Social Issues, Popular Culture Categories, and Audiences
Social Issues, Popular Culture Categories, and Audiences
Learning Activity 1: Social Issue Messaging and Audiences Change Over Time
Getting Started
In order to understand popular culture and its role in society and people’s lives, popular culture is segmented into categories such as those designated in this Area of Expertise—music, music videos, movies, episodic moving images-television, fashion, advertising, animation, and printed material. Keep in mind, there are even more categories of popular culture than those indicated here. For example, sports could also be considered its own category. Within categories, there are different genres. Think about the category of music. Within music, genres include traditional classical music like a Beethoven symphony; hip-hop like the Wu-Tang Clan’s works, popular Top 40, country, gangsta’ rap, heavy metal, gospel, new age, electronic, etc. Each genre, even if not each song within the genre, appeals to different people—different audiences. And, artifacts/expressions of each genre convey social issue messaging.
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For some genres, audiences may change over time. Sometimes music loved as teenagers, is still treasured 30 years later. Sometimes, people grow out of their musical tastes and grow into new genres or artists. As popular culture changes over time, and audiences change over time, the representations of social issues within a category or a genre will also change. However, one constant remains the same: When analyzing popular culture, you must always examine social issue messaging or representations and their relationship to social acceptance or resistance. As you review these resources, which you have most probably reviewed in prior Competencies, consider how social issue messaging conveyed by popular culture artifacts/expression changes over time. You will focus on this as well as intended and unintended audiences of popular culture in your Competency Assessment.
DOCUMENT: CATEGORIES OF POPULAR CULTURE
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Categories of popular culture [PDF file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
DOCUMENT: EXAMPLES OF GENRES WITHIN CATEGORIES
Examples of Genres Within Categories
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Examples of genres within categories [PDF file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
ARTICLE: 16 ADS THAT CHANGED THE WAY YOU THINK
16 ads that changed the way you think
Minato, C. (2012, July 2). 16 ads that changed the way you think. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/15-ads-that-changed-the-way-you-think-2012-6
ARTICLE: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS – BLACK LIVES MATTER’S FIRST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Black Lives Matter’s First Science Fiction Film
Thrasher, S. W. (2015). Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Black Lives Matter’s first science fiction film. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/29/star-wars-the-force-awakens-black-lives-matters-first-science-fiction-film
ARTICLE: BLACK PANTHER IS A GORGEOUS, GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATION OF BLACK CULTURE
Black Panther Is a Gorgeous, Groundbreaking Celebration of Black Culture
Johnson, T. (2018). Black Panther is a gorgeous, groundbreaking celebration of black culture. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/23/17028826/black-panther-wakanda-culture-marvel
ARTICLE: YEARS BEFORE COURT RULING, POP CULTURE SHAPED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE
This article charts the timeline of the portrayals of gays and lesbians in film and television and how this may have impacted the Supreme Court decision that same-sex marriages should be recognized as legal in the United States.
Years Before Court Ruling, Pop Culture Shaped Same-Sex Marriage Debate
Collins, S., & Bake, M. (2015, June 27). Years before court ruling, pop culture shaped same-sex marriage debate. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-st-0628-media-gay-marriage-20150628-story.html