learning outcomes

1. Define the terms culture and popular culture;

2. Understand the concept of popular culture in the context of
the sociocultural perspective;
3. Understand and discuss critically the concepts related to
popular culture.
How would you
define culture?
culture
Ø Involves symbols, language, norms, values, and
artifacts that characterize any society and that shape
the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes of the members
of the society.

Ø “Culture” encompasses objects and symbols, the

meaning given to those objects and symbols, and the
norms, values, and beliefs that pervade social life.

Ø #Shared Meaning
 culture

Ø Anthropologists would define culture as a means of organizing

and stabilizing communal life and everyday activities through
specific beliefs, rituals, rites, performances, art forms,
symbols, language, clothing, food, music, dance, and other
human expressive, intellectual, and communicative pursuits
and faculties that are associated with a group of people at a
particular period of time.
culture
A system of symbolic and expressive structures that a
particular group of people developed and utilized to
enhance solidarity, understanding, and transmission of
knowledge.” (Danesi, 2019)
components of culture: symbols

Ø Symbols are an important part of culture and help

members of a society interact.
Ø They include both objects and non-verbal means of
communication.
Ø Failure to understand the meanings of symbols can make
it difficult to interact.
example of symbols
example of symbols
example of symbols
why do we use symbols?

Ø To communicate a deeper meaning.

Ø To make everyday life more organized.
Ø To unite people and cultures.
Ø To promote traditions.
components of culture: language

Ø Language is another important element of culture and

fundamental to communication.
Ø Our culture can be thought of as a lens through which we
experience the world and develop shared meaning. It
follows that the language that we use is created in response
to cultural needs.
Ø In other words, there is an obvious relationship between the
way we talk and how we perceive the world.
Ø Language also influences our culture.
components of culture: norms

Ø Also called social norm- rule or standard of behavior shared

by members of a social group.
Ø Statistically determined standard or the average behavior,
attitude, or opinion of a social group. In this sense, it means
actual, rather than expected behavior.
components of culture: values

Ø A culture’s norms and values influence how people behave.

When we look around the world, we see several dramatic
illustrations of cross-cultural variations of norms and values.
Ø In Japan, for example, harmony is a central value, while in
the United States individualism and competition prevail.
components of culture: values

Ø Values account for the stability of social order. They provide

the general guidelines for social conduct.
Ø Values are the criteria people use in assessing their daily
lives; arrange their priorities and choosing between
alternative course of action.
components of culture: artifacts

Ø Items that contain vital information about people and the

culture they relates or for which they were used.

function of culture

Ø Shape the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes of the

members of the society.
popular

On the other hand “popular” means regarded with favor,

approval, or affection by people in general and in other words
is intended for the general masses of people. The word
“popular” is very appealing and favored by the public.
 popular culture
ü Is a culture that is extensively favored by many people
ü Tends to reflect the interest of wide audiences or to intentionally
target their preferences
ü is a fusion of ideas, things, actions, and circumstances that may
effect changes in the beliefs, personality, and preferences of an
individual
ü Is a prevalent and well-known culture in most people that dictates
what will be the trend for a certain time
ü Is a residue of high culture, therefore highlighting it as the culture of
the masses, particularly the working class
ü Is a culture influenced by mass consumption and commercialization
ü Offers an “escape” to ordinary people by providing amusement to
survive everyday life
ü Has a didactic orientation or tendency to uplift morality
ü Considered by some scholars to be a medium of “Americanization”

Consolidated from Askin & Mauskapf, 2017; Reyes, 2014; Wiana, 2013, Sokolowski, 2012; Storey, 2009;
Sellnow, 2004)
 characteristics of popular culture
Ø According to Williams (as To better understand Popular
cited by Storey, 2018): Culture, we must first learn its
• Well-liked by people
• Inferior kinds of work characteristics. These
• Deliberately intended to win the
describe how popular
favor of the people
• Made by the people for culture works. Using these
themselves
characteristics, we can
Ø According to Tolentino further understand and
(2004) categorize certain parts of
§ Made to be commercialized
§ Transgressive in its categories our culture whether they are
§ Disseminated with the use of part of popular culture, high
technology
§ Subjected to notions of culture, or mass culture.
sadomasochism
Popular culture is intended to be commercialized. Alongside its
popularity is its tendency to become profitable. We know that
when something is well-known, people might buy things that are
related to or inspired by it.
characteristics of popular culture

TRANSGRESSIVE
Challenging the socially accepted norms or the
established rules and boundaries within an artistic,
moral, or cultural space.
Social norms are social rules that are expected to be followed by
the members of a certain culture. In this case, in our norms,
males are expected to establish a relationship with females and
vice versa. Popular culture begs to differ as it features or at least
becomes more sensitive to LGBTQIA+.
Trends spread like wildfire through different people of
all ages and genders through the aid of technology.
This is an example of how Popular Culture has the
characteristics to be disseminated with the help of
technology.

Using different technological platforms, Popular

Culture can reach out to as many people as possible,
fulfilling its other functions and characteristics. This
way, the masses can be aware of and enjoy Popular
Culture.