pop culture theories

1. Pop Culture
How do the different sociological
perspectives view pop culture?
 Recall the difference
between high culture and popular culture
 High culture - consists of classical music, opera, ballet, live
theatre and other activities usually patronized by elite
audiences, composed primarily of members of the upper
middle and upper classes (who have the time, money and
knowledge assumed to be necessary for its appreciation)
 Pop culture – consists of activities, products and services
that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of the
middle and working classes

2. Pop Culture
How do the different sociological
perspectives view pop culture?
 Most sociological examinations of pop culture focus on the link
between culture and social class
 French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu held a theory called the
cultural capital theory
 This theory views high culture as a device used by the
dominant class to exclude the lower classes
 According to Bourdieu, people must be trained to appreciate
and understand high culture. People in the upper and
upper-middle classes learn about high culture through
higher education, and thus acquire a form of cultural
capital. People in lower classes cannot obtain this cultural
capital, so they are denied access to the dominant class.

3. Pop Culture
How do the different sociological
perspectives view pop culture?
 Functionalist theorists suggest that popular culture may be
the most widely shared aspect of culture - the "glue" that holds
society together. They suggest that it helps people temporarily
to forget their problems (e.g., Walt Disney World).
 Popular culture also has dysfunctions
 it may undermine core cultural values rather than reinforce them
(e.g., talk shows on radio and television).

4. Pop Culture
How do the different sociological
perspectives view pop culture?
 Conflict theorists note that corporations create popular culture in the
same way that any other product or service is produced. Popular
culture has been turned into a commodity – objects outside ourselves
that we purchase to satisfy our human needs or wants.
 The relationship between race, gender, and popular culture is
intertwined. In any given culture, race and gender inequalities are
often reflected in pop culture and, conversely, pop culture promotes or
perpetuates these inequalities.
 According to conflict theorists, distinctions between high and popular
culture may be exaggerated; items of popular culture may come to be
designated as high culture and vice versa.