Pop culture or popular culture, refers to the traditions and material culture of a particular society. Pop culture is something that is constantly changing because it highlights the trends. Although there are many moments of pop culture throughout the years, I think it may be good to highlight a moment in pop culture that was very significant due to the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic.
Tiger King is an American true crime documentary television series about the life of former zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic. Season 1 was released on March 20, 2020 and was watched by 34.3 million people over its first ten days of release, ranking as one of Netflix's most successful releases to date and inspired several memes online.
Pop culture is significant because it has a persuasive power to shape beliefs and behaviors. In March and April of 2020, you couldn’t scroll the internet on any social media platform without seeing a “Tiger King” meme. Its viral success was fueled by the perfect combination of several things: debuting the same week as COVID-19 lockdowns confined people to their homes, and being binge worthy content. This combo dominated social media platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. The show became so popular that it had celebrity endorsements, and even a discussion in a White House press briefing when then-President Donald Trump was asked about Joe Exotic’s potential pardon.
The show's popularity ended just as fast as it started. By mid-2020, interest in “Tiger King” significantly reduced as new pop culture events got attention - such as the black lives matter social justice movements, and a U.S. presidential election. The rapid rise and fall relays to the nature of viral entertainment in the digital age, where audiences quickly move on to the next big trend.
I remember watching this with my sister at the height of its popularity. But I can't believe you wrote a whole post about it and didn't even mention Carole Baskin! Joe Exotic was definitely crazy enough for his own Netflix show, but Baskin played a huge role and, since she wasn't a convicted felon, got to "Baskin" the fame a little bit (sorry). I remember TikTok dances and trends being inspired by or centered around her and she was even a contestant on a season of Dancing With the Stars. The crossover between pop culture and social media (if there even is a difference) is where things get really interesting, especially when glorifying people in dark documentaries like Tiger King.
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