style. Things

like miniskirts, high wasted jeans, choker necklaces, halter tops, biker shorts and other trends

seem to become more and more popular as the years go on, as an interest of old fashion becomes

a modern trend. Some new pop culture trends include rap music, cellular devices and fast cars. A

lot of these new trends also tend to be an old trend but more advanced. For example, fast music

became popular in the 80’s with singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson and now in 2019,

rap music has become a huge part of popular culture. A lot of technology has also advanced

drastically throughout the years causing new ideas and inventions to emerge.

Through the development and change of popular culture this leads to the influence it has

on the youth. Livestrong.com presented the article, The Effects of Pop Culture on Teenagers, by

Audrey Tramel, that discusses the different factors of modern pup culture and how they are

influencing teenagers. Within this article the main points include how media changes how teens

define themselves, the promotion of violence, imitation of pop stars, the promotion of sexuality,

body image, and social experiences. “While the research on the effects of pop culture on

teenagers is not yet conclusive, the predominance of pop culture in today’s society definitely has

some effect. In particular it affects the way teenagers think of themselves, how they associate

with other, and how they express characteristics of their maturation” (Tramel). This article
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discusses how a teens body image and self-definition relies on the maturing of teenagers as they

grow up and what they are exposed to. The author states that pop culture influences personal

choices and effects teen confidence. Body image is also a huge factor when it comes to the

beginning of puberty. This article mentions how things like celebrities on social media may cause

a teen to compare themselves leading to a negative self-view. The author also talks about pop

culture promoting violence and sexuality. A lot of social media portrays teenagers as big

participants of sexual acts and violent or reckless behavior, which teenagers tend to copy and

incorporate into their life style. There are a lot of negative aspects to what is influencing teens,

but there are also some very positive ones as well.

Negative contributions to popular culture through media and other entertainment sources

is very common. People can use these different social media apps to create a negative impact on

another individual’s life. As teenagers specifically use media on a daily basis to communicate to

their family and friends, they are exposed to some very unpleasant things. Much of media

glamourizes fame, fortune, and physical appearance leaving out any moral development, causing

adolescents to only focus on physical appearance and materialistic items. This has caused many

young people to become concerned with things like body image, popularity, and owning brand

named items. Those who don’t look or act a certain way, own expensive items, or follow the

trends are then discriminated against and seen as inferior to those who are able to obtain and

follow these trends with ease.

Another negative aspect to pop culture includes the influence of drug abuse, violence,

and sex. If anyone takes a look at the different music or popular youth-targeted shows about high

school, a lot of the times things like alcohol, marijuana, sex, and violent behavior is showcased.

The media tends to flaunt the positive side effects of alcohol or other drugs, causing teens to try
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it out for themselves. Drug abuse decades ago seemed to be more common for teenagers, but is

still a huge issue today. Music also highly contributed to this issue, more specifically hip-hop and

rap music. Many lyrics in these types of music include violence, sexual behavior, vulgar words,

and alcohol. A lot of music videos also include sexual scenes with the inclusion of drugs. When

young teenagers watch these videos, they tend to be very influenced and may start to think that

this type of behavior is acceptable and will make them look cooler to other teens. This then

causes an increase to the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The Black Youth

Project, revealed that around 58% black youth and 5% white youth watch rap music programs

daily, affecting how these young people think and act.

Many television shows’ also showcase false information that many teens may believe to

be true. For example, The New York Times article, the ‘Euphoria’ Teenagers Are Wild. But Most

Real Teenagers Are Tame”, written by Margot Sanger-Katz and Aaron E. Carroll, discusses how

the show Euphoria showcases teenagers in a false way. In the article, it talks about teenaged

shows dramatizing teenage hood, but as the years go on, adolescents have actually become more

and more responsible. The show still has the characters go through similar things current teens

go through like suicide rates rising and other mental health diagnoses, but there are also things

like sex and hard drug use that is very different from between the show and real life. The

author’s purpose of writing this article is to explain how some pop culture aspects may be wrong.

