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RachaelWood
Mrs.SaraLayton
English1010
28April2015
IsPopCultureGoodForYou?
Introduction
Popculturehasrecentlyfaceddebateinthemediaandinacademia.Themainquestion
guidingthedebateisIspopcultureactuallygoodforyou?Popculturehasshowntobe
instrumentalinpolitics,influentialinthelivesofteenagersinparticular,importantineducation,
andinfluentialinthelivesofteenagersinparticular.Thedebateisnotatallsurprising,butwhat
issurprisingtomanypeopleisthatpopculturehasfacedthisdebateforalongtime.Thedebate
goesbackdecades,mostnotablystartinginthefifties.
Inthefifties,AmericawasstillfreshofftheendofWorldWarII,andpopculturewas
juststartingtoexplode.Televisionwasmoreaccessible,andwithitcamemorepopularityof
televisionshowsandmovies.WriterandhistorianHowardZinnreportsthatIn1946itis
estimatedtherewerebetween7,000and8,000setsintheentireUnitedStates.By1957there
were40milliontelevisionsetsinuse.Over80percentoffamilieshadtelevisions.(Zinn,
Howard.)Injustafewshortyears,televisionexplodedinpopularity.Inconjunction,music
startedevolving,androckandrollstartedtoemergeandgainpopularity.Rockandrollin
particularfaceddebateatthetime.AsAmericanhistoryprofessorCharlesMcGovernputit,the
newmongrelmusicexcitedaworldwidegenerationofyounglisteners,whileupsetting
establishedsocial,culturalandmusicalauthoritiesItisdifficulttodaytounderstandthebitter

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criticismthenewmusicgenerated.(McGovern)Hegoesontospecificallyobservethe
dismissalofrockandrollbyspokesmen,radiostations,andmusicalartists.Therewereeven
accusationsofbriberytopromoterockandroll,causingpopularartistslikeElvisPresley,who
earnedthetitleof"TheKingofRock'n'Roll",tobetargetedbycritics.AsMcGovernclearly
pointsout,rockandrollinparticularlyfaceditsfairshareofdebateandcontroversy.
Notmuchchangedinthesixties,aspopculturecontinuedtoexpand.Itcontinuedtogain
momentumasrockandrollgainedevenmorepopularity,andthefilmindustrycontinuedto
grow.BandslikeTheBeatles,TheRollingStones,PinkFloyd,andevenLedZeppelingained
popularityduringthisdecade,andpopcultureeventssuchasWoodstockwerehighlightsofthe
decade.Althoughitwasoncebrandedasimmoral,anarchistic,andrevolutionary.(Shmoop
EditorialTeam),nothingfacedsuchcontroversyasrocknroll,atrendthatcontinuedthrough
theseventies,eighties,andninetiesaspopculturecontinuedtogrow,expand,andchange.
Bythetimethenewcenturystarted,justasrockmusichadinthesixties,popmusichad
startedtogainpopularity,andatthatpoint,therewasnoslowingdown.Popularartistsofthe
decadeincludedUsher,Beyonce,AliciaKeys,ChristinaAguilera,andmanyothers.Different
musicstylesstartedtogaincontroversyasbeinginfluentialonbehaviorofthosewholistened,
andartistsbegantobemoreheavilycriticisedfortheirappearancesandbehaviorthanever
before.Aswellasmusicchanging,technologycontinuedtoadvance.Moderntechnology
broughtsmartphones,bettercomputers,andiPods.Moderntechnologymadeitswayinto
classrooms,households,andalmosteveryotheraspectofdaytodayliving.
Classroomsinparticularweredrasticallychangedbypopculture.Technologymademost
ofthechangepossible,butpopcultureingeneralhashelpedchangeteachingmethods.Teachers

