We often use the term pop culture, or popular culture, in our vocabulary, sometimes to impress our interlocutors with our knowledge, and other times to point out the most important issues, which concern humanity on a global scale. However, most of the time, we are not even aware of its huge impact on our lives. But what exactly is pop culture?
The interaction of pop culture, over time, is like that of a living organism. It is constantly evolving; its form and quality are shaped according to the seasons. But who determines its form? The answer to this question is obvious: we do, or, more precisely, our society does. The recognition of a certain ensemble of beliefs and matters by society, which prevail at some point in time, constitute what we call pop culture. At first glance, it does not appear that it can bring about radical changes in the world and that entertainment is its only purpose. But, if you look at all the basic branches of our society, such as the arts (television, cinema, music, literature, painting, etc.), science, technology, sports, and politics, some degree of pop culture influence exists.
With this argument comes Alexandre O. Philippe at TEDxMileHigh to explain this very effect. Alexandre O. Philippe is a Swiss documentary filmmaker with his best-known documentary 78/52 (2017), concerning the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho (1960). In his speech, “Why Pop Culture?”, he describes how determinant pop culture has been in his life, and how pop culture constitutes the link that unites people all over the world. In a few words and with a pleasant dose of vividness he presents all the positive attributes of his favorite culture and many others.
This time, besides Alexandre O. Philippe, another artist comes into play, John Robb at TEDxExeterSalon with his speech “Pop culture and technology: The shock of the new.” John Robb is an English journalist, singer of the punk rock band Goldblade and bassist of the post punk band The Membranes. According to him, in the past, pop culture was a door to the future which slowly unlocked this door with the help of technological development and realized the hopes of older generations. Now, as he argued, the easy access granted by technology to the various musical genres “is a way to move forward by recreating pieces of the past.” His words may have been limited to the music industry, because of his profession, but through his perspective we understand that these elements have a general application and showcase the interactive relationship between pop culture and technology.
Now let us take a look at the present. In the year 2021 the world has been hit by a global pandemic, which has forced people to stay at home and limit their contact with each other. One lifeline to this whole situation has indeed been pop culture. The way to relax, now more than ever, and get away from our problems are all the different kinds of entertainment that are given to us through our screens. And they may not be enough to fill the gap of the loss of human contact, but their role is decisive in maintaining a stable psychological state. Our favorite song, a nice movie, even a search on social media are able to lighten the day.
Therefore, we understand that pop culture is multifaceted. Even if our interests differ, we are all found under its sphere of influence. All we have to do is appreciate its contribution to our civilization and, as for its quality, it is up to us to alter it when it does not satisfy us.
Photography by Eleni Santoli