Popular Culture and Social Media

Introduction

Popular culture and social media function as powerful, sometimes biased, agents of cultural socialization. Popular culture is defined as media-driven, mass-produced content that acts as a primary source of information about unfamiliar cultures. Media representations and social media can perpetuate stereotypes through framing, while also providing platforms for counter-narratives and cultural critique. In this reading you will explore the ways we consume popular culture, the differences between folk, low, and high culture, as well as the ways that social media amplify stereotypes and ethnocentrism. As you read this selection, note how mass media and digital platforms shape identity and influence intercultural interactions. Think about a time when you entered a professional or educational context where the unwritten rules felt foreign. How did the power distance of that environment affect your willingness to speak up or ask for help?

How important do you think popular culture is within your life? Are you constantly listening to the newest music? Do you enjoy watching the most recent episode of something on Amazon Prime or Netflix? Or do you follow social influencers on YouTube? Look around your house. Have your purchases been influenced by the Disney Corporation, Game of Thrones, World of Warcraft, or Peppa the Pig? The most common forms of popular culture are movies, music, television, video games, sports, entertainment news, fashion, and various forms of social media.

Some of us may be very selective in our consumption of popular culture, but it’s difficult to find someone who has not been touched by popular culture at all. Even if the mere mention of popular culture makes you roll your eyes and sigh, most of us - no matter what nation you are a citizen of - have been impacted by the economic and social impact of popular culture. This chapter will explore the significant roles that pop culture and social media play in terms of how people and cultures are socialized to thing about themselves, others, and the process of intercultural communication.

Figures of the Simpsons family displayed in a window, featuring Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa, and Bart upside down. — Figure 8.0 – Popular Culture, The Simpsons

Source: Karen Krumrey
View original source.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.