Boost Your Pop Culture Knowledge
Keep up with popular movies, tv shows, and music. Study award winners, record-breaking albums and notable collaborations.
Group conversations often veer into discussing pop culture. Eyes brighten, hands wildly gesture and opinions are shared about anything from a new Netflix original to the latest Marvel superhero. All of this reveals that we have a desire to learn and absorb new information.
Listen to Your Favorite Music
Pop culture includes music artists, TV shows, movies, fashion trends and even app-gaming. It also encompasses current events, memes and sports icons.
Unlike traditional cultures, which only exist in specific geographic areas, popular culture is global. It is often shaped by urbanization, industrialization and the development of technology since the late 1700s.
One of the best ways to become familiar with pop culture is by listening to your favorite music and watching television shows and movies that you enjoy. This will help you understand the themes and characters that are prevalent in these types of entertainment.
Another way to gain an understanding of pop culture is by talking with older friends, family members or colleagues. Ask them what their favorite music formats were, like 8-tracks and cassettes, before digital streaming took over the world. You can also ask them about their favorite comic books or movies from the past. You might be surprised at the things they remember!
Watch Documentaries
Documentaries are an excellent way to get educated about important world issues or learn more about your own history. These films usually combine entertainment and education to create a meaningful story with a lasting impact.
Many streaming services offer a selection of documentary films, including Netflix and Hulu. These services typically require a paid subscription to access their library of videos, but you can often sign up for a free trial to see what they have available.
Another site, Filmzie, is dedicated to independent filmmakers and has a large collection of shorts and feature films. Their documentary section has titles that cover a variety of topics, and you can filter by genre to find what you’re looking for. These aggregator sites are useful because they can help you stumble upon films that would otherwise disappear into the media ether. These sites also allow you to report broken links to help keep the content online. Films are organized into categories such as Religion, Society, Crime, Conspiracy, Nature, and Biography.
Ask Your Friends
Whether you’re having friends over for dinner or joining a group conversation online, most conversations will eventually veer into pop culture. People become animated when discussing their favorite movies or TV shows, and debates will likely break out over the merits of a certain character (shout out to Severus Snape).
While pop culture can seem like a superficial area, it also provides an avenue for discussion of important social issues. Many TV shows and movies tackle themes such as discrimination and mental health, encouraging viewers to think critically about these topics.
Additionally, pop culture highlights events that occur in a society’s mainstream, making it easier to understand than more complex news stories. This is especially true with new media, such as social media, which prioritizes short-lived pop culture trends.