Pop culture is dead! | Phil Miller | TEDxWoking

Summary

The speaker humorously engages the audience with a photo-taking experiment to explore how popular culture is formed. He highlights how modern technology, like smartphones and social media, has transformed the creation and spread of cultural trends. Historically, popular culture was shaped by art and media controlled by few, but today it's driven by everyday people through platforms like Twitter and YouTube. While mass media may influence our perceptions, the speaker argues that we are continuously shaping popular culture in real-time, questioning if traditional popular culture is dead or merely evolving.

Takeaways

• 📱 Mobile phones have become tools for instant social interaction, mimicking real-life social media exchanges.
• 📸 The formation of popular culture can be observed through shared experiences, such as deciding on a funny photo in a group.
• 🌍 Popular culture spreads through collective ideas and social media amplification, like a tweet or a meme.
• 🎨 Historically, art and traditional media shaped popular culture, but modern technology has shifted that role to digital platforms.
• 🎶 The way people consume music and entertainment has drastically changed, with streaming services like Spotify and Netflix allowing personalized experiences.
• 📺 Television viewership has evolved from collective experiences to on-demand consumption, evidenced by the shift from live broadcast shows to binge-watching.
• 🛍️ Consumer habits have changed with the rise of e-commerce platforms, providing endless choices beyond the limitations of physical stores.
• 👶 Children are increasingly influenced by media, with surveys showing their top aspirations include being rich, good-looking, and famous.
• 👀 Social media has made everyone a voyeur into the lives of others, leading to an obsession with recognition and validation.
• 🚶‍♂️ Social media movements, while often short-lived, leave lasting digital footprints, but raise the question of whether popular culture is being shaped or dictated by media forces.

Q & A

What was the initial experiment the speaker asked the audience to participate in?

The speaker asked the audience to take out their mobile phones and take a funny picture of anything, such as themselves or the person next to them. They were then instructed to show the picture to others around them.

What point was the speaker making with the picture-taking experiment?

The experiment demonstrated how popular culture forms. The audience collectively decided which picture was the funniest, showing how shared ideas and experiences create popular culture.

How does the speaker describe the formation of popular culture?

The speaker explains that popular culture forms when a group of people comes together around a common idea, which then spreads through mechanisms like social media and technology.

How does modern technology impact the creation and spread of popular culture, according to the speaker?

Modern technology, such as social media and smartphones, allows people to share ideas instantly and widely. This has made the creation of popular culture more accessible and participatory for the average person.

How has the role of big businesses in popular culture changed over time?

Big businesses used to control what people listened to or watched, especially through charts and TV shows. However, platforms like Spotify and Netflix now allow individuals to choose what they consume, making popular culture more personalized.

What shift in TV consumption habits does the speaker highlight?

The speaker points out that people now prefer on-demand services like Netflix, allowing them to watch shows at their convenience and binge-watch entire seasons, as opposed to watching scheduled broadcasts.

What does the speaker suggest about the influence of fashion today?

The speaker argues that there is no longer a dominant fashion trend, as people now have access to a wide variety of clothing options through online platforms like ASOS and Amazon, allowing for individual expression.

What does the speaker say about the obsession with celebrity culture in children?

The speaker notes that surveys show children under ten value being a celebrity more than other things, such as being rich or good-looking, highlighting how celebrity culture has become a major part of popular culture.

What role does social media play in contemporary popular culture, according to the speaker?

Social media allows people to participate in movements and trends, such as the Icebucket Challenge or Je suis CHARLIE. However, these trends are often short-lived, though they leave a lasting social media legacy.

Does the speaker believe pop culture is dead?

The speaker argues that while traditional forms of popular culture may have changed, we are now constantly creating popular culture through social media and technology. The conclusion is that traditional pop culture may be dead, but new forms of it continue to thrive.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Social Media in Action: A Fun Experiment

The speaker engages the audience with an interactive experiment to demonstrate the concept of social media. He asks the audience to take funny pictures and share them with those around them, likening the act to real-life social media. After a humorous competition for the funniest picture, the winner is acknowledged, and the speaker reflects on how ideas spread through popular culture, driven by shared experiences and technology. This sets the stage for a deeper discussion about the formation and impact of popular culture.

