Course Number: GE 12

Course Title: Philippine Popular Culture

Topic 3
Concepts of Popular Culture

Folk Culture, Mass Culture, and High Culture

 Popular culture is usually associated with either mass culture or folk culture, and differentiated
from high culture and various institutional cultures (political culture, educational culture, legal
culture, etc.).

o Folk culture refers to the traditional and localized cultural practices and expressions of
smaller, often rural, and closely-knit communities. It is deeply rooted in the customs,
beliefs, and rituals of specific groups.

o Mass culture, also known as popular culture, refers to the cultural elements and practices
that are widely disseminated and embraced by a large and diverse audience within a
society. It is often associated with urbanization, industrialization, and the mass media.

o High Culture can be defined as a subculture that is shared by the upper class of the
society. In other words, this includes the elites of the society. High culture consists of
specific consumption patterns, lifestyle, literature, beliefs and attitudes, leisure activities
that set the elites apart from the mass society

 The association of popular culture with mass culture leads to a focus on the position of popular
culture within a capitalist mode of economic production. Through this economic lens, popular
culture is seen as a set of commodities produced through capitalistic processes driven by a profit
motive and sold to consumers.

 In contrast, the association of popular culture with folk culture leads to a focus on subcultures
such as youth cultures or ethnic cultures. Through this subculture lens, popular culture is seen as
a set of practices by artists or other kinds of culture makers that result in performances and
objects that are received and interpreted by audiences, both within and beyond the subcultural
group.

 Holistic approaches examine the ways that popular culture begins as the collective creation of a
subculture and is then appropriated by the market system. Key issues in the sociological analysis
of popular culture include the representation of specific groups and themes in the content of
cultural objects or practices, the role of cultural production as a form of social reproduction, and
the extent to which audiences exercise agency in determining the meanings of the culture that
they consume.

Examples of Folk Culture

1. Traditional Dance: Many minority, traditional, and indigenous cultures have their own forms of
dance that are preserved through folk culture.
2. Oral folklore: Refers to stories that are passed on from one generation to the next. These stories
traditionally were not written down but rather were passed on through stories.
3. Pagan Religions: Paganism refers to any belief system that is not aligned with the major world
religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This includes a wide range of belief systems, such
as Wicca, Druidism, and Asatru. For many pagans, nature is sacred and there is a strong focus
on living in harmony with the natural world. Other common beliefs include reverence for ancestors
and the acceptance of multiple gods and goddesses.
4. Traditional crafts: Can be as simple as a basket or as complicated as fine woven silk. Whether it
is a rug, a knitted sweater, an iron hinge, or a hunting decoy, people often invest time and effort,
beyond what is needed for basic necessity, to produce crafts that are pleasing to the eye.
5. Traditional clothing and dress: Are typically associated with a particular regional culture or
religion. They are often made from natural materials such as wool, cotton, or silk, and it is often
handmade. Moreover, traditional clothing is often passed down from generation to generation,
and it often has symbolic meaning. For example, in many indigenous cultures, traditional clothing
is used to represent group membership and social status. In other cultures, traditional clothing
may be worn for special occasions or ceremonies. Thus, traditional clothing often plays an
important role in helping people to connect with their cultural heritage.
6. Regional Dialects and Slang: Are wide range of dialects that change from one town to the next.
7. Traditional ceremonies: Are events of social, spiritual, religious or public significance performed
on special occasions for various. reasons.
 8. Regional Food Dishes: There are many regional food dishes across the world that have been
practiced for generations, despite the influence of globalization. We call the culture and traditions
surrounding these foods ‘foodways‘.
9. Localized Christmas Traditions: While there is a globalized Christmas culture, when you travel
around the world, you also notice that there are a range of local Christmas traditions and
activities.

