So we’ve officially been in class for a few weeks now, and though I’m busier than ever, my schedule is finally starting to settle into a routine. Our Communication and Pop Culture class has met twice a week, and I’m really enjoying the class so far! This seems to be the perfect subject for me since I’m very opinionated and get to talk about the pop culture that I see and watch every day. I think I’m most looking forward to conversations amongst our class and professor about celebrities and popular TV/movies, especially since these are topics that we’re very familiar with in the United States.
In one of our most recent classes, we discussed the music video of Taylor Swift’s new single “Shake it Off” after reading a few articles about it. I’m definitely not a TSwift fan and didn’t particularly enjoy the video, but it was fun to discuss it from a Communication perspective with people who both agreed and disagreed with my point of view. It was really enjoyable to notice subtle differences between the cultural groups she presented, and the discussion that followed sparked my interest. I’m really looking forward to discussing these types of topics- everything from celebrities, to TV shows, to the latest popular trends- and like how the fluidity of the class depends on what’s “hot” at the time. The most difficult thing about this class will probably be the level of work involved, not only with the reading and blog, but also being familiar with popular topics in order to be able to talk about them with others. It’ll also be challenging for me to understand and recognize other people’s opinions if they differ from mine! I think the best way to do this is to be patient and open-minded during our discussions, which I hope to have many of in this class.
WHY
I’m really looking forward to being able to read or watch a piece of pop culture and see beyond what the text is actually showing to understand the message behind it. Similar to Kidd’s Cultural Diamond that I talked about in my previous post, as someone who is interested in marketing and advertising, I love recognizing who created a text and whom the text is marketed for. This is true even of pop culture icons like celebrities, because they are marketed in a way that keeps them popular to “sell” to the public. If you need an example of this, just check out the Kardashians (who now have a store, clothing line, TV show, video game, front cover of Vogue and more). How did they even get so famous? Oh wait…
#worldsmosttalkedaboutcouple???
I can’t wait to learn more in this class and talk about these popular topics that I come into contact with almost every day! It’s going to be a very interesting semester.
Communication and Pop Culture 