05:02

🔍 The Rise of Google and the Evolution of Popular Culture

The speaker explores how modern technologies like Google have reshaped popular culture. Once a proper noun, 'Google' has now become a verb, symbolizing the widespread integration of digital tools into everyday life. Historically, access to culture was limited, but advancements like cinema, radio, and television have democratized it. The speaker reflects on cultural shifts, from early pop icons like Elvis and Cliff Richard to subcultures like punk and mods. These changes have led to the emergence of on-demand services, like Spotify and Netflix, which allow people to consume culture in personalized ways, reducing the collective experiences of the past.

10:03

🎬 The Fragmentation of TV Audiences and On-Demand Culture

The speaker examines how the way people consume television has evolved. In the past, major TV moments like 'EastEnders' drew huge audiences, but now fewer people watch live broadcast TV. Instead, they prefer on-demand services like Netflix, where binge-watching entire seasons has become common. This shift in viewing habits reflects broader changes in how people engage with culture, moving away from communal experiences to more individualized, on-demand choices. The speaker humorously references his own viewing habits and how platforms like Netflix have transformed television consumption.

🌟 The Celebrity Obsession and Its Impact on Society

The speaker delves into how modern culture, particularly for children, is dominated by celebrity worship. He cites a survey showing that being a celebrity ranks highest among children's desires, surpassing wealth and good looks. This obsession, driven by mass media and social media, has created a culture of 'See me!' where people seek constant recognition. The speaker highlights the negative influence of mass media on raising children, as 75% of parents express concerns. He also notes how movements like 'Je suis CHARLIE' and the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' are made possible by the ubiquity of mobile phones and social media, but warns that these trends are fleeting, leaving behind a lasting digital footprint.

⚖️ Is Popular Culture Dead or Alive?

The speaker closes by questioning whether popular culture is truly dead, arguing that while mass media may dictate much of what people think, individuals also have the power to create and shape popular culture through social media. He reflects on how popular culture as we once knew it has evolved, but instead of being dead, it has transformed into something continuously created by people every second of the day. The talk ends with a hopeful message, suggesting that while the traditional notion of popular culture may be gone, a new version of it is alive and thriving.

Keywords

💡Popular culture

Popular culture refers to the set of ideas, practices, and trends that are widely accepted and prevalent in society. In the video, it is discussed as something formed through shared interests and the actions of groups, like when the audience participates in selecting the funniest picture. The speaker emphasizes how social media and modern technologies have transformed the way popular culture is created and spread, moving from traditional forms like art and music to more spontaneous and user-driven expressions.

💡Social media

Social media refers to digital platforms that allow people to create, share, and interact with content. The video uses it as an example of how modern popular culture is rapidly spread and created, as seen in the experiment with the audience taking and sharing pictures. It also highlights movements like 'Je suis Charlie' and the 'Icebucket Challenge' as examples of social media's ability to drive cultural phenomena on a global scale.

💡Mass media

Mass media refers to traditional forms of media like television, radio, and newspapers that reach a large audience. In the script, mass media is discussed in contrast to social media, as it once had the power to control popular culture. The decline in television viewership for shows like 'EastEnders' compared to its peak in the 1980s is used to illustrate how mass media is losing its influence over culture due to changes in how people consume content.

💡Binge-watching

Binge-watching refers to the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television series in one sitting, often facilitated by video-on-demand services like Netflix. The video mentions this as a significant shift in how people consume entertainment, contrasting it with the older tradition of watching TV shows as they were broadcast. This change reflects how personal choice and technology are reshaping popular culture.

💡Celebrity culture

Celebrity culture is the widespread interest in and admiration for celebrities, often driven by mass media and social media. The video points out how young people, and society at large, are increasingly obsessed with being famous, citing a survey where children ranked 'being a celebrity' as their number one aspiration. This obsession is portrayed as a key element of modern popular culture, fueled by constant media exposure.

💡Sub-culture

Sub-culture refers to smaller groups within the larger culture that have their own distinct values, interests, and practices. In the video, the speaker discusses how popular culture can give rise to sub-cultures, using examples like 'Mods versus Rockers' and 'Punk Rock.' These sub-cultures were defined by music, fashion, and attitudes, showing how popular trends can fragment into smaller, more specific movements.