Many movies or television shows make certain thing seem much worse for heightened

entertainment. Sex and drug abuse are still a huge issue in today’s society, but there are many

shows and other special media sources that showcase this information very incorrectly. This

could cause the younger demographic to believe what they are watching or hearing is true, and

with this sense of wanting to belong, they may start participating in similar ways.
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False information is present not only in television shows but everywhere online. This is

another downside to social media or any internet source, the ability for anyone to write about

something. This causes there to be many sites filled with false information disguised as factual

information, known as “fake news”. Fake news is normally used as propaganda, entertainment,

shock, or for gaining popularity on all social media platforms. These types of news aren’t

always 100 percent fake, although this does happen, a lot of untrue stories have a little truth

involved. This can cause phony statistics to go around causing people to believe something

untrue. The spread of false information is very dangerous and is becoming easier to do. As

technology gets more advanced, the usage and accessibility of the internet is becoming more

apparent. Years back, there was no internet or way of communicating virtually, and with this

lack of fast communication, the spreading of information took much longer. Today, almost

everyone owns a cellphone, computer, or television which means information, even fake, can

spread much more efficiently. Our dependence on our electronics is also rising, as we now

rely on things like Google or social media to acquire information.

There are also many different positive contributions to popular culture that come from the

media and other entertainment sources. For example, there are many positive educational shows

that children can watch and learn from, like the Magic School bus or Bill Nye. By using

television shows, young children can learn important lessons and information through

entertainment. Another positive aspect of pop culture is how it is able to bring communities

closer together. In the TED talk, Why Pop Culture? Alexander O. Philippe discusses the role

popular culture has on expressing our values to the community. Alexander discusses how pop

culture can change how we view things. He also discusses how there are many things like

politics and religious beliefs that divide us, but pop culture is what brings us together in
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harmony. The effects of popular culture are enormous and can bring other cultures of individuals

together through universal language. Entertainment is something everyone can enjoy, an example

used in Philippe’s presentation was the music video Gangnam style. This music video, although

only in one language, was liked by people of all cultures. It caused people of different beliefs and

views to join together to enjoy this piece of musical art. There are many examples of things like

this occurring in popular culture around the world.

Another positive influence that this culture has on the youth is its promotion of

expression. Social media is still pretty new to the world, but as the years go on it’s becoming

more and more popular among not only teenagers but everyone. With access to the internet teens

are now able to express themselves in a completely different way than before. They are now able

to post photos, showcasing to all of their followers what they are doing or what they

accomplished recently. This allows them to stay connected to family members and friends.

Having a social media account lets the youth demonstrate their feelings and voice their opinions

on certain matters. The only downside to this would be the unwanted attention it may cause

adolescents to receive, including inappropriate messages and cyberbullying.

Accessibility has also become a huge part of popular culture. The usage of internet to

access online sites is a great help for research purposes. Students, teachers, or anyone who wants

to learn about something can now go on any cellular device and look up information about what

they are interested in. This allows people to understand more about the world and those around

them. This also lets individuals learn more about other cultures, religions, etc. through news

stations and websites. Knowing what’s going on around the world is important as everyone

should be updated on what’s taking place around them. Having online sites can also aid in

helping others in need, or those in need can reach out for help. Social media is a great way for
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people to reach out and ask other for opinions or help with certain things. Having access to the

internet allows for a community of people to band together and build their communities in a

positive manner.

Social media in popular culture also helps with social networking. Many businesses can

use the media to post advertisements or launch campaigns. By using sites like twitter or

Instagram, social media campaigns can identify a target audience and generate an appropriate ad

to lure customers in. Having the media is also a great way to distribute content. Containing

access to post information or photos is an easy and efficient way to promote a business into

gaining popularity. It’s also a great way to receive feedback or critiques from other individuals

who see the posts. This allows the business or person to review these comments and change or

update their product to enhance the quality of what they are trying to sell or promote, creating a

better customer satisfaction leading to a better business rating.

