When people talk about pop culture, it usually sounds light or optional, like something we turn to only when we want to relax. But the more I read and think about it, the more it feels like pop culture is quietly teaching us how to understand the world. Chuck Klosterman’s Esquire essay, “Death by Harry Potter,” captures this idea in a surprisingly honest way. Klosterman admits that he never read the Harry Potter books or watched the movies, yet he worries that avoiding them might eventually leave him culturally disconnected. It is not that he dislikes the story, it is that he realizes how deeply it has shaped shared language, humor, and assumptions for an entire generation.
http://www.esquire.com/features/chuck-klostermans-america/klosterman1107
That concern really stuck with me. It highlights the idea we discussed in class about pop culture working like the frog in warm water. Cultural messages rarely feel dramatic or forceful. Instead, they build slowly through repetition. Over time, they start to feel normal, expected, or even invisible. This helps explain why pop culture is so rhetorically powerful. As Brummett points out, pop culture is where meaning gets practiced every day. It is not just reflecting who we are, it is shaping how we think about identity, belonging, and values.
Jacobson’s discussion of pop culture studies turning twenty five also helped me see why this field matters. Media and pop culture have an odd relationship. Media spreads pop culture, but pop culture also gives media its influence. Marketing is a clear example of this. Brands rely on shared cultural references to feel relatable and trustworthy, not just to sell a product but to sell a lifestyle or identity. This article does a good job explaining how pop culture is intentionally used to build loyalty and emotional connection.
https://brandpoets.com/digital-marketing/how-pop-culture-marketing-creates-loyal-audiences/
At the same time, pop culture is not harmless. Repeated representations can reinforce stereotypes without meaning to. One ongoing example is LGBTQ+ representation in movies and television. Increased visibility can be positive, but when flamboyant portrayals become the most common version shown, they may unintentionally narrow how people understand LGBTQ+ experiences. This recent article shows how pop culture moments can quickly turn into broader cultural debates about identity and values.
https://apnews.com/article/e4d0cfade207d3b1e1b4e93531bfc082
Studying pop culture helps us slow down and notice what we are absorbing. It gives us tools to enjoy culture without blindly accepting every message it carries.
Question for discussion:
If pop culture works best when we are not paying attention, how can we become more aware of its influence without losing the joy and connection that pop culture often brings?
Your explanation of pop culture creating meaning through subtle everyday practice and its impact on our identities, belonging, and values really resonated with me. Similar to your response to Klosterman’s essay, "Death by Harry Potter," I too finished the article with similar concerns wondering how easily it is to become disconnected. With the how quickly content is created and spread, it often feels as though the trends are continually shifting. And while not all trends become pop culture, many do create as you discussed connection through shared language, perceptions, and humor. This further lead me to consider pop culture references in various groups, and how it likely further shifts between generations, interests, cultures, and so forth. This then leads me to consider the divides that may naturally happen between groups. This is especially true for our younger generations as they consistently adopt and change their shared language, and phrases like 6-7 make an appearance while other phrases like yeet disappear. All of this brings me back to your question of if pop culture works best when we are not paying attention, and if the pop culture is meant to be enjoyed while allowing connection between people, then how do we remain aware of its influence? And, the more I analyze this question, the more I can't help but agree with your perspective while feeling further away from the answer. Personally, as a teacher, I want to be aware of pop culture to utilize it to engage my students while further being aware of how it is shaping their identities and experiences; I further want to be able to educate them on this as well. As an individual who enjoys pop culture, in some ways, I want to simply enjoy it and use it as a connection piece. And as a busy human, in a busy society, I know there will be moments of disconnection.
ReplyDeleteVery well written, explained, and thought-out. You inspired me to pause and reflect.
To start, your post was very well written and got me really thinking about how and why I consume pop culture.
ReplyDeleteI do constantly find myself feeling like I need to be ingesting media. That I need to be keeping up with trends and what's going on in the world for the exact reason that I don't want to ever feel disconnected.
In your post you talked about how “cultural messages build over time and start to feel normal and even expected.” I really noticed this happening when I'm in a group of people and they were talking about what side of TikTok they're on or if I saw something and influencer posted that may have ruffled some feathers. When I haven’t seen these things, it does make me feel out of touch.
I feel the pop culture works best when it is shared and enjoyed by multiple people. Becoming more aware of pop culture influence does not necessarily mean having to constantly over analyze or criticize media. Instead, I think awareness can come through reflection after engaging with it, talking with friends, or engaging online in conversation about what resonated within that piece of media and what messages it may carry. That way people can enjoy pop culture media in the moment and address and think critically on it later.
A prime example in my life of engaging blindly with pop culture is the movie, Wicked and Wicked For Good. I went into these movies, ready to just have pure entertainment. It wasn't until later that I got online and was reading other people’s opinions, and reading the choices they had made specifically for the movie to make it enjoyable and cohesive. Being able to engage in conversation and think critically about these movies well after I had seen them, is I think how we become more aware of its influence.