According to wikipedia (which in this case is close to accurate) "popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture." Pop culture is known to be influenced directly by the media, in which it controls what is available for the mass to indulge in -whether it be clothes, news, or music. There may be other institutions or forces -for example, the elite- that impacts pop culture, but I believe that the mass media is one of the most influencial institutions effecting the structure and compnents of today's popular culture.
I believe that the media controls further than just trends in our culture. It tells us what to wear, what to eat, what to say -how to say it, and even how to conduct our selfs. The mass media sets the norms within the popular culture. Movies aired on television show the mass the life of a typical high school student, homeless man, and even teenage mother. The radio constantly plays songs it feels we should listen to. By labeling a station as one that was made for teens or kids to enjoy, the audience is indirectly told that the music played on that station is music that teens or kids should listen to.
Because the media controls what the majority of the population receives, it plays a major role in the very things people prefer. The individuals within society that indulge in the things of the popular culture do not fit the definition of a true individual, but instead a puppet available for the mass media's manipulation.
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