Pop culture artifact

I would consider the symbol of the well known “Two Golden Arches” from McDonalds to be an example of a pop culture artifact.  This symbol is recognized not only in the United States but all over the world as a business that serves quality fast food (if there is such as thing) for affordable prices.  I think that this artifact and what it represents is one of the most recognized symbols that stems from a business that deals with fast food.  The reason why it’s interesting to me is that I cannot remember a time when you didn’t know what McDonalds was not only from the symbols but also through their “mascot” Ronald McDonald who is marketed specifically for children.  Combined with “incentives” to take part in their business (happy meals) and market presence (where haven’t you seen a McDonalds anywhere) this business has been permanently engrained in our culture from childhood to adulthood.

Why is the understanding of popular culture relevant?

I believe the study and understanding of popular culture can be relevant to me in a business environment and in a future career because the culture provides us with a brief snapshot of what is currently socially acceptable and what is not.  Popular culture can then be analyzed to provide strategies that align with most of society that accepts this culture in the form of business strategy as to how to reach out to the masses and potentially turn them into a client or customer with the final result being a profit for the particular business.

What is popular culture?

Popular culture is the customs, values, institutions and artifacts that are present at a particular point in time in society that affect and are generally accepted by the majority of the population in society.  This type of culture identifies with common elements of our lives and is representative for most in our society.  Popular culture is constantly evolving and changing more rapidly in this technological age which brings us closer and closer together through our electronic devices.

To me, popular culture represents a set of ideals and values that have been distributed mostly by the media which has great influence over the population that can communicate to most of society and cannot be repressed by social barriers.  This encompassing culture is inescapable and cannot be ignored unless you our outside of society.  Since most of us are part of society, popular culture affects our daily lives in the minutest of ways from when we begin to speak and understand language to long into our adulthood.  The idea of popular culture can be both good and bad depending on the message.  It is up to us as intelligent individuals to discern which messages are simply the “sign of the times” and which messages are there to deceive us.  Knowledge is the tool we have to interpret our popular culture and begin to understand what these values and ideals represent.

Introduction

This blog is created for my Popular Culture class HUMN240 at Franklin University.