Essay Example Exploring Impacts of Pop Culture on the Youth

Pop Culture is the shortened version of the word popular culture is a vernacular shared among a certain specific crowd in the society. As the name states, this encompasses the 'culture of the people' and is determined by the interactions between people and their daily routines. These routines may include the language: slang, dressings and also food. Pop Culture is widely transmitted through the mass media and social sites, with the youth being the most targeted percentage in the existing population. "Different forms of popular culture come from various genres in life, such as songs or music, sports, cybercultures, advertising, fads and also television" (Duff).

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The existence of Pop Culture in various societies is largely influencing their way of life; in this case the youth. Since many young adults in society are consuming it, it is bound to have its effects. Young adults make up a large portion of the current societies and are always the most vulnerable group. They can easily be influenced or swayed to take up certain traits. This is due to their exposure to various Pop Cultures and psyche to emulate the traits brought up by the culture. The arguments of it influence however vary depending on the position taken up by the persona, some might view it as a negative trait in the society while others may see the positives it has brought in the society. One true insight, however, is that it has both negatively and positively affected the society or individual in one way or another. This may either be directly or indirectly.

Positive influences of Pop Culture among the youth

Pop Culture has greatly improved the interactions and relations among youths. Sharing of similar popularity cultures has created a platform for interactions with among the youths spanning vast boundaries. Through the sharing of cultures, practices will intertwine, and thus people will meet through sharing of this. Such creates a platform for bonding and talk. Social sites are also playing crucial roles in maintaining these relations and communications among these individuals. The youth have embraced technology and thus interact over the social media to promote the popularity know how. Interactions in the sites encourage bonding over their mutual activities and amongst themselves. Cultural events that are being helped across help to bring youths from different backgrounds, different races and also different ethnic backgrounds. These are all unifying deeds that play a role in bringing together youths. Sharing information or 'mutual' preferences are also significant in the aspect of creating unity.

Unity among these youth groups has greatly improved, and longer lasting bonds created. Exposure of the youth to various sports, music, and adverts impart ideas that embrace a sense of unity. Sampling the various musical lyrics shared by the youth, most have a significantly same message; this increases the understanding and also the actions taken up by the young generations (Fiske). The various concerts held by the artists can bring together millions of youths globally, and this is a platform for interactions. A look at the case of 'tomorrow land' that brings together thousands of youths together in one place to enjoy Pop Culture. These forms of interactive sessions are vital in promoting unity among the youth since they are given a platform to interact amongst themselves.

Pop Culture has also significantly boosted the passing of information and gained intelligence of the youths. Exposures of various young adults to the diverse Pop Cultures have helped in the passing of information and also sharing. Various Pop Cultures adopt different angles in their contexts; these may range from music lyrics to the various media cultures taken up by young individuals. Through these many are exposed to newer environments and in turn acquire new information. The information may be useful or helpful in their development of life skills or even decision-making skills. Life skills adopted help in shaping the lives of these youths and also be able to determine what is bad or what is deemed right in society. It has also been noted that various cultures carry different information and ideas regarding the daily lives of these youth ("Impact Of Pop Culture On Society - The News Well - Medium"). Through exposure to these Pop Cultures; either directly or indirectly, these young people can receive better information and also be able to increase their levels of intelligence through the acquisition of new knowledge. Such knowledge is useful in their daily life goings, and also they will be informed of more modern things as their lives progress.

These Pop Cultures are also the leading player in determining life choices and also decision-making skills for these young adults. Fully living according to the way these Pop Cultures dictate will lead to the adoption of the cultures' traits. Living accordingly and in parallel to the culture will interfere with the decision-making skills, and thus they will go with the ways the culture dictates. The norms of the Pop Culture will greatly influence factors such as dressing codes, and one will significantly leave behind the kind of dressing they were used to before the Pop Culture. Through this positive interference of decisions, the youth can adopt better decisions that will bring about the positives in their lives. Factors such as the food taken and other mundane things are also positively influenced. The media tends to be the foremost player in extending the reach of Pop Culture. Through this many are easily reached and get tapped into these cultures. Overhyping these cultures will help the particular youth to be able to make the proper decision and receive the best services and goods. If a particular young individual were not receiving the best bargain for his or her money, the Pop Culture would help dictate them to the better products and services that are better off regarding returns, unlike the previous ones.