💡Cultural legacy

A cultural legacy refers to the lasting impact or influence of certain cultural movements or trends. The video describes social media movements, such as the 'Harlem Shake' and the 'Icebucket Challenge,' as examples of fleeting trends that leave behind a significant digital footprint. Although these movements may be brief, they contribute to the evolving landscape of popular culture.

💡Video on demand

Video on demand (VOD) refers to services that allow users to watch content whenever they choose, rather than being restricted to broadcast schedules. The video discusses platforms like Netflix, iPlayer, and Amazon, highlighting how VOD has revolutionized the way people consume entertainment. This shift has made popular culture more individualized, as people now have the freedom to decide what they watch and when they watch it.

💡Technology and culture

The video emphasizes how modern technology, particularly the internet, smartphones, and social media, has transformed the way popular culture is created and disseminated. Unlike in the past, when access to cultural products like theater and art was limited, today's technologies allow for instant sharing and global participation in cultural trends. The speaker uses examples like people using their phones to take pictures and share them as a live demonstration of how technology fosters new cultural practices.

💡Group experience

Group experience refers to shared cultural activities or events that bring people together. The speaker contrasts older group experiences, like listening to the radio or watching 'Top of the Pops,' with today's more individualized consumption of media. Despite the changes, the video demonstrates that new forms of group experience, such as social media interactions and online movements, continue to shape popular culture.

Highlights

The speaker starts by engaging the audience in an experiment, asking them to take funny pictures with their phones and share them with the people around them.

The experiment demonstrates how social interaction and sharing can mimic the behavior on social media, as the audience is encouraged to spread and judge the funny pictures, similar to how content goes viral online.

The speaker highlights how popular culture is formed through shared experiences and ideas, and how social media platforms amplify this process by allowing ideas to spread quickly.

The speaker discusses the evolution of popular culture, from traditional forms like art and sculpture to modern technologies like TV, cinema, and the internet, which now deliver culture directly to people's homes.

The speaker mentions iconic pop culture battles, such as Elvis vs. Cliff Richard, and how these cultural moments shaped the way people dressed, spoke, and identified themselves.

The rise of services like Spotify and iTunes changed how people consume music, allowing them to listen to what they want, when they want, and making music consumption a more personalized experience rather than a shared one.

The speaker highlights the shift in television viewing habits, using Netflix as an example, with more people choosing video on demand and binge-watching series rather than following traditional broadcast schedules.

The speaker contrasts the mass audience of EastEnders in the 1980s with today’s fragmented viewing patterns, emphasizing how video on demand has fundamentally changed the way people watch TV.

The speaker discusses the freedom of choice in fashion and consumption brought about by online shopping platforms like ASOS and Amazon, highlighting how people no longer need to conform to high street trends.

In a humorous survey, children under ten ranked being a celebrity as their number one aspiration, reflecting society’s obsession with fame and recognition in today’s popular culture.

The speaker highlights how social media movements, like the Ice Bucket Challenge and Je suis CHARLIE, are made possible by the ubiquity of mobile phones, allowing people to quickly engage in and spread these movements.

The rapid rise and fall of social media trends is noted, with the speaker explaining how these movements often leave behind a lasting legacy, despite their brief moments of viral popularity.

The speaker questions whether pop culture has been hijacked by mass media or if it is still being shaped by people through social media, presenting a complex view of its current state.

The speaker concludes that traditional popular culture as we knew it may be dead, but a new form of culture, constantly created and reshaped by social media, has emerged.

The talk ends with the phrase, 'Long live popular culture,' emphasizing that while the form of culture may have changed, the concept of popular culture continues to thrive in new ways.

Transcripts

Translator: Boram Lee Reviewer: Elisabeth Buffard

Thank you very much, that was a very grand intro,

and no, I don't play the piano and surf at the same time,

I don't think that would work.

But it's a great morning, this morning, you're having a good time?

Audience: Yeah. PM: Right. That's good.

Because I'm going to need your help.

I'm going to start with an experiment. What I want you to do,

is to take out your mobile phones, please.

I'll give you a second to do that.

If you have them on you, of course.

Hopefully it'll be camera phones.

What I'm going to ask you to do

is to take a funny picture.

Can be of anything.

Can be of me, but

it would be so conceited to say that,

but a funny picture. A selfie, whatever.

