Pop culture! What is it and why should we study it?

Pop culture is all around us whether we are aware or not.  Knowing what is going on in pop culture today gives us social capital, especially in social settings.  Whether we like it or not connections to pop culture are happening all around us all the time.  Some may see this as a negative thing like ads or pushing certain messaging onto us to cause us to believe or think in a different manner.  Others may enjoy the constant bombardment and message signaling that takes place.  For me personally, before this course and module I never really truly realized just how much pop culture messaging takes place.  That doesn’t mean that it was going happening or going on.  However, I feel that it is important to be aware and in the know instead of oblivious to what is going on around us.

Deanna Sellnow states that our favorite movie, tv show, and songs can tell a lot about a person and how we see and interpret the world around us.  I’ve never really thought about this either until now.  I have a handful of friends who absolutely love the show “FRIENDS”.  I personally have never really gotten into watching it and don’t understand what all the hype is about.  I personally really enjoy watching the show “The Office”.  In my experience it appears to me that the people who really like one of these shows tend to not enjoy watching the other.  At least in my personal sphere, anyone who I have engaged with about either of these shows typically enjoys one or the other, and almost no one enjoys both.  I’ve never really understood it myself, but because of this module have put a lot more thought and energy into this and why?

Have you ever stopped to think (before this module and readings, etc.) what does it say about myself for liking a certain tv show or movie?  Or did you ever wonder if people were judging and or making assumptions about you and your personality just for liking a certain tv show or movie whether you were aware or not?

I’ve listed a few blogs I found online after looking into this a little more.  Some may interest you.  They essentially talk about why people like either “Friends” or “The Office” and go into some of the psychology behind why.  I found another article that talks about our personalities and aligning that with certain characters in the show.  

https://www.bustle.com/p/can-you-be-addicted-to-watching-the-office-heres-why-you-actually-cant-get-enough-8073956

https://screenrant.com/the-office-what-your-favorite-character-says-about-you/#darryl-philbin



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