Pop Culture

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culture

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process that delivers the values of society through products or other media-making forms

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high culture (NOT pop culture)

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identified with "good taste" and often supported by wealthy patrons and coporate donors; is associated with fine art which is avaliable primarily in libraries, theaters, and museums. EX: ballet, symphony, art museums, and classic literature

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low culture (pop culture)

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massed produced, mass consumption. Aligned with the questionable tastes of the "masses" who enjoy the commerical "junk" circulated by the mass media EX: soap operas, rock and rap music, talk radio, comic books, monster truck pulls

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folk culture

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culture of the people for the people; generally local, considered more authentic (pop culture as well)

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ideological side of pop culture

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set of ideas put forth by a group of people

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values; how values are obtained

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principles, standards, or qualities considered worthwhile within a culture...we are socialized to our values and the media is also a channel values are distributed through

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american values

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pride, hard-working, security, competition, individualism, freedom, equality

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propaganda analysis

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deceptive distortion of information that is systematically spread EX: promoting the war

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public opinion research

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gathering information from diverse locations
EX: polling

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social psychology study

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studies how we learn and behave EX: TV Rating system

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Marketing research

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consumer habit studies; developed by advertisers
EX: show ratings (how well they are doing)

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hypodermic-needle model/ critique

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powerful media affecting a weak (passive audience)
Critique: there is not a completely passive audience; situational like education, age, personality

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minimal effects model/ critque

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(selective retention)look to media to helps re-confirm values that we already hold
Critique: media is not the only thing we're affected by; it does not explain broadly as a society

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uses and gratification model/ critique

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look to the media to satisfy emotional or intellectual needs
critique: flipping channels really seeking out fulfillment? does everyone have same needs?

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agenda setting

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the media is setting what should be focused on - tells us what to think about but not HOW to think about it

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cultivation effect

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heavy exposure of media distorts our views on reality (the mean world syndrome) - think world is dangerous/unfriendly

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cultural approach to mass media

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considers how individuals may interpret messages based on age, gender, ethnicity, education, occupation. major areas of cultural studies include gender studies, ethnic studies etc.

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cultural approach to mass media (pros and cons)

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Allows for freedom of interpretation and looks at broad effects of media and culture; some studies focus solely on textual meaning and ignore effects on audience (531)

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marxist approach

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those who control mode of production also control ideology

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hegemony

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Power - who has power/how mantianed? dominant over subordinate.
Ideology - dominant groups circulate their value beliefs - circulate them as common sense - subordinate groups go along (consensus)
conflict - continuous conflict when getting the subordinate consensus

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negotiation

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sometimes give-and-take between subordinate and dominant

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resistance

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subordinates resist dominant
EX: torn jeans

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incorporation

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some form of resistance becomes accepted by dominant groups EX: start selling pre-torn jeans

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textual analysis

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"close readings" looking for motifs, themes for cultural meaning

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audience studies

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(reader-response) looking at how audiences interpret them - looks at who controls meaning

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political economy

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focus on production and forces behind it. Umbrella term that refers to idea that all products and services are produced to serve political and economic purposes. concern with media ownership and increasing conglomeration of ownership. oligopoly*

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oligopoly (part of political economy)

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few businesses that control a certain service

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military industrial entertainment complex

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term used for the idea that a few companies control most of the media and other industries - therefore, those few companies have the power to shape our perception. control occurs across sectors...a company might have holdings that contract with the military, manufacture household goods and own a major television network

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five potential effects on media

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1)control perceptions -hype created
2)limit viewpoints
3) standardization
4) false choice - quanity does not mean diversity
5) leverage media interests -synergy*

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synergy

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one promoting products of another
EX: ABC promoting Disney

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cultural imperialism

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american popular culture shapes the cultures and identities of other nations.

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cultural imperialism ties to manifest destiny

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because of american economic dominance, globalization is seen as americanization which ties to the concept of manifest destiny

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cultural imperialism critics and defenders

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Defenders: foster debate/ challenge authority. Faster communication
Critics: hampers development of local culture. Encourages teenagers to disregard native culture

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resistance to cultural imperialism

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localization of products and practices

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cultural influences not uni-directional

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globalization not solely American takeover EX: Anime

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semiotics

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method of reading signs (ads, gestures, language itself, food, objects, clothes)

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signification (semiotics based on)

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how meanings are produced and put into circulation (including denotative and connotative meaning)

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denotative/ connatative

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D: dictionary definition
C: suggested or associated meaning of a word

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Advertisers focusing on women

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Men earn, women consume. For a woman to be a good wife and mother, she had to buy the right things.

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stereotype (never fits someone completely)

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standardized conception or image of a specific group. Those in power have the power to stereotype others (can evolve over time)
EX: dumb blonde

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invisible stereotyping

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can stereotype people by leaving them out, marginalizing them EX: leaving a gay couple out of an add for finding a romantic relationship

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gender as a social construction and performance

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It is a social construction based on messages received by families, media, social institutions such as schools and churches. Gender is performance, those who dont perform it correctly are "punished" in some kind of way

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truth in advertising?

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can there be truth in advertising? Truth campaign

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Why news considered "special" in America culture?

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first amendment - only media protected by the constitution
watchdog role - checks and balances system
fourth estate - three branches in govt, press serves as unofficial 4th branch

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criteria of newsworthiness

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criteria are result of professional socialization