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arestartingtointegratepopularsongs,videos,tvshows,andmoviereferencesintotheirlessons
tohelpmaintaintheattentionoftheirstudents.Someteacheraidsandresourcesareopenly
suggestingthatteachersEngagemiddleschoolersbybringingpopcultureintoyourlesson
plans.(Jackson),throughmethodsincludingdoingaparodyofafavoriteTVshow,or
connectingtheirlessonstomusicthestudentsenjoy.Someclassroomsevenmovedcompletely
totechnologicalplatformsasonlineschoolingbegantogainpopularity.
Theinfluenceofpopculturedidntevenstopateducation.Itmanagedtoheavily
influencepolitics.Celebrityendorsementsofcandidatescanhaveaheavyinfluenceonelections,
ascantheuseofotherformsofpopculture,suchasmusicandacareful,superiorcommandof
currentpopculturereferences.OnewriterfortheNationalReviewstatedInademocratic
republic,successfulpoliticiansareusuallythosewiththecommontouch.Ourcurrentcool
presidentisclearlyadeptatthispoliticiansart.(Charen)Simplyput,popcultureis
influentialonthesuccessofpoliticians.However,theydohavetobecautious.JenniferRubin,a
writeratTheWashingtonPostreportsthatObamahasgottenintotroubleonthisfront,joking
aboutSnookiattheWhiteHouseCorrespondentsDinner,butthentellingtheladiesof
TheView
thathedidntknowwhoSnookiwas.(Rubin)AlthoughObamadidwellusingpopculture
throughouthiscampaignforpresident,popculturestillhelpsmaintainhispopularityamonghis
politicalparty,andevenasmallslipupcouldbedetrimental.
Inshort,popculturehasalonghistory,andithasproventobeincreasinglyinfluentialon
society.Itsinfluencerangesfrompoliticstoeducationtothebehaviorofconsumers.Itcanbe
controversial,whichhasledtodebateonwhetherornotpopcultureisgoodforsociety.
MajorDebatesAndCommentary

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Ashistoryhasproven,andassocietycontinuestoshowtoday,popcultureishighly
influential.Throughouthistoryandtoday,ithasfoundawaytoinfluenceeverythingfrom
politicstoacademiatosocietyitself.Forsome,thisbringsuptheoriginalquestion:Ispop
cultureactuallygoodforyou?Somebelievethatpopcultureistooinfluential,particularlyon
teenagers,andultimatelyisntgoodforthem.Othersbelievethatitcanbegood,dependingon
howitisused.Stillothersgosofarastoarguethatpopcultureisgoodbecauseitactuallymakes
peoplesmarter.
Itseemsthatoneofthemorepopularstancesontheissueisthatpopcultureisabad
influence,andformanydifferentreasons.ApolldonebytheNewYorkTimesreportedthat

Americanshaveastarklynegativeviewofpopularculture,andblametelevisionmorethanany
othersinglefactorforteenagesexandviolence.AlthoughtheaverageadultintheUnited
Stateswatchestelevisionformorethanfourhoursaday,alittlemorethanhalfoftheadults
polledcouldnotthinkofasinglegoodthingtosayabouttelevision....Incontrast,9outof10of
thosepolledcouldthinkofsomethingbadtosayaboutpopularculture,withalargeproportion
mentioningtoomuchsex,violenceandvulgarlanguageandasmallerpercentagepointingto
biasandjustplainstupidity.(Kolbert,Elizabeth)Essentially,althoughitisacommonthingto
spendtimewatchingtelevision,listentomusic,andwatchmovies,alargepercentageofpeople
polledcouldntthinkofanythingpositiveaboutit.Evenmorepeoplecouldpointoutthe
negativeaspects,includingviolence,language,andotherbehaviors.Manyofthepeoplepolled
havechildren,andtheyexpressedconcernsontheeffectpopculturewillhaveontheirchildren.
Itsnotallintheirheads,either.AstudydoneattheUniversityofPittsburghSchoolofMedicine
reportedthatThereisconvincingevidencethatexposuretocertainmediamessagesincreases