Pop Culture also is crucial in the growth of various businesses. The young adults who adopt different types of Pop Culture will in some cases need the proper costumes, dressings and many other things. Acquisition of these regalia will boost multiple businesses and also the growth of these businesses. Themed businesses such as cafes and restaurants have sprouted up thanks to the high percentage of young people embracing these Pop Cultures. In India, notably there is an 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' themed restaurant whereas currently Starbuck has adopted the use of Harry Potter themed drinks to incorporate more young individuals in their businesses. Many blends of cocktails and craft drinks are being created based on the food preferences of different characters and or the characters themselves.

Pop Culture is also being used as a form of protest and creating awareness in various life steps affecting individuals in society. The current generations have proven to be more accepting, susceptible to change and their confidence gives them the voices with regards to the social injustices and impunities in society. The signs that are associated with these Pop Cultures are being used by these youths to air their grievances and to create awareness in their societies. They have used it as a tool for propagating dissent, airing their opinions and even using it as a tool for bringing into various light oppressions they may have faced or are being faced. Embracing these cultures also help in nurturing confidences to tackle any global epidemics. Marathons are being organized globally to aid in creating awareness of various diseases plaguing the communities. "Cancer awareness weeks are also being put to light to show the world that the young adults are with them in the fight to eradicate such anomalies in the world," ("Positive And Negative Contributions To Popular Culture From"). It acts as a unifying factor.

Negative influences of Pop Culture among the youth

Pop Culture has infiltrated the society and with it asserted its traits. These traits, however, have come with a cost and the youth along with the whole community is feeling its effects. One major flaw that has been experienced thanks to Pop Culture is the deterioration of the cultures in diverse societies. Through the acceptance and embrace of the norms of these Pop Cultures, many young adults have lost touch with their first lives. Adoption of newer living characteristics and characters are slowly eliminating the existing older norms. The youths are embracing more modern tradition and slowly losing originality. Cases of immorality are now more visible among the youth in the quest to seek a position among other youths, and their modes of dressings have been altered to go along with the ever-changing Pop Culture traits.

Moral decays in the society will affect the daily performance in the society and also the lives of the members of the society. Cults are sprouting up globally like the case of Gaza in Jamaica which is a crime syndicate that was created thanks to a widely known artist 'Adidja Azim Palmer' better known as 'Vybz Kartel.' As the youth take up these traits, they also take up all the negative ones, and in this case, these youths have become dangerous people in society and made the society inhabitable. Rising crimes and deaths have instilled fear in the communities, and these youths become rebellious members of the society (Mahiri). These youths also will lead to family separations and breakage thanks to their opinions. The families will try hard to cope with their lives and end sinking even deeper into the mire of these Pop Cultures and in return, the families' will get destroyed. Pop Cultures are also a source of the wicked ways which the youth adopt.

These Pop Cultures are also slowly killing the young adults who fail to fit into the system being adopted. Social skills may be hard n articular individuals and thus may find it hard to go with specific cultures. This difference is slowly being exploited by the larger percentage that has embraced the culture and has become a subject of ridicule and mimicry. These young and socially unfit individuals may end up suffering more than it can be seen. Bullying and psychological tortures end up pushing them to the brim of suicide just because they did not fit ("The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Popular Culture - By Lucy Adams").

The youths are a vulnerable group in the society and will be easily influenced to any arising culture as they seek to attain a position among themselves. These youth end up adopting behaviors that exude bad behaviors as opposed to their previous lives. As these youths grow, their life decisions are affected and thus will not be able to make decisions that are important in their lives. Inability to make good choices only go a distance in making them more vulnerable in the society and less fit for existence in certain environments.

Pop Cultures are ruining the businesses of these young adults as each day goes by. These cultures have always proven that they do not last and keep changing with the times and trends. This inability to hold on for long is ruining various businesses since they cannot keep up with change. Failure to switch to the current Pop Cultures leave many young businesses at losses, and sometimes they end up being closed. Young individuals who have adopted a particular genre of Pop Culture will go along with the trend in mass, "and this is negative in the essence that they will possess that group mentality" ("The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Popular Culture - By Lucy Adams"). This syndrome of group mentality means that one cannot make or implement certain decisions by themselves and require the decision of the whole group. Such is the basis of overdependence and also inability to survive alone.