Maren Hansen
News Editor
The music we blare through our headphones, the TV shows we diligently follow (eagerly awaiting characters’ next plot moves), the sports teams we cheer with during victories and sympathize with after hard losses. From Pretty Little Liars to the New England Patriots, pop culture has played both a role in shaping our country’s history and influencing the thoughts and actions of teenagers today.
Imagine a scenario for a minute. Picture your daily life without the influence of your favorite radio station on the way to school, your favorite fashion designs in each month’s InStyle, or even your favorite celebrity’s twitter account. Though it doesn’t seem like these trivial aspects of our life matter much in the big picture, each can have an impact on the way we think and act. For example, when Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle first hit shelves in 1906, it sparked a food revolution in America. Reading about the unsanitary conditions their food was being exposed to help people find a way to take action, and pop culture initiated the whole thing.
Another example of pop culture’s effect on society is the addition of the parental advisory label on on audio recordings in 1990. The logo was intended to drive more buyers away, but instead did the opposite. Although it might have appealed to parents, kids generally tend to care about the rhythm and melody of the music they buy instead of the perhaps explicit lyrics in it. A much more popular way of censoring unsuitable song lyrics is to create a version of the song that is radio appropriate. For example, Maroon 5’s Payphone has a completely different tune on the radio than it does on an iPod or MP3.
Though many people of older generations scoff at teenagers who obsess over social media sites like Twitter and Instagram, anyone from small proprietorships to large corporations have started using these popular tools as a way to spread word about their business. Even small-town McPherson, Kansas has a sign on First Street advising drivers to “Follow us on Twitter: @FirstStreetCon.” Pop culture in the form of technology has become an extremely powerful tool in today’s society.
All in all, pop culture plays a key role in many aspects of society, from providing social norms to generating innovation and encouraging civil change. As our society becomes more and more engaged in social media and technology, pop culture continues to play a larger role in defining how we live our lives.
The McPherson High Life 