1. Popular Culture

2. Popular Culture
 Large
 Incorporates heterogeneous populations
 Typically urban
 Experiences quickly changing cultural traits
 Practiced by people across identities and
across the world
 Also encompasses material and
nonmaterial culture

3. How is popular culture diffused?
 Hierarchical diffusion
 Uses an urban hierarchy (distance decay)
 David Harvey: time-space compression
 Refers to social and psychological effects of living
in a time-space convergence (Donald Janelle)
 Since technology links some places more closely
than others, culture diffuses more quickly rather
than at a constant rate

4.  Popular culture does not take over the
existing popular culture, rather a process
called reterritorialization of popular
culture occurs
 When people w/in a place start to produce an
aspect of popular culture themselves in the
context of their own culture and making it their
own

5. Why is popular culture widely
distributed?
 Popular Housing Styles
A. Modern house styles (1945-1960): minimal traditional,
ranch, split level, contemporary + shed style houses
B. Neo-eclectic (1960-): mansard, neo-Tudor, Neo-French,
neo-colonial
*have great rooms rather than separate living + family
rooms

6. Diffusion of Popular Culture cont.
 Rapid Diffusion of Clothes
 Characterized by income and job characteristics
 Improved communication
 Exposure to folk dress due to increased travel +
television
A. Jeans-know why + how jeans became a part of
popular culture

7. Diffusion of Popular Culture cont.
B. Snack foods and beverages
*preference based on what is made, grown or
imported locally
*also affected by background
*dependent on income and advertising

8. Role of TV in diffusing Popular
Culture
 Significant custom because:
1. Most popular leisure activity
2. Most important means by which culture is
diffused

9. Why Does Globalization of Popular
Culture Cause Problems?
 Threat to Folk Culture:
 Rising income increases demand for items
valued in popular culture
 Can lead to domination of folk culture
 Loss of traditional values (clothing)
 Change in traditional role of women-How?
 Can also cause problems in less developed
nations-increase in prostitution

10. Globalization of Popular Culture cont.
 Threat of Foreign Media Imperialism
 Threatens LDC’s independence
 Seen as a new type of economic + cultural
imperialism
 Allow governments of LDC to censor shows
and/or only program shows appropriate to
traditional values

11. Environmental Impact of Popular
Culture
 Modifies nature
 Uniform landscapes-seen to generate
product recognition + greater consumption

12. Negative Environmental Impacts
 Increased demand for natural resources
 Depletion of resources and/or extinction of
species
 Inefficient use of resources
 Pollution
 Popular culture produces a lot of waste
 Folk culture can also negatively impact the
environment by ignoring natural processes