[SOLVED] Influence of Popular Culture

Influence of Popular CultureInstructions:Please complete the following steps for your discussion post.After you have completed the Unit 2 material and have considered the different theories of popular culture discussed within the unit, consider which theory you find most plausible. For the discussion board this week please address the following in your post:What are the main ideas of the theory you find most plausible? Define and discuss the theory in your own words.· What examples from popular culture can you find to support your theory?Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.Estimated time to complete: 2 hours.This topic is valued at 40 points. Please review post and response expectations . Please review the rubric to ensure that your response meets criteria (Read Me First Section of the Course).Peer Response: Unit 2, Due Sunday by 11:59 pm CTInfluence of Popular CultureInstructions:Please post 2 peer responses.In the response post, include the following:· Respectfully share your own perspectives and ideas with classmates you may disagree with.· Add new ideas to the discussion instead of just agreeing that something in the reading was interesting or reiterating what others said in the discussion.· Find an additional source online or in the library that adds a new perspective to what has already been said.· Offer an opposing viewpoint that is supported by fact and research.Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.Estimated time to complete: 2 hours.Response One: AliciaHello! For this weeks discussion post, we were to choose a theory we found was most plausible. The theory I chose to discuss about is the Postmodernism Mass Culture Theory. The idea is that consumers of popular culture define themselves through the signs and symbols they are exposed to from popular culture as we question ourselves, “what does it mean to believe” or “what does it mean to have certain identities” within a popular culture. The theory believes that in the 20th century, the economy has shifted from production to consumption meaning that the economy strives around consumption more than needed as it is a part of peoples identity. An example that was mentioned in the video was that after 9/11 happened, former President Bush was telling people to go back to malls as people were buyers and consumers.The theory believes that people “consume” to have a certain image and purchase certain goods in order to cultivate an image or a look. For example, people who purchases certain vehicles such as an SUV when its not necessary but purchasing the vehicle to belong to a certain popular culture. Another example is dressing and looking a certain way depending on a persons place of employment, or acting a certain way due to certain expectations from popular culture to believe having this certain image and how we act are acceptable.The Mass Culture Theory can be seen by seeing a mass society of people who relate to each other through the way they carry themselves in order to fit within a certain population culture which is believed that people have become easily manipulated as rational individualism and mass consumption arise in its place.ReferencesRealizeit ContentDelivery (realizeithome.com) (Links to an external site.)Mass Culture Theory. Mass culture theory (blacksacademy.com) (Links to an external site.)Response two: LauraThere were several theories within this unit that I found plausible and relatable, but I chose to speak about Critical Theory. Critical theory had many viewpoints or ideas that I could easily connect to with the world today and popular culture. Ideas such as culture industry and exchange value are a major part of society today. Culture industry has found a way to make consumerism more important than basic human needs, such as that while I should find happiness in the fact that I do not know hunger and can feed my family that is not the focus of my life, having material needs such as the newest iPhone or a fancy car is what drive most people for social status. Exchange value has become a normal part of society where we let others put a perceived value on an object and drives the cost of this item often to astronomical prices that most of us willing pay in order to be part of the prestigious status that comes with it. The video explains it best by stating “exchange value develops false needs for the masses” (Unit 2 Theories of Pop Culture, 2021).There are many examples from popular culture that supports critical theory such as people lining up for the newest iPhone, so they can get it first or the recent trend of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X selling out within minutes of being available or people mass buying them and reselling at outrageous markups and actually being able to sell them because of the false perception of how badly we need the newest and greatest gaming console. In more recent events Dogecoin, has become a media superstar where a product created out of nothing and a meme has become a desirable commodity (Rodeck, 2021)