Definition of Popular Culture

Popular Culture
Before talking about popular culture I would like to talk about the word culture. It is probably one of the most complex words of the English language, having many different meanings defined by different people. One of many possible definitions of popular culture is that it is “a general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development”. The development of great artists, great poets and great philosophers is an embodiment of this definition. Another possible and much more relevant definition is that “culture is a particular way of life, wether of a people, a period or a group”. This particular definition relates to the development of recreational things such as literacy, holidays, sport and religious festivals. Thinking in this way about culture strongly relates to ideological studies, because ideology refers to a methodical collection of ideas by an individual sect of people.
Popular Culture (Dictionary definition): cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people. Popular culture is an accumulation of cultural products such as TV, Music, smart phones and internet. These things become pop culture due to their popularity among working class and some upper class people. It was a phrase mad in the 19th century, perhaps earlier. It used to define the culture of lower-class citizens. Official culture was also used to define the educated middle and upper class culture. In the 1950s the popular was replaced by ‘pop’ as in pop music. I believe that now the term popular culture is considered ‘mass culture’ encompassing the majority of the population and no longer defined by class, be it lower, middle, or upper class.
Things that are pop culture are considered mainstream, and there are people who tend to want to avoid becoming ‘mainstream’, making their own league of pop culture in the process.
Some claim products of pop culture are made by elitists to suffer consumerism upon the majority of the population, and dull their minds, making normal people passive and easy to control. Another claim is that pop culture is the opposite, a thing that is a carry for rebellion against the beliefs of prevalent social groups. Popular culture in our history has always shown the current beliefs and ideals of people of the current generation, resembling what the majority of a population agreed with and participated in. for example the culture of rock ‘n’ roll has always brought out the rowdy, rebellious side of people during the time it came into being and many years after that, creating a concurrent ripple throughout the worlds other cultures and beliefs. Pop culture really reflects society’s values and beliefs, pouring our thoughts and imaginings into music, movies, art and other forms of popular culture. Creations of movies, shows and games, for example Blade Runner or League of Legends™, could be reflections of what peoples thoughts are, though not directly relating to the content of it, but the theme of it.