What *Is* Pop Culture, And Why Does It Matter?

If you were sentient in 2011, you know that it was big year for Fridays, thanks to Katy Perry and Rebecca Black. In 2001, Smash Mouth’s 1999 hit “All Star” was given a new life, thanks to its appearance in the iconic opening scene of Shrek. The summer of 2023 brought us one of the most iconic summer blockbuster moments with the releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day, aptly combined into the highly recognizable portmanteau “Barbenheimer.” If you know, you know. Netflix’s documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop” gave us a peek into the night that some of the biggest names in music history came together to record the world renowned hit, “We Are The World,” in 1984. Maybe you remember where you were when you heard your favorite song for the first time, or have a fond memory of seeing a movie that meant a lot to you, or read a book that really opened your mind to something new. All of these things are examples of pop culture and its influence on our lives, but outside of nostalgia, being able to qualify for Pop Culture Jeopardy and/or to kill it at your local trivia night, what is pop culture, and why does it matter? 

The term “pop culture” refers to anything regarding movies, music, books, TV shows, sports, gaming, fashion, etc. It’s essentially what we consume in mainstream media and entertainment. In an article by Alisa Larson on EBSCO.com, pop culture is described as being “accessible and fluid, changing rapidly in response to societal norms.” Over time, what is popular changes as we grow, evolve, and change as a society, but we can still look at popular culture as a whole — For example, movies and TV shows from the 20th century are still a part of the popular culture canon because of their impact on society at the time and their subsequent influence on today’s popular culture.

My first form of exposure to the concept of pop culture was through VH1 and MTV. VH1’s programming in the 2000s was mostly built around 20th century nostalgia via their countdown shows like “100 Greatest Songs of the 90s” and their “I Love The…” series. Was I a tad too young to be watching these shows? Yes. But did I learn a lot? Double yes. It was like the History channel for gays and comedians — I actually learned about a lot of historical events through these shows, and the format paved the way for me to understand cultural critique. For example, the “I Love The…” series would go year by year throughout a given decade and discuss things that happened in sports, music, movies, toys/gaming, even covering topics on tech and news. It was kind of like opening a time capsule and examining some of the moments that shaped our lives, world, and culture.

I’d argue that pop culture is an exchange between mass production and its consumers/audience — of course, most of what is produced by Hollywood/mainstream media is popular culture, but, what is produced and understood by consumers also shapes popular culture. As stated in the aforementioned article by Alisa Larson, pop culture is also about the everyday/mundane aspects of life; as the audience, we are consumers, but we can also be producers of our culture. For example, slang words we use in our everyday lives will show up in movies, TV shows and music, and vice versa. Fashion trends don’t always start on the runway. Athletes give us funny sound bytes and we make our silly little memes out of them. A more specific and recognizable example of that exchange between production and audience is how Bruce Springsteen became an architect of one of the greatest sitcom running gags of all time — the “Carlton” dance. In the music video for his 1984 hit “Dancing in the Dark,” he brings a young Courteney Cox on stage and she does a little two step and snap, which then became Alfonso Ribero’s inspiration for the iconic dance that has truly taken on a life of its own. That’s an example of the “exchange” of pop culture because Alfonso Ribero, as a consumer, saw that and repurposed it, presenting it to the masses in a new way. 

There are some other examples of the “exchange” in the most recent season of HBO’s Hacks — they make a very genius reference to desperate housewives by having Julianne Nicholson‘s character have a breakdown (of sorts) on a fake Wisteria Lane, where Desperate Housewives is set, and then Jimmy says the line from the end of the pilot, “What have you done, Mary Alice?” They also made a nod to Jay Leno‘s interview with Hugh Grant post his arrest in 1995 via Deborah’s late night show — I’d argue that while these scenes were funny and cool to catch the references, they also elevated the show’s humor and added to some moments that made this season really stand out. My point being, it’s all connected. Being able to reference the things that comforted us or made us laugh or gave us a dream or a goal or inspired us — that’s what the exchange is, therein what pop culture is.

So, why does it matter?

Pop culture matters because it’s where we find meaning in our lives. It’s where creativity thrives and is given a spotlight in a society that only thrives on capital. Art wouldn’t exist without pop culture and pop culture wouldn’t exist without art.

Outside of inspiration and enjoyment, pop culture moments have also defined eras, started movements and sparked important conversations:

• Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs, the infamous “slap” at the Oscars in 2022, Michael Jackson’s first performance of “Billie Jean” where he did the moonwalk, Lady Gaga’s meat dress, material things like Silly Bandz and Hoverboards, Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Sinead O’Connor ripping up a picture of the Pope on SNL in 1992, David Bowie calling MTV in for not featuring any Black artists in the 80s. 

But, because we’re human beings and we’re the ones who create and consume the culture, pop culture moments also aren’t always positive. The deaths of notable figures like Kobe Bryant, Whitney Houston, Princess Diana, Prince, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Selena, and Michael Jackson (to name a few) were definitely unforgettable moments that shocked the world with collective grief. Popular culture, looking at it in context of Hollywood being an architect of it, definitely makes a spectacle of people’s lives — the people who put themselves and their art into the masses then become objects in a machine, and their livelihoods are on display for everyone’s consumption, the good, the bad, the ugly, the indifferent. 

This past May, Essence Magazine shared a post on their Instagram calling Zeus Network in regarding an episode of Baddies Africa that they aired where one of the contestants made a very ignorant comment involving Emmett Till — I won’t repeat what was said out of respect for Emmett Till and his family, but I thought this was a very poignant post from Essence on why it’s important to be to be mindful about the imagery and messaging we put out in the media. In the caption, they talked about reality TV as a genre and its place in pop culture, calling it “a messy yet relatable mirror of our own lives” and how it has now descended into being a “chaotic blur.” Reality TV isn’t real anymore. It’s about clicks, likes, and views — and those aren’t real either. What’s real is racism, which is what killed Emmett Till. What’s real is the effect our words have when spoken. We don’t often think too much or too hard about what we’re consuming, which is fine because art can just be for enjoyment and fun. But, this is another example of the exchange of pop culture — “Baddies” has been on for this long because people are actually watching it. There is, unfortunately, a market for harmful, triggering, and traumatic images, so they keep putting them out as long as there is an audience to see it. 

Pop culture is complex, because we are complex — it’s an exchange, it’s a revolving door, it’s a mirror, it’s a time capsule. There is no one way to consume pop culture, so the next time you’re watching, listening, playing, reading, shopping, even scrolling — know that you are participating just as much as you are consuming. How will you use that responsibility?