Popular culture has been described differently by different scholars according to different periods. Generally, popular culture refers to the vernacular or the culture of a given community, which is predominant in the society during a given period. Others consider popular culture as the entirety of attitudes, ideas, memes, perspectives, phenomena, and perspectives, which are informally accepted within the general culture. In the past, popular culture majorly comprised of books, music, fashion, and other daily ephemera, which a community within the society identifies itself. However, due to technological advancements and globalization, popular culture today includes mass media, celebrities, the internet, and a host of other technological advancements such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S5.
The factors to consider in considering a video as viral include parody, viewership, longevity, and buzz. Videos that garner the highest number of views on YouTube have been considered viral. For instance, Ultimate Dog Tease’ garnered 10 million views within a short period. In buzz, the discussion of the video in online and offline platforms should be overwhelming. A viral video must be imitated by different people through remix, re-cuts, auto-tunes, and re-creates. A viral video must also be remembered for a long time. This paper discusses the Psy’s smash hit single “Gangnam Style” in the light of these factors, which consider a popular video culture viral.
Korean pop artist Psy’s smash hit single “Gangnam Style” is one of the Korean popular songs. The song has been successful as a Korean cultural phenomenon. The video of the song has gone viral on YouTube. Within three months of its release, Gangnam Style garnered more than 600 million hits, which makes it the third most viewed video in YouTube. The song has been parodied and remade by very many people all over the world, notwithstanding their culture. It has crossed from several countries across the Korean borders including the United States. In 2012, the artist became one of the most popular Halloween costumes. He danced the Gangnam Style with Britney Spears, and granted interviews to the Ellen DeGeneres and Today Shows. One thing remains unchanged about the Gangnam Style, it is popular in the United States, but it is sung in Korean, not English. Additionally, this is not the first Korean song; there are other big Korean music groups such as BIGBANG and 2NEI, which have been popular within Korea, but have not made it across the borders.
Introduction
Popular culture refers to the vernacular or the culture of a given community, which is predominant in the society during a given period. Popular culture includes books, music, fashion, and other daily ephemera, which a community within the society identifies itself. However, due to technological advancements and globalization, popular culture today includes mass media, celebrities, the internet, and a host of other technological advancements such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S5.
Body
- The factors to consider in considering a video as viral. A viral video can be a popular culture when it meets the following qualifications
- Buzz – discussed in online and offline platforms
- Parody – imitated through re-cut, remix, re-create, and auto-tune, but the original remains popular without changing its original form
- Viewership – must receive many views (more than 20 million) on YouTube within a short period after release
- Longevity – Should be remembered for a very long time
- Korean pop artist Psy’s smash hit single “Gangnam Style” is one of the Korean popular songs.
- The video received 600 million views within a short period
- The song has been parodied and remade by very many people all over the world, notwithstanding their culture.
- It is popular in the United States, but it is sung in Korean, not English.
- It has crossed from several countries across the Korean borders including the United States, and is discussed in different online and offline platforms within and outside Korea
Conclusion
Popular culture presents the culture of a given community to the society for globalization. The Korean pop artist Psy’s smash hit single “Gangnam Style” successfully represents the Korean music in the international scene. The increasing use of social networks and technologies has increased the spread of popular culture.
