Pop Culture:

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to me? Pop culture is everything that we accept and latch onto that is happening or hot right now. It the latest of something new and the return of what was once considered old. Pop culture is having the hottest shoes, clothes, or hairstyle, is determined by its audience and what the majority in your particular click accepts. To me pop culture means having standing out above the rest and getting all of the attention because of it. Pop culture means competition to be the best and always have one up on the next guy. Pop culture means I have a reason to be different, it provides an outlet to do and to explore different avenues without recourse because someone else finds it acceptable also. Pop culture gives a sense of purpose and belonging. Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career? In order for a business to become successful they must know what their target audience wants and how to provide it. Knowing what is popular to your particular market can assist in the growth of your business significantly. Businesses that take no interest in pop culture limit themselves and the audience they are trying to attract. Popular culture can dictate whether a company’s profit margins increase or decrease allowing for success or failure. In my present career we are gradually moving into the new realm of what is considered pop culture. Within the payroll process there are certain opportunities where pop culture could be utilized, for instance, instead of providing the employee paper checks, one could offer re-loadable debit cards, along with online access to various payroll recorded information. My future career would heavily rely on knowing what is current and how to appeal to the younger demographics. To understand what incentive entice. What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it. The Disney High School Musical phenomenon is what I would classify as a pop culture artifact. When the original High School Musical came out it was just a Disney original movie, the success was astounding causing Disney to manufacture a sequel. The original movie stemmed into a media blitz, enticing schools everywhere to perform High School Musical the play. Clothing lines, music videos, CD’s and DVD’s with bonus extras shot of the shelves. The sequel was produced as a Disney Channel original movie, commanding equal attention. With the success of the first two a third High School Musical was born, however this one going straight to the theaters, drawing in an even larger crowd and greater revenues. The High School Musical explosion has drawn people from various genres, races, and economic backgrounds. According to Box Office Mojo, the High School Musical franchise brought in an estimated $42 million on its opening weekend the largest ever opening weekend for a musical.