The article “The Rise of Popular Culture: A
Historiographical Sketch,” by LeRoy Ashby, maps the constant change in popular
culture and touches on the struggle for control of it. It has a lot of
historical insight but the part that caught my attention was where James W.
Cooks is quoted as saying, “Neither the producers nor the consumers of this
culture maintained complete control”. David Suisman also examines this point by
saying that although some popular songs may come from commercialization; a market
doesn’t exist without the approval of consumers. Pop culture isn’t just
dictated by ordinary people (or consumers) but also gets manipulated by
businesses. Studying this topic made me realize that it is much more complex
than I ever expected. It seemed easy at first; it was defined by the people.
However, looking into it more, it suddenly matters who the people are. Popular culture goes through constant
changes but we have to ask ourselves; where do these new ideas come from?
I agree with what you say about the businesses dictating and manipulating popular culture. I think businesses do that more than consumers. Popular culture is very complex and there are many factors that contribute to it. The biggest factor being the influence of companies.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really think of it like that either. I figured pop culture was controlled mainly by the consumers with a little aid from businesses. But now I can see the major impact of businesses in pop culture. The consumers are the ones that take interest in a product or idea, but businesses are the ones influencing our interests.
ReplyDeleteI think the realization that it matters who we are is a great one. If we change who we are as a majority in certain ways (i.e. the widespread acceptance of gay marriage), it effects the market. There is also a market for the smaller demographics of pop culture, because there are just so many people in the world that even 1% could be a profitable market. It reinforces the value of doing what you love, because everyone has a place in this larger economy.
ReplyDeleteI never really considered the way that consumers and business work together to form popular culture. It is interesting to think that they rely so much on each other. I think that the ideas for these constant changes come from a mix of business and consumer input. A business might be able to start a trend while at the same time a consumer could do something that catches on and becomes the next big thing.
ReplyDeleteT. Bowers