Is Pop Culture Good For You?

To answer this question correctly, I did some research. Pop culture is good for us to a certain extent, but why exactly? So many amazing things come from popular culture, but at the same time, it can negatively impact us, especially younger people nowadays.

Let’s begin with the positive aspects of pop culture for society. Firstly, it can bring us together. When we go to a concert or watch a movie or a performance, we connect with other people who are experiencing the same thing. Sometimes, friendships are made through the same tastes in music or film genres. Social media has also magnified this as it is easier to access these events or contents if we cannot be there physically. I just watched the documentary of the song “We Are the World” on Netflix. This song is an example of how music connected the artists who sang it, and people from all over the world would sing it as an anthem, joining each other to support hunger in Africa. 

In addition, pop culture can be good for us because it can be a source of inspiration. It is everywhere. We might get inspired by a book, song, movie, performance, fashion show, art, etc. There are so many sources of inspiration that can positively influence us. Today, it is so easy to share art through social media; it may impact someone positively. I am a ballet dancer and have always loved the performing arts, so last year, my dad took me to watch the MJ show on Broadway a week before a performance. Even though that was my second time watching the same show, I left that theater feeling so motivated and ready to dance that I could not wait to return to the studio the following day. 

Pop culture can benefit us if the content nourishes our minds. There can be content found in different pop culture sources that can expand our knowledge and open our minds to other ideas and opinions. We can learn so much through pop culture as it can teach us about traditions in different countries worldwide, like food, fashion, celebrations, music, and dance. Also, we can learn about science and history through watching films and TV series, or like Steven Johnson’s article “Watching TV Makes You Smarter,” it can exercise our minds by making us think and focus on the stories and plot in an episode. My favorite TV show is Grey’s Anatomy, and in the 19 seasons, I have learned a lot about medicine (considering that it was my second career choice). Also, the show has many plots in every episode, requiring the audience to remain focused to understand what is happening.

On the other hand, pop culture can also be bad for you. As much as influence can be positive, it can also be damaging. With social media, influencers are becoming more popular daily, and younger people look up to them and want to copy them. Recently, there has been an issue with influencers using specific skincare products containing ingredients like retinol, and young girls, around 10 and 11 years old, go to Sephora and buy these products without knowing what it can do to their skin. People also look up to artists who produce songs or videos that contain rude and disrespectful content, and their audience will sing these songs and watch these videos, filling their minds with “junk” instead of enriching or inspirational ideas. Some might even start thinking like these singers.

Also, mass media can be dangerous because our phones and technological devices will show us what we enjoy; therefore, our algorithm will repeatedly show us the same thing. This can be specifically alarming when people only look at one side of different issues or stories because it causes the person to become close-minded and sometimes ignorantly opinionated. We need to investigate and take our time to look at the whole picture before deciding which side we will take. If the point of view our phones show us is incorrect, it is spreading misinformation and creating a wrong idea without people questioning it because that is the only side they see. 

Finally, in-person pop culture has lost popularity. On-screen pop culture might be positive with its accessibility, but at the same time, it has stopped people from actual human interactions. We have films, series, books, songs, videos, etc., right in front of us on our phone screens; there is no need to attend movie theaters, concerts, music stores, or libraries anymore. Why spend money and go out when we can stay in bed or the comfort of our homes? We need to connect with each other again. 

Pop culture has evolved, and its presence in our lives has grown. We learn so much about the world through it and get motivated by it. At the same time, we need to be careful about what type of content we are absorbing. 

Sources:

Tim Delaney, “Pop Culture Overview,” Philosophy Now, 2007. https://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview#:~:text=As%20the%20%27culture%20of%20the,informed%20by%20the%20mass%20media. Accessed Feb 2, 2024.

Rohit Chowdhury, “Are Young People Of a Society More Influenced By Pop Culture,” Times of India, Feb 15, 2023. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/areyoungpeopleofasocietymoreinfluencedabypopculture/are-young-people-of-a-society-more-influenced-by-pop-culture-50519/#. Accessed Feb 4, 2024.