The Dichotomy in Pop Culture!

It’s rare you’ll ever see someone speak on the benefits of Pop Culture, yet Steve Johnson (writer of the article “Watching TV Makes You Smarter) highlights the positive effects it has this new generation. The author highlights that in order to watch Television in this day in age, we have to have a certain level of intelligence to be able to understand the pacing of the show and the complexity due to multiple plots. The word choice Johnson uses indicate that it is more than just a matter of focus. At some point, the author describes a show and uses the word ”analytical” (Johnson, 2005, pg. 285) to explain the relief of analytical work the viewer should do if the characters give additional information. Thus suggesting that some of the work viewers do is indeed analytical which states they are being logical. The fact that television has enhanced its plot, Johnson’s said “It’s the willingness to immerse the audience in information that most viewers won’t understand” in addition. Meaning that viewers are more inclined to accept information that may have been too complicated beforehand (compared to years ago). If this were not the case, it could be argued that this information is useless and should be removed. TV watchers end up applying the analytical skills they have developed into this exact scenario in order to retain the necessary clues. Even if it is information that seems irrelevant, the fact that we try to keep up and accept it only adheres to the fact television does indeed make us smarter because we have gained skills that demonstrate improved reasoning and memory processes. Since Television has become more complex, Johnson stated (2005) that there was a ‘Tremendous financial pressure” to enrich the plot of a show. Said phrase may appear to have no meaning to it besides how expensive production may be but it is the complete opposite. If viewers were not developing within their taste of plots, the cost of producing a show would remain the same and the demand would decrease. Since we have a stronger sense of focus than previous generations when it comes to following plot, this statement only recognizes that the expenses have increased because simplistic story-lines do not please audiences today.

With this word choice and circumstances that indicated more viewership, we can see that the benefits are not limited to just entertainment but also apply to an inquisitive consumer. Therefore, the consensus that television that watching T.V. was an unhealthy habit that had to be cured is just a matter of opinion. It is reasonable to state that some shows only focus on entertainment with storytelling that seem quite elementary, it is all based on the choice of the consumer. Most working class people have no time to lounge, it is truly something that is associated with character rather than having a direct correlation to pop culture itself. There is more benefit within pop culture that have allowed users to expand their horizons. In the article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, Gladwell stated (2010) “the internet let’s us exploit the power of these kinds of distant connections with marvelous efficiency”. The article itself argues against some aspects of pop culture, but in this particular line, the writer only exposes why it is such a grandiose source. We can use it to obtain as much information and data as we’d like in second; The accessibility only promotes pop culture users to join the bandwagon of people who do participate in educating themselves. The rebuttal that pop culture may feed people false information could also come into play but before pop culture, people were often fed propaganda and were unable to verify sources - something that is available and popular now.

Overall, there is good and bad in pop culture yet it all depends on how the user chooses to approach it. Regardless of character, the information is always present and it has become a trend to use the internet for expression, looking at perspectives, and exploring different sources. It is almost impossible to bash pop culture because of the diversity it promotes when compared to pop culture back then. Now, the advocacy for inclusion and representation has increased and consumer demand has become the focus, rather than pop culture that only focuses on the majority. Taking everything into account, I find it important to understand that the benefits of pop culture are only progressing and definitely outweighs the negative aspects.