The Globalization of Culture

A. WHAT IS POP CULTURE? 1.products or activities that have mass appeal and wide accessibility 2. sometimes characterized as 'low culture' and seen as the opposite of 'high culture' (e.g. opera; ballet; fine art) 3. the vernacular (or people's) culture that prevails in an industrial society 4. “youth culture”

Folk culture– self-sufficient, isolated, long-standing traditional customs, change slowly, promoted by isolation Popular culture– nontraditional heterogeneous ideas & practices of urban industrial societies, rapidly changing through technology, usually promoted by big corporations

B. POP CULTURE FORMS  popular music (rock, pop, hip-hop, disco)  fashion  television (reality TV, game shows, sitcoms, soap operas)  movies  advertisements  magazines & comics  sports  fast food  cyber culture (Facebook; Instagram)

C. WHAT GETS DIFFUSED?  only some ideas & products successfully “travel” from one society to another. WHY?  individual tastes & preferences of societies vary (cultural issues such as religion)  state control & censorship  only some ideas are profitable to those who market & repackage them  demographics: youth more receptive to new ideas

Examples of diffusion: –Popular clothing: Jeans- became popular in 1960’s & became a status symbol in former USSR - $400 (on black market) –Popular foods: alcohol, snacks, fast food

Pop Culture Variations: Dr. Pepper… more popular in the South Cheez Whiz… more popular in Puerto Rico Snack nuts?

Sports: Hierarchical Diffusion Sports show how pop culture is diffused Many sports originated as folk customs

Popular Sports by Region in U.S. Highest bowling membership…

Most Frequently Ranked Sports: 1) Football (soccer): billion fans 2) Cricket: 2-3 billion fans 3) Field hockey: billion fans 4) Tennis: Around 1 billion fans 5) Volleyball: Around 900 million fans 6) Table tennis: Around 900 million fans 7) Baseball: Around 500 million fans 8) Golf: Around 400 million fans 9) American football: million fans 10) Basketball: 400 million fans

Poor neighborhood in Skopje, Macedonia. Notice the Nike “swoosh”…

Folk Culture Origin of Soccer Early soccer games resembled mob scenes… In the twelfth century the rules became standardized. Because soccer disrupted village life, King Henry II banned the game from England in the 12 th -century. It was not legalized again until 1603 by King James I.

Globalization of Soccer The transformation to global pop culture began in the 1800’s. Increasing leisure time permitted people to view sporting events & to participate in them. British citizens further diffused the game throughout the Empire. Further diffused by radio and television.

Cricket is popular primarily in Britain and former British colonies. Ice hockey prevails, logically, in colder climates. The most popular sports in China are martial arts, known as wushu, including archery, fencing, wrestling, and boxing.

Lacrosse as a Popular Sport Lacrosse played among the Iroquois Confederation of Six Nations. –In recent years, the International Lacrosse Federation has invited the Iroquois nation to participate in the Lacrosse World Championships.

D. “Problems” w/ Pop Culture: –Threat to folk culture: loss of traditional values & customs –changing role of women & men –Environmental impacts: creation of uniform landscapes (buildings, restaurants) –increased demand for natural resources

Golf Courses in Metropolitan Areas The 50 best-served and worst-served metropolitan areas in terms of golf holes per capita, and areas that are above and below average.

E. Origin of Popular Music In contrast to folk music, popular music is for the purpose of being sold to a large number of people

A Mental Map of Hip Hop This mental map places major hip hop performers near other similar performers and in the portion of the country where they performed.

Tin Pan Alley & Popular Music Writers and publishers of popular music were clustered in Tin Pan Alley in New York City in the early twentieth century. The area later moved north from 28th Street to Times Square.

McDonald’s – Good or Bad? –Restaurants spread over 6 continents: uniform appearance (logo is easily recognizable) –Reflects traditional tastes in different countries: beer in Germany, goat cheese sandwiches in France, and lambburgers in India

Sushi: California Roll

F. Placelessness: Anywhere USA 1.Without the sign, we would not know a location 2.Not “distinctive”; a sense of sameness or… placelessness

The complex in the picture is in suburban Columbus, Ohio otherwise known as “Test Market USA.” Columbus offers a representative cross section of American society… Most fast food menus are tested here.

Wendy’s in Idaho

Pampas Grill in Finland

G. WHO BENEFITS? 1.industries that disseminate cultural material 2.consumers (or those who have $) 3.fashion leaders who influence pop tastes 4.Music executives

Internet Connections

Folk v. Pop Culture At least 8 characteristics (could include 3 examples) At least 5 similarities Must use at least 5 of vocabulary words