Topic 3 - Society and Culture in Change (POP CULTURE) Flashcards
1
Q
what is pop culture
A
- linked to cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film… that are consumed by the majority of a society’s population
- how society affected by radio, advertising
- anything popular
- societal norms
- if you weren’t involved in pop culture people would question why not
- it has mass accessibility and appeal and was traditionally linked to ‘ordinary minded’ people and generally did not apply to those from the educated elite
2
Q
what was the political impact of pop culture
A
- as more people became influenced by it and Media its political usefulness became apparent
- presidents started using it to their advantage
- politic and popular culture have over time become intertwined
- have to be up to date with it as pres to relate to your voters and society
- Reagan key example
- hit target audience
- celebrity endorsers, saying and wearing right stuff can be massive advantage and success of a pres campaign e.g. Nixon v Kennedy
- media makes or breaks a presidency
- voters flock to the candidates they resonate with and having a pop culture image can be a big part of that
3
Q
why did pop culture spread
A
- as technology and innovation progressed the USA became more and more connected and it spread faster and to wider audiences
- after SWW particularly
- as suburbia evolved in 1950s and households had TV’s with advertising, commercials and product placement etc…
4
Q
discuss the impact of the radio
A
- before 1920s USA connected by small scale movie theatres and emergence of records and music
radio. …
- brought families together
- gave presidents a ticket into every household
- spread mass messages
- key source of entertainment of the day
- bring society together
5
Q
discuss the impact of the radio on the presidency
A
- used it to communicate to the masses
- FDR maximised potential with fireside chats
- spreads mass messages which play on people’s heads, people began to converse about what they heard on radio and talk about which shows and music they liked
- spread important political information
- connect with voting public
- in the 20s republicans used it heavily to push stock market trading and spending money to push the economy
- Harding gives them to disadvantaged families for free
- Coolidge does 1927 Radio Licensing Act
6
Q
discuss the expansion of the radio
A
- emergence of radio broadcasting in 1920s led to local and national radio networks
- for first time everyone listen to same thing at same time
- 1920s and 30s more households buying them, more money circulating round radio industry, more stations
- first commercial station was KDKA in Nov 1920 from Pittsburgh
- mass produced radios became cheaper to buy
- Fordism and Tailorism meant price went down and money easier to come by in 20s for most
- NBC began broadcasting, news, entertainment and sport attracting millions of nationwide listeners
7
Q
what was the homogenisation brought by the radio
A
- for the first time in history, the public could listen to the same music and news at the same time
- attitudes becoming the same
- example of this is the music charts across different countries
- music is a homogenised industry
- people sang the same songs and whistled the same jingles
- created a sense of mass culture
8
Q
discuss Coolidge’s Radio Licensing Act of 1927
A
- radio boomed too much and became dodgy
- the unregulated radio networks became so popular that the airwaves jammed under the sheer volume of stations
- gov had to act
- it shared out the frequencies and started to censor what could be aired
- even illegal radio stations about communism or slandering economy/pres so had to be filtered
- don’t want communism - 1st red scare
- only hear what gov want you to hear
9
Q
why was the radio so crucial for FDR
A
- 30 fireside chats to reassure the nation in a stressful time of the GD
- huge due to personal circumstance of his polio
- he was unable to conduct mass tours of country so this was huge asset
- talk without been there
- father of the nation
10
Q
how did radio impact on the vinyl industry
A
- it played the same songs for free and during periods of financial crisis buying music was an unaffordable luxury
- invention of tape recorders hit the music industry hard in 1840s and 50s
- dictated buying habits
- there are (-) aspects to radio
- why buy a record when can listen on radio esp now tape recorders
11
Q
discuss the social impact of the Cinema
A
- immigration in early 1900s meant USA mixed
- communities tended to group by nationality and there was very little social integration but cinema helped to change this
- silent until 1920s but accompanied by music
- during roaring 20s the number of cinema goers boomed
- estimates of around 50 mil tickets per week
- rose to 80 mil in 1930s - unexpected as GD but offered something to smile about in darkness
- nights out or dates
- TV not around yet
- only choice of 2 or 3 film so if big film guarantee people will watch it and your message will be heard
12
Q
what was the KKK film in 1915
A
- Birth of a Nation
- endorsed by Wilson
- showed a black man raping a white women who then committed suicide
13
Q
what was The Jazz Singer
A
- first talky film
- famous although did feature ‘blackened up’ actors but still seen as ground-breaking
- smashed box office records and was one of most significant films of all time
14
Q
what was Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
A
- released 1967 year after the Hay’s Codes were abandoned
- a young liberal minded woman who starts dating an AA man
- invites him to dinner with her parents who have more conservative views
- about the difficulty of interracial coupling
- huge impact as basically everyone saw it
15
Q
what were the Hays Code
A
- a set of rules and regulations that Hollywood had to abide by
- dictates what pop culture can and can’t be
- regulation not by federal government but by a 1930 moral code devised by William Hays the President of the Motion Picture Association of America
- restricted what should be shown in films
- violent crime, drugs, the slave trade, swearing, and nudity all prohibited as was any notion of interracial relationships
- indoctrinated people in a way - if damn couldn’t be said in films it became taboo in society e.g.
- abolished in 1966
- movies free to be more controversial, violent and risqué
16
Q
what did movies and the cinema give people
A
- a sense of release and escapism
- allowed them to indulge in their fantasies
- for the price of between 5-20 cents people could have an evening out and escape their busy lives
- reflect what people are thinking about
- Disney - morals people were subliminally pushed into accepting
- give messages and people began to change their behaviour and attitudes without even realising it
17
Q
what was Casablanca
A
- a film that came out during the SWW
- worrying time for people but it was a love story that brought hope - uplifting
