Alexandra Greenwald
Sophomore Inquiry 254E: Popular Culture
Fall 2014 MW 4-5:15pm CH 228
Reflective Essay: How I Consume Popular Culture
Every time I walk out of my house I am presented with a certain type of culture.
Whether it’s the buildings around me, the food being sold, or the clothes people wear,
being a consumer is a part of my life. As a consumer I am bombarded with different types
of advertisements for the latest type of music, clothing items, or even where to travel.
This certain consumption of popular culture determines whether I am in the now or if I
am behind my times. I choose to consume popular culture through a number of ways;
through the media or Internet, by walking and observing my surroundings, or by talking
with friends and building off their experiences. I believe I have little control over the
amount of popular culture I consume due to living in a city, but I can choose how and
where I may consume it all from.
In this day in age it is easiest to gain knowledge of popular culture through the use
of technology. Watching TV, browsing through the Internet, either on my phone or
computer, or listening to the radio constantly bombards me with popular culture. This
type of consumption in some form is a personal choice. I find that the use of my iPhone
gives me a deeper look into popular culture that I wouldn’t of gained if I just simply
watched TV or listened to the radio. With different forms of apps that are designed for
their own genre of popular culture, I can consume as much of this knowledge as I want.
This is also how popular culture has expanded. With the use of social media, millions of
people and myself can put their own ideas of culture out for everyone to see. It can get
very overwhelming. Since consuming popular culture in this manner I find to be a choice,
I try to limit my use of technology so as to be able to gain my own knowledge of popular
culture.
When I am not using any type of technology, I find that walking around and
observing my surroundings, or known as “people watching,” is the healthiest and
sometimes most entertaining way to consume popular culture. I believe that every time
someone leaves their house they bring some part of popular culture with them. The most
obvious form of popular culture is fashion. Observing how people dress helps me create a
certain idea of what is considered popular. Looking at pictures of people in magazines or
online dressed in the latest fad is nothing compared to seeing it worn in every day lives.
By spotting certain patterns on how people dress I can gain an idea of what is considered
popular. I also observe how people conduct themselves. What people are doing says a lot
about popular culture. People running says that fitness is very large in our culture or
seeing people smoking could be popular, this shows me what is considered a fad to do. I
then take these ideas and create it into my own attire and every day life.
Although I can gain a large amount of popular culture from media and from
observing my surroundings, I find that my most useful and effective form of consuming
popular culture is by simply conversing with my fellow peers. Since every one consumes
popular culture in their own way, listening to other people’s ideas or criticism gives me a
larger view on what is popular. The most basic type of popular culture is slang. Talking
to people and listening to how people talk is how I can pick up on the latest slang and
therefore be able to converse with people of my generation. Another form of popular
culture that I consume is music. I am a large music fanatic and enjoy listening to the
newest bands and DJs that are on the uprising. The best place to gain my knowledge of
what is new music is listening and sharing with my friends. I find that simply conversing
with my peers about popular culture is how I gain most of my consumerism.
As a consumer I enjoy learning about what is considered popular culture. How I
consume these ideas comes in a variety of ranges. If I want to consume a heavy amount
of popular culture I can browse around the Internet and read as much about popular
culture as I can handle. If I observe the public I can take ideas from how others carry
popular culture around with them. And if I want to converse and be open-minded about
how my peers consume popular culture, I can converse with friends. These types of
consumption let me enjoy learning about how our world creates ideas that we have come
to know as popular culture.