Examples of Mass Culture

1. Music: Pop music is most generally music that is popular. Within the music industry, this term can
have negative connotations where it implies music that is superficially designed to appeal to a
target audience. Nevertheless, a good portion of pop music emerges spontaneously based on the
talent and originality of artists. This is most likely to occur where an artist fits into their time and
place such that they capture the public's imagination somehow.
2. Entertainment: Generally speaking, films and television that are designed to be highly
entertaining are viewed as popular culture. Likewise, other forms of entertainment such as
theatres, circuses and theme parks are viewed as pop culture if they are produced at scale.
3. Fandom: Fandom is a broad term for fans of popular culture or subculture who are unusually
enthusiastic. For example, cosplayers who participate in popular culture with costumes and role-
playing.
4. Popular Fiction: Popular fiction, comics and manga. Generally speaking, works require
institutional acceptance to be viewed as literature. Everything else is labeled popular fiction, also
known as genre fiction. The institutions that choose works to be considered literature such as
universities and newspapers arguably suffer from a failure of imagination and tend to exclude any
work that can be labeled with a genre such as mystery, thriller, horror, romance, western, fantasy
and science fiction.
5. Media: Media that reaches a large audience including broadcast media such as television and
social media such as a video sharing platform.
6. Sports: Sports provide an outlet for the human competitive spirit and acts as a superculture that
provides global shared experience.
7. Food: Mass produced food including fast food, chain restaurants and fast moving consumer
goods such as breakfast cereal.
8. Fashion: Mass produced fashion such as fast fashion, sportswear and affordable luxury.
9. Consumer Culture: The consumer culture surrounding mass produced products and services. For
example, the experience of using the same mobile device or a brand that symbolizes something
to billions of people.
10. Language: Language is freely invented, changed and adapted by individuals with creative
license. This can eventually become part of slang and standard language. It is common for
language to represent the spirit of the time from which it sprang. For example, the term party
crasher emerged around 1921 in the midst of the Jazz Age. This added meaning to the word
crash -- to attend an event where you're not invited.
11. Concepts: It is common for pop culture to invent new concepts. For example, the term hater
meaning someone who strongly undermines or criticizes others, often due to pathetic jealousy,
likely emerged from hip hop culture such as the term playa hater as used by influential rapper
Biggie Smalls as early as 19.
12. People: Famous people such as actors, musicians, politicians and media personalities can be
considered pop culture when they become a household name. This serves as a common
reference such that people talk about celebrities much the way they talk about actual
acquaintances. A media frenzy exists around celebrities as entertainment outlets seek every
detail of their life.
13. News: The countless current events of the day get summarized as a few daily news stories that
are picked up by major media outlets and distributed to the masses. This process is known as the
news.
14. Travel: Travel services that are offered at industrial scale such as cruises, chain hotels and bus
tours. Likewise, sightseeing to well-known spots can be considered popular culture as it is a
shared experience with broad participation.
15. Recreation: Popular recreation such as fitness booms that enjoy mass participation.
16. Popular Imagination: The popular imagination is the set of stories, symbols and ideas that are
interesting enough to quickly spread across large groups. These drives change to culture, norms,
values and systems.
17. Youth Culture: Beginning in the late 19th century developed nations began to ban child labor.
This accelerated after WWI and a shift occurred whereby youth in these countries had more free
time and material resources leading to a vibrant youth culture in areas such as music, fashion,
language, symbols, concepts and values.
18. Generation Gaps: Popular culture rapidly changes such that large generation gaps occur. Older
elements of popular culture can stick to a generation but fail to translate to subsequent
generations. For example, radio exercise programs in Japan known as rajio taiso that still appeal
to older generations but are perhaps fading out as pop culture.
 19. Nostalgia: The pop culture of yesterday can produce strong feelings of a time and place. By
reliving this old pop culture you may feel that you can almost reach out and touch the past.
Naturally, this is impossible such that pop culture can produce a bitter-sweet melancholy known
as nostalgia. For example, a baseball game that brings forward images, smells and sounds of the
past.
20. Digital Experience: Shared experiences that occur in digital environments such as social media
and video games. This may mix reality with digital entities.
21. Creator Culture: The internet has led to broad participation in culture whereby anyone can create
things such as commentary, videos, photos or game mods that contribute to culture. This is likely
to expand with time such that everyone can compete with professionals in any domain. For
example, a future app that allows anyone to design and produce their own electric vehicle
whereby the app takes care of heavy lifting such as engineering, compliance to regulations,
prototyping, testing and manufacturing.

Examples of High Culture

1. Classical Music: Works by composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
and Johann Sebastian Bach are considered high culture. Symphony orchestras, opera, and
chamber music performances fall into this category.
2. Literature: Classic literature from authors such as William Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, Jane
Austen, and F. Scott Fitzgerald is a part of high culture. These works often explore complex
themes and are celebrated for their literary quality.
3. Visual Arts: Paintings, sculptures, and other visual artworks created by renowned artists like
Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Michelangelo are considered high
culture.
4. Ballet: Classical ballet performances, like those choreographed by Marius Petipa or George
Balanchine, are seen as a form of high culture due to their technical skill and artistic expression.
5. Theater: Plays by playwrights such as Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, and Samuel Beckett
are considered high culture when performed by professional theater companies.
6. Opera: Operatic productions, featuring the works of composers like Giuseppe Verdi and Richard
Wagner, are often regarded as high culture due to their combination of music, drama, and
spectacle.
7. Architecture: Architectural masterpieces like the Parthenon in Athens, the Taj Mahal in India, and
the Palace of Versailles in France are examples of high culture in the realm of architecture.
8. Fine Dining: High-end restaurants that offer gourmet cuisine and fine dining experiences, often
with expertly crafted dishes and wine pairings, are considered a part of high culture.
9. Ballet and Dance: Besides classical ballet, contemporary dance performances by renowned
choreographers such as Martha Graham or Pina Bausch are also considered high culture.
10. Museums and Art Galleries: Institutions like the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York, and the British Museum in London house extensive collections of high-culture
artifacts and artworks.
11. Poetry: Poetry by poets like William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes is
considered high culture, particularly when it explores deep emotional and philosophical themes.
12. Film: Some films, particularly those recognized for their artistic and intellectual depth, can be
considered high culture. Works by directors like Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, and Akira
Kurosawa often fall into this category.
13. Classical Dance: Traditional dance forms like Kathakali in India or Noh theater in Japan are
considered high culture due to their historical significance and artistic complexity.
14. Academic Disciplines: Fields of study such as philosophy, classical studies, and art history are
associated with high culture as they involve the exploration of complex ideas and historical
context.
15. Literature Festivals and Cultural Events: Events like the Hay Festival and the Venice Biennale,
which celebrate literature, art, and culture, are often seen as platforms for high culture.

References:

Drew, C. (2023). 10 Folk Culture Examples (For Human Geography). https://helpfulprofessor.com/folk-

culture-examples/

Drew, C. (2023). 28 High Culture Examples (A To Z List). https://helpfulprofessor.com/high-culture-

examples/
Simplicable.com. (n.d.). 21 Examples of Pop Culture. https://simplicable.com/culture/pop-culture-
examples