Essay about Fandom in Popular Culture

Many people are blind-sighted and tricked into being sucked into the world of celebrities and reality tv. This occurrence is known as celebrity worship syndrome and it can have many detrimental effects. Research has found that celebrity worship syndrome and an addiction to celebrities “has likewise been conceptualized as a search for a solid identity and social role ... and compulsive and obsessional elements are noted at advanced stages of addiction ... Thus, while absorption can partially account for the vividness of delusions related to dissociative experience ... the progression along our hierarchy of celebrity worship might reflect increases in the thresholds of the need and capacity of psychological absorption” (Rockwell). The absorption-addiction model that Rockwell references describes the parasocial relationship of a celebrity and a fan. Typically, due to deficits in a person’s life, a fan will become absorbed into a celebrity's following in order to escape their current life and they eventually become addicted. If an obsession with a celebrity is left unchecked it has the possibility to spiral into thoughts or behaviors that can be harmful to the fan and

Pop culture, what does this term even mean? It seems to be a word that contains subjects of media, social structure, and society as a whole. According to the dictionary, pop culture is defined as “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people”. In the society we live in today, we are constantly surrounded by pop culture, either that is with television, magazines, different sources of social media and/or exposure to others. Due to pop culture being such a dominant contribution into our world today, it has effected many parts of society. The domination of social media has created idealistic views that are stressed upon female adolescents in particular. Upon media’s influence, traditional tactics and work have been modified in order to keep up with our technology oriented society. This alters the schools and education systems. Through the use of television, social media and other means of pop culture, serious study is necessary due to the negative effects it has on the younger generation and the effects it has for their futures.

In the first lecture for this class, Professor Creekmur asked the question; is sex popular (Creekmur Aug. 20)? As he often does in the course, Creekmur doesn’t give a simple, clear-cut answer, but instead offers a paradox, that while sex is an aggressively private act, it is also a good that is consumed, in our magazines and on our televisions. This paradox ultimately sets the stage for the rest of this class, demonstrating how something as intimate as one’s sexuality can come to reinforce popular conventions of normalcy and deviancy within society at large, and what this essay will attempt to address.

Also, for many fan bases there are expectations for each fan to have some form of social networking account so then they can communicate with other fans. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr would be the main examples of ways to communicate between fans. For music based fandoms, there is the expectation of having to be at concerts, signings, radio tours and any other events that the musician/band they follow attend.

Fan clubs, social media groups and online interactions are more popular with T.V. series than most movies. Why is that? Because a television show will last for weeks, hopefully years – building an ever expanding following. Look at show like “Game of Thrones,” “The Big Bang Theory” or “The Vampire Diaries” for powerful examples of fan based culture online. (Cable, 2012) Look at “Breaking Bad”. That show started small and thanks to the new distribution methods as well as near-rabid word-of-mouth from audiences who’d seen it and loved it, it ended up a juggernaut. (Heritage, 2013) The way T.V. promotes their shows is a skill

I think the desire to be part of a group plays a large part of that loyalty. Belonging to a group, no matter what group it may be, cause a strong feeling of loyalty to that group. Whether they realize it or not, sports fans may not care as much about the team’s players as they do being a part of the fan base as a whole. It is easy for others to follow along when their friends are fans, because they also develop a sense of belonging to that group. Alcohol consumption is obviously what fuels the fire, both literally and figuratively, of rioting fans. However, the significance that fans place on the teams causes them to react more wildly and emotionally. The more significant a group is to them, the more lengths they will go to for it. Even after realizing these factors that go into fan’s loyalties, their actions can still be shocking to those that are on the outside. It seems that sports fans do not look at their teams as entertainment, but as close members of the same group that they feel loyal

     Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver’s song “Calypso” parallels with a number of the themes in Homer’s the Odyssey. The Odyssey’s themes involving Odysseus’ journey back home and the aid of gods and goddesses directly influence “Calypso.”

