Ignoring pop culture is not an option; it's a requirement for success in modern society. Without at least some understanding of pop culture aspects, you may find yourself having a hard time connecting with new people who have interests other than yours or having a hard time being successful in a work environment.
As stated by Chuck Klosterman in his article Death by Harry Potter, there are three basic kinds of information “ 1) Information that you know you know, 2) Information that you know you don't know 3) Information that you don't know you don't know” (Klosterman, 2013, p. 2). This is a well-put statement that people should consider when evaluating information.
If you exist in your own bubble and don't make an effort to expose yourself to pop culture outside of your own interests then connecting with people who have different interest or exposure can be quite challenging. It is hard to connect with people if you don't have a similar foundational understanding of the world and pop culture helps shape how we view and interpret the world. Something as simple as growing up with a certain cartoon habitually can influence what you see as a normal family dynamic or way of interacting and this can lead to foundational differences that seem impossible to overcome. Without having some common understanding of pop culture it will take a lot more effort, time and work to build a relationship.
Most careers require some level of pop culture knowledge to be successful. Let's say you work at a clothing store as a buyer and are responsible for purchasing the graphic tees for the store. You would need to have an understanding of modern pop culture to be able to identify the references on the graphic tees and select which ones will actually sell given the demographics of your customers. Without being plugged into pop culture you would take a larger risk of buying clothing for your store that may not be within your customer's niche. The more plugged into pop culture your buyer is, the more successful they will be at picking out graphic tees that will sell. A general understanding of pop culture will help you succeed in most roles from customer service to merchandising.
Overall I believe that general knowledge of pop culture is necessary for existing in the modern world. Do you think there is a correlation between the level of pop culture that someone understands and their career progression?
You pose quite an interesting question. I don't believe one's level of pop culture knowledge necessarily contributes to one's career progression. However, I do believe it helps influence their presence. One's knowledge, alone, of pop culture can assist in progression, but is not the sole factor to progression. The knowledge of pop culture, combined with many other factors, assists in progression. For example, watch "The IT Crowd". Does their knowledge of pop culture help them progress in their career? Not necessarily. However, their knowledge of information technology (IT) combined with other factors, such as social queues and norms, basic hygiene (only thrown in there to counter stereotypes), and living conditions (again, thrown in there to counter stereotypes) play a large part in their progression.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that marketing, is an excellent profession for those that are in tune with pop culture. You really "hit the nail on the head" with your example of retail and graphic tees. I've often found myself both completely lost and completely embracing some graphic tees, solely based on their pop culture references.