Pop Culture or Synth Culture

Media, a broad range of modern communication methods, is able to reach, or influence people widely, therefore having a great influence over people’s opinions. One aspect of media includes the perception and authority it holds, especially regarding how it is depicted and conveyed.

This calls upon the topic of pop culture, a critical aspect of media, as it is a mere representation of it. When considering the pop culture of western societies, the most prominent features that comes into play is television and reality TV. In fact, reality TV, a genre of television that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic and humorous incidents is considered a crucial aspect of pop culture. Since the invention of the television, it has become an ever-growing pass time of people, often resulting in these people becoming personally involved with characters and events. This can have various outcomes, due to the type of message TV conveys and the methods through which they do this. For instance, the representation of gender roles, racial stereotypes, ethical biases, and the dramatic ‘flair’ of reality TV all contribute to this form of entertainment. Instead of shunning people away, more people are drawn to this type of pop culture. This unequivocally demonstrates how messages in media can be representations of the real world. These taboo things, so to say, such as discrimination and stereotypes, are generally prominent among people, and media discovers a way to exploit people’s insecurities and represent them in a comical manner, thereby spreading its influence over society.

Furthermore, the concept of generation like, expounded by the overwhelming amounts of social media apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter has created a superficial society, in which the corperations controlling these websites can watch our every online move and characterize our personality ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’. The shrewd advertising techniques draw in our attention and entrap us making us prey to the vicious messages constructed by social media personnels. These messages then have negative outcomes on individuals, in which individuals associate qualities of their culture with the ‘likes’ of these public figures.

Consequently, the pop culture found within societies is not an actual representation of the values of people. It has changed over time, becoming a synthetic product, orchestrated by corporations and business entities. The hidden messages established within pop culture has slowly shifted into what is now called synth culture, where the young generations are being force fed these controversial ideas. It is then best to be aware of the techniques utilized to persuade us, as it is usually invisible to the audience.