Andrew Allsopp

Connecting the World Through Pop Culture

Pop culture is a unifying force that is in every direction we look. We see it every day. It is projected to us through TV, cell phones, and the internet. Pop culture is not just something that one section of the world participates in, it is a global matter. It affects you and your perspective of the world. A celebrity that is popular in America one day is popular around the world the next. One single figure can be known in every single country around the world in a short amount of time. Video can be put on to the internet and can take over popular culture. The SUNY Levine institute points out that The song Gangnam style by Korean pop (K-Pop) star Psy has surpassed all previous Internet milestones and is now the most-watched video ever on YouTube. As of December 25th, the video was watched more than one billion times (Globalization101). The song brought together the world and created something common for many to share. Pop culture positively connects cultures of the world through social media and popular trends. During this modern day, pop culture connects us and mixes up the worlds cultures. Pop culture creates something that everyone sees and can take part in. Michael Jackson was a fine example of a popular culture manifesting around the world. Rebecca Osborn as student in Missouri says Michaels History Tour began and ended in 1997 in Durban, South Africa. This tour covered five continents, 82 concerts and 4.5 million fans. Through music Michael left a message that covered the globe (Osborn 38). Millions of people heard his music and saw his shows. Michael Jackson was an icon and that gave people who followed him and enjoyed his music something to share. Osborn points out that People around the world were singing Michael Jacksons songs, wearing one glove, and dressing in flashy clothing while mimicking his signature dance moves (Osborn 38). He was a world phenomenon and everyone loved him. But what propelled him into the spot light? Technology as we know it is fairly new to the planet and the technologies we create are influencing the world. From when they were invented to now, computers, TV, Cellphones, Mp3 players all affect how we perceive the world. We see world news and events that are happening in China, England, and the Middle East. We see Continuous images of cultural diversity in the media have played a significant role in influencing the culture of foreign nations (Osborn 16). Before the time of computers, TV, and social networking, people on one side of the world didnt know much about other cultures, around the world. Since we did not know or understand these cultures we had conflicts that caused these cultures to stay divided and to continue to not understand each other. Since then through technology we have come to understand cultures around the world that we may never see in person. We now live in a world where we can try to understand our differences between nations and work towards a more harmonious peaceful world all because media and pop culture brought us all together.

Andrew Allsopp

People may argue that pop culture has broken down barriers and hurt cultures by making the people of that culture turn to pop culture instead of their own. Pop culture, however, has done no such thing. It has given the world a way to show their culture on a global scale. In an article about how musicians should think on a global scale Martin Frascogna, an entertainment attorney says, In 2006, 22% of the Artist on the charts came from outside the U.S. In 2009, for the first time in the history of the Grammy Awards, all 5 of the nominees for Record of the Year came from outside of The United States. In 2012, as many as 28% of the Billboard artists had international ties (Frascogna). Music and pop culture created International ties that brought us together and created more reason for countries to collaborate and create a better world together. All kinds of cultures showed through and created more awareness as to what it is like around the world. In fact, it has made people embrace pop culture as well as their own culture. According to the SUNY Levine institute, In an era of global capitalism, cultural distinctiveness can become more important, not less important. Because its sort of what people have left (Globalization101). They dont leave their culture they continue it and they embrace popular culture as well. We also know that the world wont stay the same because the human race is constantly making advances and discovering new ideas. This world has always been driven by technology. It is still being driven by technology. Humans have an eternal lust for knowledge. Social Media is helping us do just that. New and different technologies are being created that are connecting all sorts of cultures by projecting pop culture all over the world. They are creating popular trends that people of every culture can relate to. We cant stop at this point. We must continue creating these technologies and creating songs like Gangnam style and creating popular icons like Michael Jackson. Things like this unify the world and create something every country and every human can have in common. Word count: 884 Works Cited "Gangnam Style Takes the World by Storm | Globalization101." Globalization101. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.http://www.globalization101.org/gangnam-style-takes-the-world-bystorm/ "Pop Culture | Globalization101." Globalization101. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. http://www.globalization101.org/pop-culture/ Rebecca, Osborn. "The Influence of American Popular Culture in the Global Media."Www.webster.edu. N.p., May 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2014 http://www.webster.edu/~garyford/class_materials/MEDC%206000%20%20Rebecca%20Osborn%20Thesis-SP2-06.pdf "Why Your Band Should Think Globally, Not Locally." Music Globalization. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.http://musicglobalization.com/2013/11/16/why-your-band-should-thinkglobally-no-locally/