Introduction
Popular culture refers to the collectivity of beliefs, attitudes, practices, and other phenomena that are adopted by man depending on his ability to learn and transmit knowledge to the next generations. They are agreed upon informally by the practicing group, and it’s highly influenced by the external surrounding. The popular culture among American society takes the form of music, films, advertising, magazines, and television, among others.
The mass media has greatly influenced the way of life in the modern world. In our day to day life, we are constantly being bombarded with a lot of information through the mass media, and we have to make decisions depending on that information which in turn influences our way of life.
Print media affect our lives on many levels, in generating ideas, shaping our opinions, influencing our emotions, and the way we behave. This has further intensified due to increased time devoted to the mass media as well as a rapid change in information technologies that allow the distribution of information to larger audiences.
The current print media is a transformational agent to social and economic changes in the world. It is a form of communication through paper, billboards, magazines, newspapers, fliers, etc. It has both negatively and positively affected human perception towards culture. The views depicted in these magazines often influence people’s reactions to various issues that they address.
This has resulted in the development of popular culture in America. Americans tend to identify themselves with the idols found in the magazines and other print media and aim at achieving a lifestyle close to the one displayed by these people. This has changed the cultural orientations of the Americans towards the new lifestyles that are characterized by popular culture.
Popular American culture embraces the print media, which has transformed the advertising industry and promoted consumerism. It does this by influencing people’s perception towards a product hence determining their consumption of the same. The print media tend to promote analytical thinking. That’s why in the nineteenth century, when people relied largely on books and newspapers as their source of information, they displayed a highly rational approach to political issues (Cogan & Kelso, 2009).
Trends Propagated by the Print Media
The print media sets the aesthetics standards among American society. Fashion magazines have been the popular determinants of fashion trends in America. They have influenced people’s attitude towards modes of dressing by repeatedly promoting certain modes of dressing over others. The magazines display the intended fashion trend targeting the potential consumers who in turn, make their decision to adopt it depending on their attitude and perception towards them.
The print media extensively research on consumer behavior and promote products accordingly. They achieve this by displaying them in male and female models that meet the American society acceptable standards body types. Since these model sizes are desirable among the Americans, they promote sales. However, the print media has occasionally misrepresented the consumer products making it appear perfect to the consumer while it has hidden side effects.
This has disappointed consumers and often led to the loss of self-esteem as people consume the goods with the hope of achieving satisfaction as presented by magazines. Some companies have been sued following misrepresentation of their products in the print media and have consequently paid heavy damages to the consumers.
The print media has also influenced the political orientations of the Americans. Through the news papers, information is constantly printed out concerning the prevailing political conditions. When people read the news papers articles on issues relating to politics, they make a decision depending on how the issue or the political leader is presented in the media.
The print media has also been charged responsible for creating gender and sexuality norms, which include maleness, femaleness, and homosexuality (Nyoz, 2008). The recent emergence of homosexuality is evidenced in how the print media has promoted gender insubordination. Some of the print media display conflicting lines of intimate relationships hence portraying sexuality in these ways. Print media also influences the changing trends in how sexuality is portrayed in society.
Print media also sways the American population by setting a status quo where men are generally viewed as an acceptable member of the society than women. For women, for example, in athletics, media focuses more on their attractiveness and femaleness other than what is marketable. Print media displays trivialized presentation and marginalized status of women in the media (Nyoz, 2008).
Conclusion
The print media raises questions on issues of consumerism and freedom of choice. Print media greatly inhibits consumer freedom since they unconsciously influence people’s decisions, depending on what they read. The American population is constantly falling victim of consumerism and following blindly the mainstream culture.
Every individual, therefore, should critically think before making a decision, analyze whether it brings justice to self and if it makes them feel complete as human beings (Nyoz, 2008). This will help people to overcome blind homogeneity, which makes them accept things just by their face value.
Reference List
Cogan, B. & Kelso, T. (2009). Encyclopedia of politics, the media and popular culture. California: ABC-CLIO.
Nyoz, V. (2008). Popular culture and print media. Web.