The person next to you...

We're going to ask you to do that right now, please.

Okay, here's one I took

of my prospective audience earlier.

Brilliant.

Ok.

We're all there? Brilliant.

What I'd like you to do now

is to show that picture to the person on your left.

Some of you already are.

Ok? If you're in an aisle, just show it across.

Now I want you to also show that picture

to the person on your right.

In fact, why not show it to

everyone around you?

(Laughter)

Great.

This is like real-life social media in action.

Ok. Now bring it back now.

Ok. I need the front two rows now.

Can I ask the front two rows to stand up,

Including the people in the wings, thank you?

Now it's a bold experiment we're going to do

but I want the front two rows to decide

decide whose picture is the funniest.

Ok, whose picture is the funniest?

And I'm going to give you just 20 seconds.

So you might need to move around.

Work it out. I'm gonna give you 20 seconds.

So, off you go, now.

20,

19,

18,

17,

16,

15,

14,

13... Have we got a short list yet?

12,

11,

10,

9,

8,

7,

6,

5,

4,

3,

2,

1...

And they're still going.

Ok. Can you sit down if you've been discounted?

Sorry very much.

Do we have a winner?

Do we have a winner?

Over here?

Is it... Sally!

Ok, fantastic. Can we have a round of applause for Sally, please?

(Applause)

Brilliant.

OK. So, Sally will probably sit down now

and probably what she will do,

she will go on to twitter and say,

"ha ha, just won TEDxWoking photo competition, aren't I cool? #irock"

But that was an experiment in the formation of popular culture.

A group of people bound by the same common rows

that they were sitting in, decided on something,

and that's how popular culture is formed.

Now if Sally does tweet it,

which she might do, -- go ahead! --

and you might now go along and retweet it,

and the image will spread, you might put it on facebook,

and it will spread even further. She's not doing it, by the way.

(Laughter) You should do it, it's a good picture.

Sally: It's a picture of him. (Chuckles)

But you'll probably say, "Phil, that's really interesting, it's just a picture."

What about if the picture said this?

[TEDxWoking]

Suddenly it's no longer a picture.

It's an idea.

And that idea spreads.

And what about if the picture said this?

[TEDxSUX!]

(Laughter)

It's an idea.

And when a group of people come together

with a common idea,

that's how popular culture is formed.

Now historically,

art and culture define popular culture.

And a mechanism was always needed.

Be it art, painting, or sculpture.

Modern technologies changed all that now.

Now a dad, in his Christmas jammies, on Youtube,

or even the way that you chose to support your local charities

is all available to us.

And instead of just voting with your sword or with your feet,

all you have to do now to agree

is Like.

[Like]

When certain ideas, interests or choices

reach a critical mass within a society,

they become widespread

and proliferate throughout that society.

A definition of popular culture.

[Google/to google]

But what happens when the mechanism

for the spread of popular culture

becomes part of popular culture itself?

Take Google.

It's a proper noun.

But it's also a verb.

And an intrinsic part of our popular culture.

Historically,

access to high culture, popular culture, was limited.

Access to painting was limited,

access to sculpture,

theatre audiences, by their very nature,

were limited.

But fast forward to

the invention of cinema,

the wireless,

TV.

Suddenly popular culture

is being beamed into our homes

every single day.

There's still the pop music.

[Elvis vs Cliff]

In 1956,

when Elvis Presley first entered the charts

and began his long-running battle with Cliff Richard,

you were either for Elvis, or you were for Cliff.

Some people may remember, not sure.

It affected the way that you spoke.

It affected the way you wore your hair.

It affected the way the clothes you wore.

I'm looking at it right here.

Audience: Yeah.

Elvis or Cliff?

(Answer inaudible)

But what happened was

fast forward through the charts.

Through the Beatles versus the Stones,

New Romantics.

Punk Rock.

Mods versus Rockers.

Pop culture became sub-culture.

And increasingly,

big businesses took over and became involved.

We listen to what they let us listen to.

We just have to look at the Christmas Charts

of the last nine or ten years to see that control.

But then along came services like Spotify and iTunes.

You could listen to what you wanted to listen to,

when you wanted to listen to it

and wherever you wanted to listen to it.

It's great. And music was free.

But it became less of a group experience.