In an interview with Abby Schwab, a 17-year-old teenaged girl from Dayton Ohio, she

discusses how pop culture has affected her personal and social life. Abby stated that pop culture

has definitely effected who she is to this day. She discussed how seeing things like fashion,

sports, and TV shows made her view those categories in a different way. She also blames social

media for her low-self-esteem, as she says the media has forced her to believe she must look a

certain way in order to be accepted. These experiences that Abby went through are not

uncommon. Most teenagers can relate to how popular culture has made them feel while growing

up. Abby mentioned in the interview that there have also been some very positive aspects to her

social media and online presence. When Abby was ten she moved from North Carolina to Ohio

due to her mom finding a better job. Through snapchat and Instagram, Abby has been able to

keep up with her friends from North Carolina, and still talks with them to this day. Abby says
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that if social media wasn’t a part of her life or her friends lives, she wouldn’t have been able to

stay connected with them.

Popular culture has evolved in tremendous amount of ways that it’s hard to keep track of.

New trends emerge due to people getting bored of what they are currently doing or using.

Fashion trends are a great example of how, as the years pass, clothing styles start to alter into

new things. This is based on what the general mass amount of people wants. Businesses also

tend to base their products and services off of popular culture, in order to bring in more

customers and maximize profits. Because pop culture is always changing, there are many

negative and positive factors that are a product of these different ideas and trends. Cyberbullying,

false information spreading, glorification of drugs and violent behavior, and unrealistic standards

are all products of social media and other entertainment sources. The positive ones include social

networking, enhancement of creativity, connectivity, access to information, and harmony

between different groups of people are all present. Pop culture has many benefits but with every

pleasant aspect there is an unpleasant one as well. The evolution throughout the years, and its

effect that it has and on society and its youth is undeniably present.
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(“Youth Marketing: What Is Youth Marketing?” Youth Marketing | What Is Youth Marketing?
www.marketing-schools.org/types-of-marketing/youth-marketing.html.)

This image shows the different types of advertisement and how many people respond to

each one. This chart furthers my point on how pop culture uses advertisement to their advantage.

Companies use charts like this one to decide the best way for them to promote their products or

services and gain the highest number of customers.

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Works Cited

Ferguson, Christopher J., and Eugene Beresin. "Social science's curious war with pop culture and

how it was lost: The media violence debate and the risks it holds for social science."

Preventive Medicine, vol. 99, 2017, pp. 69-76. OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center,

doi:10.1016/J.YPMED.2017.02.009.

Mueller, Walt. “5 Truths about Pop Culture.” CPYU, 24 July 2014, cpyu.org/resource/5-truths-

about-pop-culture/.

“Money for Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music.” Performance by Thurston Moore,

Money for Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music (2001), Library VHS Rips, 13

Dec. 2015, Money for Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music (2001).

“Pop Culture: An Overview.” Philosophy Now: A Magazine of Ideas, Nov. 2004,

philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview.

Sanger-Katz, Margot, and Aaron E. Carroll. “The ‘Euphoria’ Teenagers Are Wild. But Most Real

Teenagers Are Tame.” The ‘Euphoria’ Teenagers Are Wild. But Most Real Teenagers Are

Tame., 23 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/06/23/upshot/euphoria-hbo-teens-sex-

drugs.html.

Schwab, Abby. Personal Interview. 25 June. 2019

Talks, TEDx, director. Why Pop Culture?: Alexandre O. Philippe at TEDxMileHigh.

Performance by Alexandre O. Philippe, YouTube, YouTube, 15 July 2013,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_3UYncNwz4.

Tramel, Audrey. “The Effects of Pop Culture on Teenagers.” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group,

www.livestrong.com/article/524468-the-effects-of-pop-culture-on-teenagers/.
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Zheng, Jie. “The Impact of Pop Culture on Youth in Schools of China and Its Challenges to

Pedagogy.” The International Journal of the Humanities: Annual Review, vol. 7, no. 8,

2009, pp. 43–58., doi:10.18848/1447-9508/cgp/v07i08/42725.