One of the articles that I found on my subtopic is called " Social media use builds fan avidity” by David Broughton (www.sportsbusinessdaily.com). It talks about how fans can associate with their most loved games alliances through online networking applications and locales, fans seeing themselves as greater fans as a result of having the capacity to take after their most loved groups on destinations like Facebook, Twitter, and other online networking locales. Online networking is an awesome advertising apparatus for advancing

“Are Sports Fans Happier?” Sid Kirchheimer inquires in his article. Like Kirchheimer, I believe sports fans are better off in life than those who aren’t sports fans or who don’t have a similar passionate hobby. Kirchheimer notes throughout his article that when sports fans cheer for their teams, they feel connected to something greater than themselves, to a greater cause and group. Through wins and losses, sports fans gain a healthy perspective and learn how to balance everyday worries, which result in improved mental health for sports fans, according to studies. Being a sports fan also improves a person’s social life, as fans gather to cheer for teams and, in the process, build relationships. All told, it appears cheering for

The media influences how people experience social life. Media such as newspaper, television and film, are important sources of information, education and entertainment. It can be used to learn more about the world and the people in it. In this regard it can be said that the media represent, interpret and endorse aspects of social experience (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2005). The media are also implicated in social regulation, or in other terms, the government of society. The media are implicated in government and politics in an obvious way because modern systems of democracy are conducted through the media. But the media have a bigger role to play in government by structuring how society is controlled and maintained.

What pops into your mind first when you think of popular culture in today’s day and age? The latest dirt on celebrities or the latest iPhone release? The latest controversial issue or the latest iTunes hit? Regardless, pop culture encompasses all four of these concepts and many more, which consume the world we live in each and every day. Think about education. At first thought, your mind may not make the connection between the newest Taylor Swift song and the highest ACT score, but the linkage between the two becomes undeniable when you dive deeper. Ponder this: each day millions of kids walk into school buildings across the United States, each of them glued to a little slice of pop culture, a.k.a. their phone. And each day these millions

The study of popular culture is useful in many ways. To be more specific, this course has reached its three intended main ideas: what it means to be American, how to be more consumption-conscious, and how to apply these studies in our own lives. Jim Cullen puts this in a less specific sense, arguing that the study of popular culture can “afford valuable clues – about collective fears, hopes, and debates” (Cullen, The Art of Democracy, 2). We use these clues to understand the world around us, as well as why we do what we do as Americans and as humans. I will be touching on themes that relate to this quotation by Cullen, escapism, exploitation, and globalization, as well as how these themes relate to the course goals.

The generation of people being raised right now is obsessed with pop culture. Music, television, celebrities, fashion, movies, and books all have a significant impact on this generation. This generation’s morals and personalities are being shaped by the pop culture that surrounds us. Years from now, people will still be a product of two very popular book and movie series that have greatly effected our pop culture: Harry Potter and Twilight. Both have brought new fashion and trends to the world and it is not uncommon for you to hear references to the books on a day-to-day basis, but more importantly, both series have brought extremely different examples of love to this generation. Even though the Harry

Popular culture is a term that holds various meanings depending on where it 's being defined and the context of its use. It is usually recognized as the language or people’s culture that prevails in a society at a point in time. As social researcher Brummett explains in his book “Rhetorical Dimensions of Popular Culture”, pop culture reflects the characteristics of social life, where the publicly are most actively involved. Popular culture is known as the ‘culture of the people’. This culture is determined by the interactions between people within their daily activities, for instance, dressing styles, use of language, greeting rituals and the ways that people behave in public, etc. are all examples of popular culture. Popular culture is also diverted by the mass media (Abbott and Sapsford, 1987).

One of the benefits of popular culture is entertainment. First, people are entertained by attending public events. For example, people attend sporting events. For example, fans can attends sporting events such football, basketball, and baseball games to watch their favorite team play. Also, several fans benefit by watching their team play on TV. Secondly, people attend other public events such as concerts of famous celebrities. Thirdly, individuals can be entertained by watching movies. In her essay Shih talks about how movies can be entertaining (389). For example, in action movies such as Mission Impossible there several Hollywood stunts that entertains the people who are watching the movie. Also, in mystery films the main goal is to keep people guessing on what is going to happen like in the movie cube. Next, entertainment benefits society through electronics. For example, people are entertained by downloading apps that allow them to listen to music, play games, and watch movies some examples of these examples of apps that people that are downloadable includes apps such as Candy Crush, Spotify, and Crackle. Furthermore, entertainment is a benefit to society because it relieves stress. For example, if a person isn’t having a great day they can click on a website similar to YouTube and watch funny video such as “ghetto chef” series by a YouTube channel called DashieXP. Also, stress is relieved by watching movies on a site such as Netflix, which features different types of categories such as tv shows, comedy, horror, and action.