What Is Pop Culture?
Am I alone is knowing VERY little about “it”? Do I need to?
Growing up, we didn’t have cable. We did have “rabbit ears” and between me and my siblings, we took turns applying pressure to the metal rod, just so, to receive a picture with some form of clarity. We’d experiment with clothespins in lieu; however, it was never quite sufficient.
I think this is where my disconnect with pop culture begins.
To this day, I have little interest in television — except for Suits, hello Harvey Specter and Donna Paulson.
My childhood was spent playing sports, outdoors and on the ocean — collecting seaweed, making homes for shore crabs, fishing, and rolling down hills in inner tubes. These interests continue as an adult, while my abilities are far more limited as the joints are less nimble.
You won’t see me rolling down a hill in an inner tube these days; however, you will see me swinging from the monkey bars when I am at the park with the kids and building a driftwood fort on the beach!
Jasmine Aguilar talks about how she finds “many aspects of pop culture extremely fascinating and thought-provoking.” This gives me pause to think of any movie, musical artists or television show that I know much, okay anything, about.
Then, I read “Pokemon!” and realize that’s the realm of pop culture that I know — through my children’s eyes. When not outdoors, you might find me getting my butt beat by my kids in a MarioKart race.
All I know about “pop culture” really is from a parental lens. Mind you, my 9-year-old has just introduced me to “That’s My Jam” so, perhaps my horizons might soon start expanding.
Am I alone in having no connection to movies, television or music?
Okay, apart from Hallmark movies — but, let’s face it, those are not really movies. That’s just a different kind of guilty pleasure.
When reading J.Cienfuegos story on TiKTok, I catch myself again:
“This is how TikTok gets you to stay hours in its feed.” to which I had to comment that I have yet to go on the app or watch a TikTok at all.
I just might be living under a rock.
What is pop culture?
“Popular culture represents a common denominator, something that cuts across most economic, social and educational barriers.”- Edward Jay Whetmore
The appeal of pop culture is the broad experience and connection — what if we don’t have a connection? What if someone can genuinely not relate?
My lacking knowledge of pop culture affects my ability to socialize. Perhaps my disconnect is a mechanism to best align with my introvert tendencies?
Does it matter?
The older I get the realize how much I beat to my own drum and how perfectly okay I am with that.
I struggle to stay engaged in conversations but not enough to change any of my behaviours. My friends make Friends references and they pause the conversation, turn to me, “oh — you have no idea what we’re talking about.”
When I attend but don’t participate in karaoke nights, it’s become a game to find a song I have heard of — nope! Nothing. Crickets in my brain — and I don’t think nature sounds is a karaoke thing!
However, as a parent, pop culture references become the easy ice breaker to support social development — in particular with a neuroatypical child.
My son cannot have a conversation with a “friend”, but he can “hang out” and play video games — and that is a tool that is helping him develop his confidence. In doing so, he is slowly finding words and is learning to converse with a peer.
So, there’s that — and that is something that really does matter.
What do you think? What aspects of pop culture are influential in your life? Let me know in the comments.
p.s. Why a banana as an image for this article? Well, I thought it was one of the most random things I could select. However, for fun, I did a little research on “bananas and pop culture.” It turns out there’s a bit of a story there — read it here!
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