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Introduction to Popular American Culture

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Introduction to Popular American Culture
Popular American Culture
University of Phoenix
Soc/105 Introduction to Popular American Culture
MU10ELC07
Ernest Hernandez Ph.D.
August 3, 2010

Popular American Culture
American pop culture is an every day part of life. Society dictates how people need to be to be accepted by others. American pop culture dictates who we are, it is our attitudes habits and actions; it is generations of handed down customs and practices (Wilson, 2001).
Popular Culture Inventory
The mass circulation of items from areas such as dining, fashion, sports, film, music, health, beauty, and entertainment has a major impact on many American families. Pop culture artifacts from these categories used daily influence our actions. In a recent collection of items and observation of diverse advertisements, I investigate what it is about advertisements that drive us to items of desire. I-HOP and Carl’s Jr. are famous dining establishments that offer values of convenience and pleasure. Food is an essential part of life. Dining out allows people to take a break from their busy work schedule and relish a night out with worry of cooking or cleaning. Victoria Secrets and Cover Girl are beauty trends. Beauty trends permit women to feel special, and this is a perpetual American obsession. P90X, Nutrisystem, and Fiber One cereal are health trends but have the same effect as beauty trends. Again, health and beauty is a significant part of American life and these products allow people to improve themselves by aiding in the process. Entertainment trends are the most prevent trends in America. Americans work hard to play hard. Chargers football, Angel’s baseball, Disneyland, Budweiser, Wii video game console, Transformers, and Spongebob are all social and entertainment trends. These trends enable people to bask and alleviate the tensions of everyday work life. These given example are just a small fraction of today’s popular culture all too common for the average person to notice. Trends


References: Media Awareness Network. (2010). How marketers target kids. July 30, 2010. www.media-awareness.ca Nixon, J. (2010). Popular culture’s influence on children’s identity. July 29, 2010. www.associatedcontent.com Wilson, J., & Wilson, S. (2001). Mass media / mass culture. The McGraw-Hill Companies. ●●● ●●● Advertisements
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