American Popular Culture: Trends and How They Affect

American Popular Culture soc/105 August, 22, 2013 In late 19th century America made two tempting and attractive promises; freedom and land (The Johns Hopkins University, 2002). These promises brought many immigrants with the hope of seeing their dreams realized. America today is a multicultural country provides shelter to thousands of immigrants with different cultural background. The Oxford Dictionary define culture as “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively: 20 century popular culture” (“Culture,” 2013).

The paper American popular culture attempted to emonstrate what popular culture is, three major trends founds in American popular culture, and how it affects personal decisions. In an anthropological sense, popular culture definition given by the authors of Common Culture: Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture, is “the shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific time” (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007, p. 4). Popular culture represents everyday elements. Popular culture is linking to a specific time and place.

For that reason may be popular culture may be transient, subject to any changes and also can e an in initiator of change (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007). Today, the United States is the chief manufacturer of popular culture goods. For this reason American pop culture is spread around the world through a varieties ot systems as newspapers, television programs, movies, fast foods, fashion, music, and other trends . There are numerous of trends. Three trends that seem to be those of major influences in American style life today are advertising, television, and technology.

Those trends sometimes worked in our favor, but many people argued that they have been armful to the human life, especially those subjects relates with themes of economic and human personal interactions. Following an illustration of how those trends influences person’s life. Laura wants to have some fun, so she decided to enroll in a tennis team. Laura knew that probably she will need to have some expenses, so she designed a budget for what she thought will be her cost to play tennis. Exciting she meets the others team’s members but what happens was not expected.

Her intention of fun turned into a very competitive, stressful, and expensive experience. Her idea of he expenses needs to include too, her team’s expenses goals. Team’s principal focus was to looks impeccable. Laura’s first plan was to wear any sport clothes with an accessible price, but wait a moment, for the team presence comes first even when that imply high expenses. Meeting the team’s demands Laura needs to buy the best racquet. Second, was “necessary’ that she makes sure to buy brand new tennis’ outfit from the Nike store, especially that outfit that Monica Puig wore at the Wimbledon tournament.

To wear that cloth meant a tremendous suffering for Laura who was esperate because of her five extra pounds. She wanted to look as skinny as Monica does. Feeling overwarming for her five extra pounds, she decides to continue with her mission. Another important matter was not to forget accessories like the polarized sunglasses, Oakley’s last edition, tennis hat, tennis shoes, and the socks. It is not necessary to mention that the accessories should combine with the Nike’s outfit tennis, they must be the same color and brand, because remember “first dead than simple. Laura knows that her budget was out of control, but it was too late. The most important thing for her was that she was part of that “fantastic team. ” This demonstration was to shown how advertising and some “rules of beauty’ affected a person’s decision- making. Advertising continually provokes an excessive consumerism. Roy Fox an America Journalist mentioned that people consume more than they produce (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007, p. 58). The advertising is not the only trend influencing American popular culture; other major trend is the television.

People are crazy to get into their homes and to fall into that recline able sofa with the TV control in hands. They barely talked to their children or their couple. Probably before watch the TV they will have more knowledge. For sure they will be aware about what is happening around the world, but their family relation is affects by that intruder that live with them. The technology is a main contributor for improvements in Jobs, academic studies, cyber-communications, and much more. However, technology has brought to our society many difficult situations as well.

Some of the results of the advance technology are violence, pornography, psychological problems specially, in children who are constantly expose to violence video games, and lack of privacy. Sullivan (2006) said “the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked” (par. , 5) Today nobody knows if someone is watching or monitoring us. As demonstrated earlier, American popular culture has grown tremendously and with it, diversity, technological advances, better ways to communicate at long distance, medical advances, and so much more.

Humans nas been under the control ot various predominant trends especially, those promoted by big Industries in the commercial fields. Societies are so into the new things that they are not paying attention to the cost of that way of living. People are unconsciously spending in things that they do not need, living by ridiculous standards of “beauty’ having as a result young teenagers and adults with a bad mental and physical conditions. People need to be conscious and to make good uses of the advantages than has been given in this times, but do not forget to have precaution and to be alert of possible dangers.