Chapter 4
Something to Talk About:
An Interaction Approach to Popular Culture
Introduction to Chapter
Opening vignette
The history of naming practices for babies
Cycles of influence and popularity of names
Emphasis on how popular culture is created, diffused and consumed in social interaction
Our cultural tastes are profoundly influenced by others
Importance of informal social groups for spreading fashion and fads
Foundations of the Interaction Approach
Sociology studies the dynamics of social interaction
Symbolic interactionism—micro theory
Classic ethnographies such as Street Corner Society and Urban Villagers
Research conducted using participant observation and interview methods
Peer group societies in which socialization takes place
How members learn and internalize values and norms of groups
Membership and identity
Social groups provide context for the development of a social self
Charles Cooley: The Looking Glass Self
How individuals develop sense of self based on others’ evaluations of them
1. We imagine how we appear to others
2. We imagine their evaluations of us
3. We develop self feelings based on what we think others think
There is no “self” without others to reflect back to us
Erving Goffman: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Dramaturgy
Uses the metaphor of the theater to describe social interaction and self
The self as a sum of different roles we play in everyday life
Elements of dramaturgy
Roles, audiences, costumes, props, front stage, backstage, performances
Strategic use of impression management
Efforts to shape how others see us
In-Class Exercise: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Social Networks and the Spread of Fashion and Fads
Social networks
Individuals connected through a variety of relationships
Dyad consists of two people
Triad consists of three people—more complicated, possible “3rd Wheel”
Hierarchies and asymmetry
Sociologists look at strength or weakness of ties between group members
Based on time spent together, emotional intensity, intimacy
Someone “well connected” has a large number of networks and ties
Mark Granovetter: “The Strength of Weak Ties”
What kind of connections matter most in job hunting?
Weak ties have immense practical value
People to whom you have strongest personal ties are alike
Personal networks and peer groups are insular and homogenous
Weaker ties to people you have less in common with
These connections serve as a bridge spanning different networks
Social networks circulate knowledge and taste in popular culture
How trends, fads and fashions become popular
Examples of current trends?
Conduits for change are at edges of social networks
Positioned to bridge social gaps separating groups
Martin Gladwell: “The Tipping Point”
Connectors are people who bridge a large number of discrete networks
Know many total number and many different kinds of people
Example of youthful characters from films: “Ferris Bueller” and “Dazed and Confused”
Cultural Diffusion and Word-of-Mouth Communication
The processes of interaction that facilitate diffusion
Through peer groups and social circles
Word of mouth communication
Helps fads and fashions spread and become popular
67% of sales of consumer goods based on word of mouth
Digital age provides more forums for reviews and recommendations
How word of mouth or "buzz" works in movies
Example of "sleeper" hits at box office
Office Space, Blair Witch Project, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Napolean Dynamite
Measured by:
Volume--the total number of conversations in which it is addressed
Intensity--the enthusiasm expressed in conversations
Dispersal--the number of social networks or communities in the conversation
Duration--the amount of time the conversation lasts
Movies that generate a lot of buzz do well
Regardless of the content (positive or negative) of the buzz
Opinion leaders
Tend to be experts in a particular field (related to an occupation or full-time hobby)
They draw on deep familiarity and involvement with products
Make recommendations to peers
Early adopters
First person in a social network to try new product--"consumer pioneers"
Leading by example
Passive influence through conspicuous consumption
Introduce new trends, fads or fashions to onlookers and bystanders
Market mavens
Vast knowledge about many different kinds of products
Obsessive quest for information from variety of sources
Strong desire to share their expertise
May have greater impact on consumer tastes and decisions
Collective Consumption in Subcultures, Scenes, and Social Organizations
The dynamics of consuming popular culture in the context of social interaction
Collective consumption
Subculture
A social world that stands apart from the larger society in distinctively patterned way
Members invest in alternative identities, systems of belief and practices
Examples of Amish, other religious sects
Subcultures that appropriate materials from popular culture
Can include clothes, music, dance, sports
Distinguish themselves from other consumers through symbol and style
Subcultures have been at the forefront of cultural reinvention
Collective consumption of mass-produced and underground or alternative media
1960s --"The counterculture" or hippies
1990s--rave kids
Scenes
The actual places where subcultures experience shared identity through social interaction
Organized according to spatial configuration
Local scenes are centralized in a single venue
Such as coffeehouses, clubs/bars, honky-tonks, urban street corners
Provides space for public performance and exposes consumers to current trends
Translocal scenes
Cross-national, global diffusion of fashions and lifestyles
Virtual scenes
Online, Internet-based
"Synthetic world" of Second Life or World of Warcraft (WOW)
Subcultures and scenes are formalized into social organizations
Provide stable interaction surrounding collective consumption of popular culture
Popular groups include: book clubs, card-playing (poker)
Conventions where fans and creators gather
Example of Comic-Con (sci-fi); "Trekkers" ("Trekkies")
Competitive gaming events
Example of World Series of Poker, Scrabble tournaments
Video: "Second Skin"
The Blurry Boundary Between Marketing and Reality
Marketing of media and popular culture relies heavily on social networks and buzz
Stealth marketing
Promotion of products at sporting events, product placement in background
Reality marketing
Recruit people to promote brands in the real world
Confusing the difference between marking and reality
KEY TERMS
Social interaction
Ethnographies
Peer groups
Socialization
Social self
The Looking Glass Self
The Presentation of Self
Dramaturgy
Impression management
Social networks
Dyads
Triads
Connectors
Word of mouth (or "buzz")
Opinion leaders
Early adopters
Passive influence
Conspicuous consumption
Market mavens
Subculture
Scenes
Local scenes
Translocal scenes
Virtual scenes
Social organizations
Stealth marketing
Reality marketing