Popular today, passé tomorrow.

For this week's blog, I will be doing my own deconstruction of Stuart Hall's "Notes on Deconstructing 'the Popular'". One of the main arguments presented in this article is that defining what is "popular" is becoming increasingly more difficult as it is constantly changing. The idea is put fourth that what is considered to be popular is ultimately dependent on the context and time period. We see this today with the constant reconstruction and upgrading of technology. A present day example of this would be the fact that person can buy an iPhone 4, however it is fairly well known the device will only be replaced by the "new and improved" iPhone 5 mere months from now.

Stuart Hall (1981) elaborates on this phenomena stating "'Cultural change' is a polite euphemism for the process by which some cultural forms and practices are driven out of the center of popular life, actively marginalized... things are actively pushed aside, so that something else can take their place" (p. 72). This is seen through all aspects of culture today; there is clearly nothing wrong with previous generations of iPhones, however they are pushed aside in order for supposed new, improved and more esthetically pleasing products to be released. Hall goes onto explain that the cultural industries do in fact have the ability to reshape what they represent. Through repetition and selection they are able to impose these definitions of ourselves to "fit" into the description of the dominant or preferred culture (p. 75). This is the contradiction we see of the popular forces versus the power bloc. The people in positions of power dictate what is "popular" and impose their opinions on the dominated class for profit, dominance and control. So it really is true that what is popular today is passé tomorrow.

Hall, S. (1981) Notes on Deconstructing the Popular. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011) Culture Theory: An Anthology  (p. 72-80). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell

Pop culture may seem like an easy enough concept to understand as it is such a huge part of our daily lives. However, the term encompasses much more than the familiar, first come to mind definition that we often associate it with. Susie O'Brien defines popular culture by stating "the most familiar use of the term identifies it with the entertainment produced through and by commercial media (television, film, the music industry etc.) that have economic and technological capacity to reach large, demographically diverse and geographically dispersed audiences". These audiences are then measured to determine popularity and patterns of consumption. What we consume isn't simply the things we buy but also the shows we watch, the music we listen to and so fourth.

This is a highly condensed, Reader's Digest version of what popular culture is, but for my first blog I will be focusing on what critics refer to as mass culture. Mass culture is produced for an unknown, varied population dependent on electronic media to convey its message to the largest audience possible to create the most profit.

I recently watched Dr. Dre's newest video "I Need A Doctor" featuring Eminem on YouTube, since television programs such as MTV and Much Music ironically rarely play music anymore. I found the video to be interesting, sort of a montage to Dr. Dre's past work, however I found it hard to get past the blatant product placement throughout the video. I questioned at times if I was really watching a rap video or a commercial for Ferrari, Reebok running shoes or Gatorade's newest drink G2.

This is a prime example of production for profit. Not only is Dr. Dre's music being sold here but also various other products are being advertised. Rap music emerged as a form of self expression for young African Americans dealing with inequality and exploitation. Today we see Rap music and hip-hop culture becoming more and more commodified. The marketing of rap, through mass production and media, have expanded the definition and audience of rap music (e.g. presently middle-class white youth are a growing audience of rap and hip hop) . This has resulted in rap no longer speaking out about issues that affect African American's in today's society, but simply covers superficial, irrelevant topics (i.e. money, cars, attractive women) to an auto-tuned beat.