Popular culture is interesting to learn about, yet, very subjective for each individual. I say subjective because it aligns with our interest and personality. What may be relevant and meaningful to one individual may not be to another. I feel this idea is highlighted in the article, Death by Harry Potter by Chuck Klosterman. According to the article, Klosterman states he doesn't know much about Harry Potter and suggests that ignoring cultural phenomena may render an individual irrelevant in a few years (2013). I strongly disagree with his claim.
Similar to others, I read the Harry Potter series and was somewhat interested. Although, not as interested as those who stood in line when the last installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released . At the height of the Harry Potter hype, I also wasn't interested in taking the online quiz to see what house I would be in. I ended up taking it 11 years later, based on the article’s publication year 2013. If memory serves me right, I would be in Gryffindor.
Over this past holiday season, my older brother and I were discussing Harry Potter. I learned his interest didn’t expand beyond reading the series and watching the movies. He can discuss the books in great detail and was able to inform me on what I missed. During our discussions, I also learned he didn't watch the 1990s sitcom, Friends when it originally aired on television. For me, Friends is still pretty relevant after being off the air for over twenty years. By “off the air,” I'm referring to no new episodes being produced. Despite not watching the sitcom, he knows what it is, his friends have shown him clips of the show. Would you consider him popular culture relevant or do you have a different perspective? For me, I would say yes, because he knows about that popular culture phenomenon.
While I was reading the course readings, I realized some of my popular culture interests align with books, movies, country and oldies music, and certain sitcoms. Sometimes, I refer back to characters I read about or I will quote popular lines from songs, movies and sitcoms in conversation with others. From the readings, I learned my interest in popular culture reflects back on old media. Mediated popular culture can be defined as everyday objects, actions, and events we experience through a media channel (e.g., movies, TV programs, songs, comic strips, advertisements) that may influence us to believe and behave in certain ways (Sellnow 2010, p. 3). Mediated popular culture is encountered through old media- which includes both print media (e.g., TV, radio)- as well as new media (p. 3).
References
Klosterman, Chuck. (2013). Death by Harry Potter. Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a3556/klosterman1107/
Sellnow. Deanna D. (2010). The Rhetorical Power Of Popular Culture. Chapter 1: What Is Popular Culture and Why Study It? PDF. Retrieved from Canvas. Southern Utah University.
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