Can you define pop culture?

As I prepare to study abroad in London, I can't wait to experience a whole new way of life. In Comm 420, a class called International Mass Communications, we discuss issues that are intriguing in that they make me want to learn as much as I possibly can about other parts of the world. What might be even more interesting is comparing what's out there in the rest of the world to what we know about our own country.

Part of the definition of popular culture is the fact that it can be easily mass produced and as a result, it is relatively cheap. In class yesterday, we talked about how some people have a problem with the idea of popular culture because not only is it taking over culture here in the United States, it also has expanded into foreign countries through ever expanding globalization. Watching Disney movies and MTV are no longer pastimes unique to American culture. A little girl across the world in India can enjoy playing with a Barbie just as a little girl here does. The United States has such tremendous influence on the rest of the world that our culture is being mass produced to countries that are still developing.

Whenever popular culture crosses my mind, negative thoughts don't usually follow. I think of the latest trends, music, movies, and various forms of entertainment that are an integral part of my life. I have never, before this class, associated pop culture with being responsible for the downward spiral of culture as we know it. The question seems to be whether this seemingly evolutionizing force called popular culture has the power to homogenize the world in such a way that the previously existing unique characteristics of some inimitable countries become lost, and everything is one in the same. The bottom line and worry of some is that our culture here in the U.S.A. will make its way around the world, and people will not think for themselves but instead become wrapped up in keeping up with the easily attainable trends of what's hot in the United States.

While I understand the concern, I can't say I regret becoming caught up myself. Popular culture for me is entertainment, and I love to watch it change. As I venture off to study abroad in London next semester, I will be particularly observant of American trends that show up while I'm there. While I couldn't see our country without imagining stages with fads like Twilight, the Jonas Brothers, Facebook, and Uggs, my hope is that pop culture as we know it doesn't spread to an extent where the world is taken over by what we think is cool here in the U.S. As much as I love immersing myself in our own culture, I can't get enough of learning about others.