The Pros And Cons Of Popular Culture

Submitted By aosborne3
Words: 666
Pages: 3
Open Document
Slide 1: Title Screen

Slide 2: Thesis

Americans understand themselves to be independent people, but are actually indecisive and allow popular culture and fear of social rejection to influence their lives.

Slide 3: Popular Culture & Social Rejection

Popular culture is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images, and other phenomena that are preferred by the general public. Popular culture exists in music, newspapers, magazines, online, in sports, entertainment, advertising, and television. The advancements in technology have allowed popular culture to take over mass media. Social rejection occurs when a person is deliberately left out of a social relationship or interaction, usually because they have a different opinion or idea than that particular group. Because humans rely on social groups to survive and have evolved to live in cooperative societies, we must avoid social rejection. Popular culture and social rejection diminish the idea of independent Americans.

Slide 4: Indecisiveness

Americans are generally indecisive and many struggle with making decisions. When decisions need to be made, the people that struggle must turn to the opinions of their friends and families and sometimes popular culture, to help them make that decision. What should I wear? What kind of car should I get? What music should I listen to? What are my plans this weekend? All of these are questions that people ask other people to make their decisions. Why? Some genuinely may need help, but many people just want to hear the opinion of others to verify what others will think before actually making the decision. Decisions are an extremely important part of life, and there is a ton of pressure to make the right one. Those that can make those decisions without help seem to be the leaders and innovators, while the indecisive follow along.

Slide 5: Deadly Combination

Our need to be socially accepted along with the fear of social rejection, indecisiveness and popular culture creates a pressure to conform. No one wants to be socially rejected therefore if they have different views or opinions, they will keep them quiet so they are not excluded from social relationships. The fear of being rejected causes people to be vulnerable to the influences of popular culture. Instead of being independent, Americans are far more likely to follow mass media trends and see what everyone else is doing through social networks.

Slide 6: Opposing View

Oppositions to this viewpoint believe that Americans ARE independent and self-reliant. They say children are taught from childhood “to stand on their own to feet,” meaning to be independent, but even from childhood, there is much influence to be had on developing minds, whether from their family or from
Show More

Related Documents: The Pros And Cons Of Popular Culture

Double Consciousness: The Perception Of African Americans

consciousness” is the way African Americans are perceived by White Americans along with the way African Americans perceive themselves. It is comparable to your identity being separated and you wanting to unify both, but it is extremely difficult. The outcome of this can lead to black people suffering because their self-image is formed by the perceptions and treatment of white people. Assimilating to European or American culture and not forgetting about your own culture. African Americans have lived in a country…

Words 375 - Pages 2

African Americans Perceptions of Mental Health and the Implications for Health Service Delivery Essay example

“I’m Not Crazy”: African Americans Perceptions of Mental Health and the Implications for Health Service Delivery Hillary Marts Vanderbilt University African Americans Perceptions of Mental Health and the Implications for Health Service Delivery As discussed in class, little advancement has been made in the field of mental health care over the past two decades. Rates of mental illness continue to be high especially among certain subgroups, but progress has been stunted by stigma and social…

Words 2499 - Pages 10

African American Studies Reflection

African American Studies course, is to have a more in-depth understanding more about the Diaspora, I took a course in the African Diaspora and found it too be very interesting and I also, wanted to understand in depth the history and realities of American Americans in the past and current. The perception of race and ethnicity always played a role in my life the past and the present, there are many things, especially now at my age that I am just starting to realize the different perceptions of how…

Words 264 - Pages 2

Perceptions Formed from Cinema Essay examples

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Do what you know and perceptions is converted into character.” In essence, each individual’s perceptions are figments of his or her personality, imagination, or emotions. We create these “perceptions” based upon what we believe and what we want to see. In most situations, individuals fail to recognize the opposite side of their beliefs since they are so stuck to their beliefs. This causes one-dimensional viewpoints, which are inaccurate and not based upon facts. This…

Words 497 - Pages 2

Compare And Contrast Arabic And Muslim Americans

on the average American’s perceptions about Muslim/Arab American and Christian American groups, I was surprised to see that my friends view was very different from mine. The two tables are the same in that my friend thinks other people feel that Christian Americans are good neighbors, they are devout, governed by Biblical law and are sexiest. These two tables are different in that I feel most people think Christian Americans are well educated and Muslin and Arab Americans are not. My friend feels…

Words 387 - Pages 2

Annotated Bibliography Essay

Works Cited Balkwill, Laura-Lee, and William Forde Thompson. "A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Perception of Emotion in Music: Psychophysical and Cultural Cues." Music Perception (1999): n. page. JSTOR. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. A study was performed to determine listeners’ perception of emotional cues in music of different cultures. The investigation included thirty, Western listeners ranking “the degrees of joy, sadness, anger, and peace” of twelve Hindustani musical excepts. Results…

Words 311 - Pages 2

War Of 1812 In Britain: A Comparative Analysis

the life of an American and move on. In a discussion of one soldier’s account of the war, John Gellner writes, “Great Britain Certainly fought it unwillingly… just wanting to stop or limit the fighting.” This can be understood as a common opinion of the war as during this time Britain was in conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte. A personal account of the war by the soldier P. Finan in the British army describes mostly orders and…

Words 1142 - Pages 5

Hyppolite's Dyaspora

Today’s society has one set perception of how certain races, ethnicities, cultures, and genders should operate. This stereotypical view of how one should act depending on how the majority of the population perceives them to be, creates a complicated situation. In actuality, the concept of identity should be “shaped by individual characteristics family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political factors” (Tatum 105). These aspects contribute to one’s identity in a multitude of ways, whether…

Words 1219 - Pages 5

Brandon King The American Dream Analysis

The “American Dream” is a lifestyle that many people strive to achieve and emulate. Due to the problematic effects the income gap has caused in the economy many liberals and economists believe the “American Dream” is unattainable; however, income inequality actually helps people acquire the “American Dream”. Brandon King believes that the “American Dream” is still alive. King assesses that people think that the “American Dream” is just transitioning from rags to riches, but that is not true. He…

Words 1058 - Pages 5

Organizational Behavior and Communication Paper

Behavior and Communication Paper This paper discusses the culture of the American Red Cross, noting whether the organization’s values align with espoused or enacted values. Also covered will be to what extent is communication in the American Red Cross determined by its organizations culture. Communication plays a fundamental role in perception and organizational culture. Perception among the American Red Cross organization may cause misalignment between espoused values and enacted values…

Words 968 - Pages 4