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substanceuseinadolescents.Forinstance,viewingsmokinginmoviesprospectivelypredictsa
substantialproportionofadolescentsmokinginitiation.Similarly,exposuretosmokingrelated
mediapromotionsisassociatedwithsmokinginitiation.Alcoholuseinmoviesandpromotionsis
alsolinkedtoactualalcohol
use.(Primack,BrianA.,EdM,MD)Thestudyconcludedthatpop
culturecanhaveanegativeeffectonteenagebehaviorssimplythroughexposuretocertain
messagesinmovies,television,andmusic.Althoughitmaybesubconsciously,teenagerswho
areexposedtosuchnegativemessageshaveproventohaveatendencytogiveintothemessages
portrayedinpopculture,givingsomevaliditytothefearsandargumentsoftheirparentsthatpop
culturemaybebadforthem.
Itsnotjustmovies,television,andmusic,either.Anewchallengethatwasntaroundfor
teensinpreviousgenerationshasproventobeinfluential:socialmedia.Popcultureonsocial
mediaincludememes,selfies,sixsecondvideos,andthelatesttrends.Lately,oneofthosetrends
hasbeentobeautifydepression,whichhasaffectedtheteenagedemographicdramatically
accordingtowriterAnneSophieBine.TherearehundredsofphotographsonTumblrthat
evokenegativeemotionsthroughartandcallitdepression.Blackandwhitephotographsof
mysticalemaciatedwomenwhostareoffintothedistanceputpsychologicaltormentandbeauty
onthesamepage,andquoteslikeSoitsokayforyoutohurtme,butIcanthurtmyself?and
"Iwanttodiealovelydeath,"trytojustifyselfharm.anyonecansearchtagslikeselfharm,
depression,orsadness,andfindthousandsofblogswithasimilarlydistortedvisionofwhat
itmeanstobedepressed.(Bine,AnneSophie)Beautifyingdepressionandselfharmonsocial
mediadistortswhatdepressionreallyis,whichcreatesawholenewwaveofwannabedepressed,
whichishardtodistinguishfromtheactualclinicallydepressed.AspsychologistDr.Mark

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Reineckestates,Thisonlinecultivationofbeautifulsadnessiseasytojoin:anyonecantakea
picture,turnitblackandwhite,pairitwithaquoteaboutmisunderstoodturmoil,and
automaticallybegratifiedwithcompassionandpity.Andthisreadilyaccessibleseaofdark
poetrycouldeasilydrownoutthosewhosesufferinghasreachedtheclinicallevel.Duringthe
vulnerableyearsduringwhichadolescentsseekoutselfaffirmationandrecognitionfromothers,
thisnew,easypromiseofbeingrecognizedasstrong,beautiful,andmysteriousbyTumblr
followerscanbeverytempting.Toooften,itjustleadstomoreteenagersbelievingandfeeling
theyaredepressed,selfpitying,selfharming.(Reinecke,Mark)Thedistortionofdepressionis
havinganaffectonhowsocialmediausersviewdepression,andevenmakesthembelievethat
theyhavedepressionbasedontheiremotionalreactiontodepressingart.Bothauthorsagreethat
inthisarea,socialmediaandpopculturehaveadevastatingeffectonteenagersinwaysthatlead
todepression,selfharm,andinextremecases,evensuicide.
Onthereversesideoftheargument,someresearchersarguethatalthoughsocialmedia
mayhaveproblems,itcanbepositive.Blogginginparticularhasproventobegoodfor
teenagers.AstudybyTheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationreportedResearchhasshown
thatwritingapersonaldiaryandotherformsofexpressivewritingareagreatwaytorelease
emotionaldistressandjustfeelbetter.Teensareonlineanyway,sobloggingenablesfree
expressionandeasycommunicationwithothers."Althoughcyberbullyingandonlineabuse
areextensiveandbroad,wenotedthatalmostallresponsestoourparticipants'blogmessages
weresupportiveandpositiveinnature(AmericanPsychologicalAssociation)Althoughmental
illnessessuchasdepressionmaybedistortedonsomesocialmediaplatforms,itcanbeagreat

