Mass Culture
Popular culture is determined by other people and is observed from the perspective of the individuals rather than from those people who seek support over them. It emerged as a result of a group of individuals with shared interest. It is influenced by industrialization and commercialization. The development of technology and the production of the industry influence mass culture; however, it is asserted that it creates issues in regards to traditional concepts about society’s art and its cultural role.
Popular culture is created not because of the mass production of automobiles or cultural products, but by the mass production of goods and recurring mass culture products, which is practiced regularly and routinely. We should also take into account the mass public of consumers that plays a significant role in popular culture. Mass media is used to successfully attract the consumers to purchase the goods, which are mass produced. For instance, Apple’s popular iPhone (I’m not referring to specific model of the phone, but rather the iPhone) is advertised through mass media. It is common for individuals who are loyal customers of the iPhone to upgrade their phone and purchase the newly released iPhone model. Despite the mass media advertisements for the iPhone, it became a part of popular culture for those consumers to upgrade their iPhones by buying a new one, and the reason that they want to upgrade their iPhones is simply because it has become a routine for them (Strinati, 1996).
Popular Culture as Folk Culture
Folk culture is an essential component for the emerging nationalism of Europe. Folk culture is considered to be the popular culture. It is asserted that individuals who used to live in the past were admired by the people today because the generations today are despised. In addition, the traditional songs that were considered folk songs were the offspring of the ancient heroic race and patriotic children rather than those children of the urban present times, who are rabble-rouser.
According to Lang (as cited in Storey, 2003), folk songs and folklore are used to compare the values, beliefs, and practices of the countries that are uncivilized to those countries that are civilized. In addition, folk song and folklore are the methods used by the social classes to ensure the survival of an earlier uncivilized culture. Popular culture emphasized folk songs because the first concept of popular culture is derived from folk songs. The folk songs provide a national identity and a national culture that are shared by like-minded individuals. The folk songs are considered to be the purest human mind products because they view the music hall as produced by the civilizations of town. Further, folk songs promote patriotism and encourage nationalism by stimulating one’s own patriotism. Despite this, however, folk songs are not considered a force for education but are recognized for its influence on the education system where it improves the practice of education (Storey 2003).
References
Storey, J. (2003). Inventing Popular Culture: From Folklore to Globalization. New York: Wiley
Blackwell
Strinati, D. (1996). An Introduction to the Theories of Popular Culture. London: UK