It was no longer about

sitting around the radio on a Sunday evening

listening to the Chart Show.

And watching TV on a Thursday night.

Watching Top of the Pops.

Showing my age!

Ok, talking of TV,

who here watches EastEnders?

Come on, don't be shy.

Really? No one? (Laughter)

Is that Sam?

Audience: Yes. PM: OK.

In the 2014 Christmas episode of Eastenders,

spoiler alert, close your ears now,

when Lucy Beale died,

8.39 million viewers.

Backtrack to 1986.

Christmas day.

When Dirty Den served divorce papers to Angie,

30.15 million viewers.

Now is it that the program EastEnders has gotten worse?

Possibly.

(Laughter)

Is it that just less people watching it,

it just doesn't relate to us anymore? Possibly.

Or is it just that the way that we view television has changed?

In fact, I can't remember the last time that I watched serial broadcast television.

I want to watch what I want to watch when I want to watch it.

And video on demand has provided me that.

[Netflix 4.5 million UK subscribers 61% binge watch]

Let's look at Netflix.

There are 4.5 million UK subscribers in the UK.

4.5 million people who choose to watch their television in a different way.

That doesn't include BBC iPlayer

4od,

iTV Player,

all the other video on demand services.

But the interesting thing

is the stat at the bottom.

People don't just want to tune in to watch one program

when the broadcaster wants them to.

Actually, I mean, you know,

be it Breaking Bad, or

the Good Wife, at the moment

I want to watch more than one episode every evening.

In fact, when House of Cards, the last season, was released,

people literally watched it all day with minutes breaks in between.

I don't know when they went to the toilet.

(Laughter)

The world of today is very different to 40 years ago.

All these services.

In fact, if I had been stood up here 40 years ago,

I'd probably would have been wearing

a suit and tie, much like Ray!

In fact, probably everyone in this room would have been dressed

exactly the same.

The services like ASOS and Amazon

provide us a choice.

I can buy what I want to buy

when I want to buy it.

In fact, I challenge anyone in this room

-- look around, now --

to find a discernible fashion,

beyond the odd beard.

(Laughter)

Because there isn't one.

Because we're not beholding

to the highstreet anymore.

We don't behold in to go and walk down

to the local Debenhams

and buy whatever it is they're gonna sell you.

You can buy whatever you want now.

[10 Very Best Things]

Okay. Let's look at a survey.

So this is the top 10 Very Best Things

for under 10's.

It's from 2006 of the National Kids Day survey,

but it still rings true today.

Makes for interesting reading.

Number ten, Heaven God.

(Laughter)

Number nine, watching films. I think we'll all agree with that.

Number eight, nice food.

Number seven, friends.

Number six, family.

Number five, pop music.

Number four, being healthy.

It's good to see it in the top five, at least.

Oh, I can never get my kids to eat their peas.

Let's see what happens in the top three.

Number three, being rich.

Number two, good looks.

Number one, being a celebrity.

Kids under ten.

Popular culture has become

"popular culture".

Our children and by association, ourselves,

are obsessed with celebrities.

It's fed into our homes.

Endlessly, all day.

And this causes a problem.

This need for recognition.

This, 'See me!'

that social media plays directly into.

75% of parents think negative influences

from mass media are a serious problem.

75% think that the influences

from mass media are a serious problem

in raising their children.

Mass media like films, TV, music.

And the problem is

that now we've become voyeurs

into the lives of celebrities.

Of our friends, of our neighbors.

In fact of everyone.

Because cameras are everywhere.

This was our Christmas team photo.

Cameras are everywhere. You can take a picture whenever you want,

like we did at the start of this talk.

But this allows us to do different things.

Social media movements like Je suis CHARLIE,

like the Harlem Shake,

like the Icebucket Challenge,

are only possible because of what we carry around in our pockets.

But these social media movements are brief.

It's a wave that washes over society

and then withdraws quickly.

But it leaves a massive social media legacy behind it.

[So...is pop culture dead?]

So, back to the original question.

Is pop culture dead?

Has it been hijacked by mass media?

Are we being told what we should think now,

rather than developing it ourselves?

Or, are we actually creating popular culture,

now, ourselves, through social media,

every single second of every single day?

Popular culture as we know it

is probably dead.

But long live popular culture.

Thank you.

(Applause)