Popular American Culture

Popular American Culture

University of Phoenix

December 17, 2012

Culture, since the 19th century, refers to the refinement of individuality especially

through education, and then to the fulfillment of aspirations or ideals (Tucker, 2009).

From German non-positivist, sociologist George Simmel view, culture is referred

to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been

objectified in the course of history" (Levine, 1971). To summarize, culture is what people

create through what they do as a whole when in large numbers. How they act, how they

speak, what they eat, and so on, is what is later known as their culture. One cannot have

culture without numbers.

Popular culture, on the other hand, is the collection of ideas, perspectives,

attitudes, images, and other trends that are favored by an unofficial consensus within the

mainstream of a given culture. Popular culture is profoundly influenced by mass media

and these collected works of ideas persuades the everyday lives of society (Steinem

1965). Popular culture is frequently seen as being insignificant and unintelligent in order

to find mutual tolerance throughout the mainstream. Because of this, it goes under serious

criticism from numerous non-mainstream foundations, such as religious groups and

countercultural groups, which consider popular culture superficial, sensationalist,

consumerist and corrupted (Tucker, 2009).

Three major trends in popular American culture in this decade are DVR, Social

Networking, and Android/Apple Products (Hatala, 2009). DVR has become hugely

popular with that fact that now people do not have to be near a television to catch their

favorite programs anymore, now an individual can record their shows and watch them

whenever they want later. Also, even if you forgot to record your program, you can still

go to your cable companies personal arsenal of provided programs...