Popular Culture, according to our text, "represents the elements from every day life, the artifacts and institutions shared by a society, and a body of common knowledge. It is the shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific time. It reflects and influences people's way of life, it is transitory, subject to change, and often an initiator of change" (Petracca and Sorapure p4, 2007). To me, pop culture is basically any item that a population would want to consume or purchase including a particular style in clothing, a type of music, the car you drive, the food you eat, the type of electronic media to use, the type of movies you watch, how you exercise, and so on.
An understanding of popular culture is relevant and important in a business environment. Having knowledge of current pop media can be useful as a tool for marketing products and services, as well as locating them. Understanding pop culture will be very useful in my Human Resources Management carreer. Being aware of pop culture products can help me understand others' likes and dislikes and help me stay current on trends. Current pop media such as blogging, Facebook and Twitter can also give me insight into a potential employment candidate's opinions and culture.
My pop culture artifact is Coca-Cola. I chose Coca-Cola as an artifact because the company is well known and has been established since the late 1800's and is still a household name brand today. From the red and white Coca-Cola Santa Claus in the 1930's to the song "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" in 1971, Coca-Cola has been identified as an American brand. The company has lived through many product, image, and slogan changes, but is still a strong American image that has been a part of our lives for the past 100 years.
Reference:
Petrecca, M., Sorapure, M. (2007). Common culture: Reading and writing about american popular culture. New Jersey: Pearson.
