Description
For this assignment you will provide a detailed discussion of a theory of pop culture and provide critical discussion of this theory. The purpose of this assignment is to help you hone your critical thinking skills. You will provide exposition and criticism of a theory of pop culture. You may choose either Mass Cultural Theory or Critical Theory.
Your essay should include some discussion of the following questions:
1. What or who determines popular culture? Where does popular culture come from? Does it emerge from the people themselves as an autonomous expression of their interests and modes of experience, or is it imposed from above by those in positions of power as a type of social control?
2. Describe how commercialization and industrialization influences popular culture. Does reducing culture to commodity mean that the criteria of profitability and marketability take precedence over quality, artistry, integrity and intellectual challenge? Or does it result in a universal market where what is popular actually corresponds to what people want and think is valuable? Does marketability and profitability actually produce quality art or does it only benefit business interests?
3. Is popular culture used to control and indoctrinate the people? Is it used to get people to accept and adhere to ideas and values which will ensure the continued dominance of a particular elite and allow them to exercise power over them? Or is popular culture about rebellion and opposition to the prevailing social order? Is pop cultural a spontaneous genuine burst of creativity or is it just a means through which a dominate group exercises control of society?
4. After you provide an accurate account of one of these theories of pop culture, you should then review the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. Can you identify some objections to the theory? You can research objections, but you need to consult reputable sources.
Specifications:
Submit a 1000-1200 word essay addressing the questions above.
In your essay:
Be sure to structure your essay with an introduction paragraph that includes a thesis statement, well-organized supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion that reiterates the main points of your argument.
Your argument should be supported by reputable research cited in APA format both in the body of the paper and in your references section.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Pop Cultures’ Theories
Outline
I.
Determinants and sources of popular culture
a. Popular culture refers to the cultural products including films, fashion, art, music,
literature, social media, or the internet, radio, and television that are consumed by
the largest population in the society.
b. Mass culture theory indicates that pop culture concerns the type of media that is
acceptable and appeals to the mass population.
II.
Influence of industrialization and commercialization
a. Industrialization influenced mass movement and advanced commerce across
America and beyond.
b. Businesses became more proficient with the introduction of the printing machine
and organized mass broad communications through leaflets, magazines, and the
penny press. These developments accelerated the development of popular culture.
III.
The use of popular culture
a. One can assert that the underlying appropriate state of popular culture is its
comprehensive ordinariness mainly due to its commercialization.
IV.
Strengths and weaknesses of mass culture theory
a. Some of the challenges have been highlighted at the beginning of the paper
including the lack of ingenuity, low quality, and the weak moral aspect.
b. Popular culture contradicts the social qualities while substituting nature with
technological advancements that make a charming life perpetual joyful moments.
1
Running Head: POP CULTURES
Pop Cultures’ Theories
Students’ Name
Institution of Affiliation
Course
Date
2
POP CULTURES
Pop Culture Theories
Most popular culture theories endeavor to demonstrate the relationship between the
people and how they establish certain cultures. This paper examines the mass-culture-theory of
mainstream culture. According to the mass culture, people can only relate to one another in the
same way as a chem...
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