Popular Culture High Culture Folk culture Orienting response

What did you do yesterday?

 Encompasses

the most immediate and temporary activities of our lives. Not defined by its content but its typicality.
Another

term for this is.

 Cultural

communication including newspapers, television, advertising, radio, movies, etc.

1.

Forms of common culture serve as a mirror for us to see and understand who we are, what we are and why.

2.

It exerts an important influence on us. What drives this? Media.

primary fund of ideas that inform our daily activities, sometimes exerting a more compelling influence than family, friends, school, or work.

Like Mike The Rachel The

How do we know what pastimes to put on the common culture list?

Why the Simpsons but not ballet?

When characterizing common culture we look at

Popularity Trendy

Commercial Specific to Age Groups

 Common

culture refers to those pastimes we engage in most often. The way we use free time that has the most in common with others in our society. Popular because it is a fundamental leisure expression of a culture.

 Be

distinguished from both folk culture and high culture.

culture: typical pastimes of the social elite of a society.

High

Intellectuals or the upper socioeconomic class.

Classical music as Beethoven, fine art, plays of Shakespeare, classical ballet.

 Folk

Culture

Local or regional traditional pastimes shared through direct, oral communication by a specific community or ethnic group.

Handmade quilts, bluegrass music.

Sometimes folk culture can become common culture when a particular pursuit becomes so widespread that it crosses subcultural boundaries and becomes commercial.

 Leisure

marketed and sold as a product.

Examples

2004-Americans spent: Theme Parks: $9,344 million. Magazines/Newspapers: $38.7 billion 2007Top Grossing female musician Madonna

 Madonna?

Common culture does not typically last long. Examples?

 Examples?

Popular Culture that is common among all age groups is usually dependent on the tastes of youth. A cultures best-selling music, movies, foods, etc is largely determined by the interests of its young people.

Holds a central place in our use of free time and has become a primary means of communicating and validating what is popular. TV tells us what music to listen to, what history to believe, what is funny, what to wear, what to eat.

 Everyone!

Studies indicate women watch more than men Persons ages 25-54 watch the most. People who are married and single by choice watch the same amount Divorcees and widows watch less. More educated people watch less. However, most people do not watch exclusively. Usually accompanied by another activity.

 In

part, it comes from our biological orienting response. Orienting Response: the instinctive visual or auditory reaction to any sudden or new stimulus. Typical responses include: -Dilation of blood vessels to the brain, -slowing of the heart, -constriction of blood vessels to major muscle groups.

 Studies

also suggest we watch tv for the simple pleasure of watching it. 4 types of pleasure

Knowledge Comedy Fantasy Distraction

Type of Pleasure
Knowledge

Definition
Gaining information and understanding

Sources
Quiz shows; history; science and nature programs; news

Comedy Fantasy

Teaches what society Situation comedy; considers to be funny. stand-up comedy Portrays scenarios that are highly improbable in real life. Easily available and familiar relaxant- a break that is always available throughout the day. Soap operas; reality shows.

Distraction

The customized pattern of the regularity and repetition on of the viewing week.

 Popular

music

Print
Movies Theme

parks.

 After

tv, the most important barometer of the character of a culture.

decade has a melody or rhythm which characterizes it.

Each

Jazz Age, mid 60s had folk lyrics, Beatles, Bob Marley, 80s had disco, then REM, U2, country, hip hop, etc.

 There

are over 550 magazine titles. USA Today had a circulation of 2.2 million in 2007. 35% of Americans read books. However, it is not considered a growth industry. Why?

 Explained

by a TED Talk.

Change our culture, change our world.