Is Pop Culture Good For You

                                                           Is Pop Culture Good For You ?

Gabriel Diaz

    If I was writing this blog 20 years ago I would have said that pop culture is a great thing. Many people have enjoyed the entertainment they derived from pop culture, and pop culture shapes the way people understand reality today. The reason why I don't believe pop culture today is a great thing, is because of the watered down, stereotypical, social media driven society that we live in today. Most parents believe that social media has a direct impact on how they have to raise their kids, and I think that's very sad. Although I am not completely opposed to pop culture, because I do believe it has some great impacts on society, I do not think that the current state of pop culture is healthy.

    Pop culture today revolves almost completely around social media, and children as young as 5 years old are ending up on social media, being exposed to a wide variety of topics. After all, what cant you find on social media? Pop culture is the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the celebrities we worship, the books we read (even though kids don't read books anymore), and the clothes we wear. These are all extremely important aspects of our lives and they affect everybody in a different way. For example, the music that was coming out in the 1960s-1990s mostly talked about social issues and real world problems so people were aware and apart of the changes that needed to happen. Today's music has been dumbed down so much, that people only want to hear about sex, drugs, and money in their favorite songs. There are no more Kurt Cobain's, no more Michael Jacksons, and no more bands like the beetles that talk about social issues, and influence their fanbases to create a change. Children of all ages, especially young ones, are easily influenced by what their favorite celebrity or social media personality does, and this is why there is barely any originality amongst todays kids. When you look around, everybody listens to the same music, everybody dresses similar to each other, and almost everyone has preconceived notions developed by social media and if you don't agree with those notions then you are automatically "canceled." This is a toxic mentality and pop culture has everything to do with it.

    Reality Tv shows such as Bad Girls Club, Love and Hip Hop, and Jersey Shore are extremely popular amongst young people, and this Is the type of entertainment that kids today want to watch. They watch these shows and think the behavior portrayed is normal, and kids look up to these reality TV show characters and want to emulate the lifestyle they have. If this is the direction that our societies youth is headed, schools and parents are going to have a hard time re educating children and making sure that they understand that what they see on social media and in their favorite TV shows isn't reality.

    It may sound like I am completely against pop culture but I definitely am not. Without pop culture, our society would be boring and monotonous. I just believe that we need to change the narrative of todays pop culture and make it something that influences society to think, and be productive, instead of dumbing us down. Humans are capable of some very amazing things, and If we let our pop culture dictate who we are, I pray for future generations to come.