Communication Theories and Pop Culture - Luke McKenzie

Credit: Matt Popovich via Unsplash

In today's day in age, we have a limitless amount of information in the palm of our hand at any given time. The frequent additions and advancements to new media, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other forms of newer digital technology, have allowed the average person to engage with the rest of the world more often than with old media. Sellnow (2017) described the rapid increase in the usage of new media as a way to have easier "access to friends, family, coworkers, information and entertainment sources, as well as advertisements and shopping outlets across the globe nearly anytime and anyplace" (Sellnow, p. 3).

This increase in the variety of ways that one can use to communicate with others online has led to a multitude of different communication theories as to why and how we communicate, and there is no exception to the area of pop culture. Sellnow defines pop culture as "the everyday objects, actions, and events that influence people to believe and behave in certain ways" (Sellnow, p. 3). People will gravitate toward topics and pieces of media that are highly valued in the public's eye at the current moment since other people will want to talk about the subject. 

The theory of Uses and Gratifications was developed as a way to help describe why people gravitate toward popular media sources. Specifically, there are five key reasons why people use and view media sources, many of which have gone by different names depending on the researchers and mediums involved. However, the general consensus is that the five reasons include cognitive, affective, personal integrative, social integrative, and tension release needs (Li, 2005). 

According to this theory, people could gravitate toward these popular stories and topics due to affective needs, as they could find entertainment value in the piece of media. However, in the case of many viewers of pop culture media, the needs mainly center around personal integrative and social integrative needs. These two needs center around the desire for inclusiveness, with personal integrative targeting status and credibility, while social integrative targets strengthening contact with friends, family, and the outside world (Li, 2005). 

Klosterman (2007) also signified the usage of these two needs in the closing comments of his article, where he says that he won't read the Harry Potter series just because many other people like the series, stating, "I am constructing my own generation gap on purpose. By making this decision in the present, I will be less able to manage the future. My thoughts about entertainment aesthetics will be outdated, and I will not grasp the fundamental lingua franca of the 2025 hipster" (Klosterman, para. 11). He recognizes that his need to be included and to strengthen his bonds with those around him will not be satisfied because he refuses to read the content to understand the references if a conversation arises where he needs to understand the series. 

The mere existence of this communication theory within the topic of pop culture leads me to this week's question for my readers: "What other communication theories can be seen and established within the boundaries of pop culture?"

References

Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523.

Klosterman, C. (2007). Death By Harry Potter. Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a3556/klosterman1107/

Li, D. (2005). Why do you blog: A uses-and-gratifications inquiry into bloggers' motivations (Vol. 17). Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University.

Popovich, M. (2019). A collection of small Japanese movie posters from a tiny film memorabilia shop buried deep in the labyrinthine Nakano Broadway shopping mall in Tokyo, Japan. [Online Image]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/several-assorted-posters-0FZrPECK5cg

Sellnow, D. D. (2017). The rhetorical power of popular culture: Considering mediated texts. Sage Publications.