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waytofindsomeemotionalreliefandgiveteensinparticularanoutlet.Thestudyconcludedthat
socialmediacanbeagreattoolforteens,especiallythosefacingsocialanxiety.
Theargumentextendstootherpopculture,aswell.Anditsnotjustthatitcanbean
outletforteenagers,butsomearguethatotherpopculturemayactuallymakepeoplesmarter.
GeraldGraffarguesinhispaper,HiddenIntellectualism,thatpopculturecouldbeusedtohelp
studentswhotypicallywouldntbeconsideredacademicfitintheacademicworld.Popculture
canprovideagatewayforstudentstohaveintellectualdiscussionsabouttheirowninterests,
whetheritbesportsorthelatestseasonoftheirfavoritetelevisionshow,andeventuallymoveon
tomoreintellectualsubjects.HepointsoutfromhisownexperiencethatThoughIthought
Ididnotdigtheintellectualbit,IseenowthatIwastrainingforitIseenowthatinthe
interminableanalysisofsportsteams,movies,andtoughnessthatmyfriendsandIengagedin
IwaspracticingbeinganintellectualbeforeIknewthatwaswhatIwantedtobe.(Graff,
Gerald)PopculturehelpedbringGrafftobewhatisconsideredanintellectual,provinginhis
opinionthatitcanbeavaluableeducationaltooltohelpinvitestudentsininsteadofalienate
them.
Ultimately,noonecandenythatpopcultureisinfluentialinsomeway,whetheritbe
goodorbad.Ifhistoryhasprovenanythingregardingthematter,itsthatpopcultureisvery
influentialonsociety.Itcontinuestobeaninfluencetoday,andshowsnosignsofgoingaway
anytimesoon.
AreasofFurtherInquiry
Althoughthetopichasbeendebated,therearestillquestionstobeaskedregardingpop
cultureandhowitaffectssociety.Whilesomeresearchhasproventhatpopcultureaffects

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factorssuchasbehaviorsandillnessesincludingdepressionandanxiety,someoftheresearch
maybelacking.Societyasawholecouldbenefitfromaskingother,morethoroughquestions.
Althoughpopculturemayaffectbehaviorsinchildren,moreresearchonhowitaffectsallages
shouldbedone.EventheAmericanAcademyofChildAdolescentPsychiatrybroughtupagood
pointwhentheystatedMostparentsareconcernedaboutwhattheiryoungchildrenseeand
hear,butaschildrengrowolder,parentspaylessattentiontothemusicandvideosthatcapture
andholdtheirchildren'sinterest.(TheInfluenceOfMusicAndMusicVideos)Althoughthere
isalotofresearchregardingwhatpopcultureisgoodforchildren,interesttendstodropoff
whenthechildrenreachadolescence.Specifically,onemightaskHowdoesthemusicthey
listentoandthetechnologytheyuseaffectteenagerbehaviors?
Inadditiontohowpopcultureaffectsteenagers,thefutureofpopculturemaybecalled
intoquestion,particularlyineducation.Itsbeensuggestedthatpopcultureshouldbeintegrated
intoeducationtohelpstudentsbecomeintellectuals.However,notmuchisknownaboutthe
overalleffectivenessofusingpopcultureintheclassroomoncestudentsgraduatehighschool
andmoveontobecomecollegestudentsandadultswiththeirowncareers.PennsylvaniaState
UniversityprofessorElizabethTisdellpointsoutthatAdultsareasmuchconsumersof
entertainmentmediaaschildrenare.Criticalmedialiteracyisbeingdiscussedinother
educationalvenuesandsincethemediaareasignificantvehicleofeducationormiseducation,
itistimethatwe,asadulteducators,considertherelevanceofcriticalmedialiteracytoourown
work.(Tisdell,Elizabeth)Adultsareinvolvedinpopcultureasmuchaschildrenandteenagers
are,sologically,itwouldultimatelyaffecttheirworkaswell.Essentially,althoughitmaybe
effectiveearlyon,howeffectiveisitinthelongrun,pastschoolandintocareers?Alongterm

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studyontheoveralleffectivenessofusingpopcultureintheclassroomshouldbedonetofind
outtheultimateeffectivenessofpopcultureintheclassroom.
Ultimately,societycouldcertainlybenefitaskingandresearchingthesequestions,
especiallyasitregardstosomethingthatissoprevalenttoday.AsopinionwriterfortheDaily
Nexus,DamionDamaske,putit:EvenifyoudontwatchTVormovies,dontlistentomusic
anddontplayvideogames.youarestillembroiledinpopculture.Pointis,ifyoustayat
home,staringatablankwall24/7,thenmaybeyourenotapartofpopculture.Butthemoment
youeatsomething,yourebombardedbycerealmascots,fastfoodslogans,etc.Itisjustapartof
modernlife.(Damaske,Damion)Essentially,popcultureisunavoidable.Itisimportantthat
societyknowsmoreaboutitsothatwecanutilizeittothefullesttoenrichclassrooms,careers,
andlives.

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