How Pop Culture Affects Teens Essay

Popular culture is all around us and it influences many teens across the world. Teenagers are affected by pop culture in almost every aspect of life whether it is music, media, celebrities, fashion, and even literature. These kinds of things have become top priority for teenagers of today’s world. They have surrounded themselves by it and have grown to love, even worship pop culture. Our main objective is to raise awareness to the significance of popular culture in comparison to the cultures of the world. â€Å"Popular Culture is the new Babylon, into which so much art and intellect now flow, it is our Imperial Theater, Supreme Temple of the Western Eye. We live in the age of idols. The pagan past, never dead, flames again in our mystic hierarchies of stardom.† Parental angst about teenagers’ musical preferences is as old as popular culture itself. Ever since Elvis first swiveled his hips for 1950s TV audiences, consensus has zigzagged sharply on how strongly music impacts its teen listeners. Critics see desensitization toward violence as one major consequence of long-term exposure to music with antisocial themes, while defenders of popular culture simply view it as one more signpost in the era of teen rebellion. Popular culture’s influence on teens? It is a known concept that younger teens can be easily influenced. There are several studies that have been done that show the fact that the younger the age, the more likely the person is to follow a crowd. Peer pressure plays a huge role in this also, but the fact is that during the early teen years, one is more likely to pick a role model based on who is considered popular by a majority. The thing is, that may not always be the best thing. This is why there have been several efforts made to regulate the content in popular culture that is reachable to younger children. This includes putting warning labels on CDs, having ratings on television shows, and requiring ID in order to view certain movies. Even though parents and political figures have made several efforts, it may not be enough. Who is really to blame? Is it right to blame the celebrities whose sole purpose is to entertain us? In my opinion, popular culture has had an influence on teens. And depending on the day it is, the influence may not be a good one. Even though I do not feel music or movies should be to blame for the troubles that teenagers have gotten into, there are some teens who feel the need to follow whatever trends that are shown in popular culture, whether it is positive or negative. It is the responsibility of the public figures who are involved in these forms of entertainment to try and be a positive influence. But the one thing that we all must keep in mind is that celebrities are people too and are bound to make mistakes. Teenagers are the group most strongly influenced by popular culture (more commonly called pop culture). What exactly is popular culture? According to Wikipedia English: â€Å"Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred through an informal consensus within the mainstream of any given society.† Thesaurus.com refers to pop culture as a â€Å"modern way of living.† Effects on teens Not only are teens strongly influenced by pop culture but it affects them on many levels. It affects them cognitively (how they think), emotionally (how they feel) and behaviorally (what they do). The last decade has seen exponential growth in the media – with the advent of the internet, mass media has almost been overtaken by social media. The teens have latched onto social media with intensity and this has had both negative and positive effects. Conclusion The relationship between teens, pop culture and the media (mass and social) is deeply symbiotic – and here to stay. The teens of today have grown up with mobile phones and internet access, information always at their finger-tips. Popular culture continues to affect teens in both positive and negative ways. On the other hand, teens also affect pop culture. The sophisticated teen of today is the creator and innovator of the future. Today I am going to talk about the topic: è ¯ Ã© ¢Ëœ Firstly, I’ll present the causes of pop culture. Next, I’ll give the consequences of this trend. Finally,I’ll sum up the conclusion in the short sentences.