Popular Culture

We explain what popular culture is and what its characteristics and elements are. Also, how is it different from mass culture.

What is popular culture?

Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs and objects that are common and accessible to the majority of people within a society. It identifies with the popular classes and opposes “elite culture” or “literate culture.”” typical of the upper classes.

The term It began to be used to describe the cultural manifestations of the 19th century in the context of the Industrial Revolution. With the growth of cities, new forms of entertainment and mass media appeared that transformed the daily lives of the working classes. Serial literature, variety shows, and later film and radio were early examples of what is known as popular culture.

Nowadays, popular culture It is the set of practices and phenomena accepted and disseminated through global media such as the Internet and social networks. Includes music, film, television, video games and fashion. It is characterized by its accessibility, interactivity and diversity, and reflects contemporary social and economic trends.

The use of the terms “popular culture” and “elite culture” became consolidated in the 1960s and 1970s, with the emergence of cultural studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to the study of the relationship between culture, power, identity and society.

• See also: Popular wisdom

Features of popular culture

The main characteristics of popular culture are:

• Accessibility. It is accessible to a wide and diverse audience. It is distributed through mass media such as television, the Internet and social networks.
• Interactivity. It involves the activity of different sectors, which produce and at the same time consume the cultural practices produced by society as a whole.
• Diversity. It reflects the variety of interests, tastes and cultural perspectives within a society, ranging from music and cinema, to fashion, sports and internet phenomena.
• Flexibility. Quickly adapts to trends and social changes. You tend to be sensitive to current events and technological and economic influences.
• Marketing. Many elements of popular culture are linked to the entertainment industry and marketing, with strategies to capture and maintain the attention of the public.

Elements of popular culture

The elements that make up popular culture can be very diverse from one another, since popular culture is not homogeneous. This means that it varies greatly depending on the people and the geography. Even within the same population there can be substantial differences.

However, like other forms of culture, different contents can be found in popular manifestations. They are:

• Values. In popular culture, values ​​are principles or ideals that are reflected and reinforced through media such as movies, music, and social media. They may include ideas about family, success, freedom, or justice, which are conveyed through popular narratives and characters.
• Standards. Behavioral norms are reflected in expectations about how fictional characters, idols, or artists should act, and can influence public perception and social acceptance.
• Beliefs. Beliefs in popular culture can range from myths and superstitions to political or religious ideologies. They are transmitted through different cultural manifestations and can reinforce or challenge established beliefs.
• Symbols. Symbols can be images, gestures or words that have a culturally shared meaning and that represent broader concepts or specific identities. Some examples could be brand logos, iconic gestures of famous people, or hashtags on social networks that become symbols of social movements.
• Language. Language in popular culture can include slang, memes, and specific terms that are popularized through digital and entertainment media. These linguistic elements may reflect generational changes, emerging subcultures, or evolving social issues.
• Technology. Technology in popular culture drives the creation, distribution and consumption of cultural content. Platforms like streaming Music, online video games and social networks facilitate the dissemination of ideas and influence the construction of cultural identities.

• Culture

Examples of popular culture

Some specific examples of manifestations of popular culture are:

Holiday gastronomy

In many countries and cultures, It is common to cook specific dishes on specific dates whether for religious reasons (such as the “leikaj” for the Rosh Hashanah or Jewish New Year), historical reasons (such as the preparation in Argentina of “locro” or lentil stew on national holidays) or traditional reasons (such as “hallaca”, a typical dish of Venezuelan Christmas food).

The preparation of these dishes may vary from one home to the next, but they adhere to the same shared culinary culture.

• Gastronomy

jazz

Although today it is integrated into the official culture or mainstream, In its origins, jazz was a musical style typical of the American popular strata specifically of Afro-descendants.

Jazz emerged in the state of Louisiana, in the area of ​​influence of New Orleans, where a large number of African slaves arrived during the colonial era.

The graffiti

Typical of urban popular culture, graffiti brings together a very diverse and disparate set of writings, drawings and other anonymous impressions that are made on the walls of the city.

The content expressed by graffiti can be of different types, but generally reflects popular sentiment, that is, what people think or feel about a topic.

The comic

Comics, cartoons and graphic novels are examples of popular culture. In the past, it was a way of expressing ideas that did not require text and was spread to educate or inform people who could not read.

Nowadays, in addition to being an expression of popular culture, comics are considered an art and, at the same time, industrial production linked to mass culture.

The celebration of the Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead is a famous Mexican tradition that is part of popular culture and folklore. It is carried out according to criteria specific to the region and the families involved, following a tradition whose roots date back to the ancient culture of Mesoamerica.

Cultural identity

cultural identity refers to the sense of belonging and the distinctive characteristics that define a human group in terms of its history, traditions, values, beliefs, symbols and cultural expressions.

It is the way in which an individual or a community identifies and relates to its cultural environment. It includes elements such as language, religion, food, clothing and social practices.

Cultural identity is not static. It can evolve over time and be influenced by interactions with other cultures, migrations, political changes and technological advances, among other factors.

• Cultural identity

Cultural relativism

Cultural relativism is a form of thought that defends diversity and equality between existing cultures. He maintains that each culture deserves to be understood in its own historical and social context, to avoid unfair comparisons.

This way of understanding culture arises in opposition to evolutionary positions that distinguished societies between “advanced cultures” and “backward cultures.” Generally, these positions used Eurocentric criteria that understood European and Western culture as the standard of civilization with which all societies in the world should be compared.

• It may help you: Cultural globalization

Popular culture and mass culture

A concept linked to popular culture is that of mass culture. With the consolidation of capitalism and mass production, the so-called “consumer society” was created: a society that produces and consumes its goods in massive quantities, including cultural goods.

This way, Mass culture emerged, produced by what is known as the “cultural industries.”. This type of industry includes large film production chains, international publishers and mass media, among others.

Since the consumers of mass culture are the popular classes, these concepts are often intertwined. However, they refer to different social phenomena:

• popular culture. It can be both created and consumed by a wide audience and incorporates expressions that were not mass-produced or produced by the cultural industries.
• mass culture. It focuses more on the production and distribution of standardized cultural products designed to be mass consumed.

• Mass culture

Popular culture and elite culture

Popular culture and elite culture are two concepts used to describe different types of cultural production and their respective audiences.

Popular culture is widely accessible and consumed by a large audience. It reflects contemporary trends through mass media such as popular music, commercial films and social media. It evolves quickly and connects people from diverse backgrounds.

In contrast, elite culture requires a higher level of education or privileged access for appreciation. It is focused on sophisticated forms of art and expression, such as traditional art, classical music, academic literature, and experimental plays, which are often associated with select intellectual, academic, or economic circles.

Elite culture tends to value originality, depth, and artistic innovation. Additionally, it may take a more conservative approach to maintaining cultural and aesthetic traditions established by privileged groups over time.

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References

• Bauman, R. (1992). culture; Folklore. Folklore, Cultural Performances, and Popular Entertainments. Oxford University Press.
• Green, T. (1997). Popular culture. Folklore. An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music and Art. ABC-CLIO.
• White, L.A. (2022). Culture. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/