Pop Culture Theories

Summary

This lecture explores theories of Philippine pop culture, starting with Yuri Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, which examines the various systems influencing an individual's identity. It discusses the impact of social media influencers and traditional media on pop culture. The lecture also covers historical perspectives like the mass society theory from the 19th-century industrial revolution, the aristocratic critique of mass society, and the culture industry's influence on consumerism. It concludes with progressive evolution and postmodern ideologies, emphasizing the power struggle and sensitivity in modern society, and encourages a mind map activity for deeper understanding.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Yuri Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory is a key framework for understanding the context of an individual's life, including their surroundings and reality.
• 👶 The Microsystem in Bronfenbrenner's theory refers to the immediate environment of a child, including their identity, family, and personal interests.
• 🏘️ The Mesosystem is the layer that encompasses the child's immediate surroundings outside of their personal microsystem, such as neighborhood, friends, and school.
• 🏢 The Exosystem includes the broader social structures that influence an individual, such as the workplace, community services, and extended family, including the impact of social media.
• 📱 Social media plays a significant role in shaping an individual's identity, with influencers on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram being primary sources of influence.
• 📺 Traditional mass media, including television, radio, and print ads, continues to influence individuals and is part of the Exosystem.
• 🌐 The Macrosystem involves the cultural and societal values, customs, and laws that affect an individual, such as Filipino family values and national laws.
• ⏳ The Chronosystem emphasizes the importance of time and generation, recognizing how societal realities and pop culture evolve across different generations.
• 🏭 The Theory of Mass Society originated during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, highlighting the shift from agrarian to industrialized societies and the rise of urban populations.
• 🏛️ The Aristocratic Theory of Mass Society views the rise of mass society as a moral crisis due to the weakening of traditional authority centers, predicting a society without moral or cultural guidance.
• 🏭 The Theory of Culture Industry, developed by the Frankfurt School, suggests that the culture industry caters to consumer happiness, often influenced by capitalist interests.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lecture on Philippine pop culture?

The lecture focuses on pop culture theories, specifically discussing how various ideas influence the study of pop culture, with an emphasis on ecological systems theory and its application to understanding the context of individuals within the Philippine culture.

What does the ecological systems theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner propose?

Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory proposes that a child's development is influenced by multiple interconnected systems, starting from the microsystem (the child and immediate family), moving outward to the mesosystem (neighborhood and peer groups), exosystem (workplace, community services, extended family), and macrosystem (culture, customs, values, and laws).

How does social media fit into the ecological systems theory?

In the ecological systems theory, social media is considered part of the exosystem, as it influences an individual's identity and is a key element in their life, providing influences, likes, dislikes, and terminologies that pertain to the individual's identity.

What is the significance of the term 'social media influencer' in pop culture?

The term 'social media influencer' refers to individuals who have a significant impact on their followers' behaviors and preferences. These influencers, who can be YouTubers, TikTokers, or celebrities on various platforms, are primary sources of influence in pop culture today.

How does the theory of mass society relate to the development of pop culture?

The theory of mass society, which originated during the 19th century, suggests that industrialization led to a division of labor, urbanization, and the centralization of decision-making. This created a mass culture that is often associated with pop culture, where the values and practices of industrialized society are disseminated through mass media.

What is the aristocratic theory of mass society, and how does it view the impact of mass society on traditional authority?

The aristocratic theory of mass society links the rise of mass society to a moral crisis caused by the weakening of traditional centers of authority, such as the church and government. It predicts a society dominated by the masses without moral or cultural guidance, which is seen as a negative outcome.

How does the culture industry theory view the role of consumer capitalism in shaping pop culture?

The culture industry theory, developed by the Frankfurt School, posits that the masses are dominated by an all-encompassing culture industry that follows the logic of consumer happiness. This implies that consumer capitalism drives the production of cultural products, which are designed to appeal to and be consumed by the masses.

What is the progressive evolution theory's perspective on the democratization of culture?

The progressive evolution theory, a liberal pluralist ideology, views the economy as creating opportunities for individuals to participate in a fully democratized culture through mass education, expansion of leisure time, and the availability of affordable cultural products like records and paperbacks.

How does the lecture discuss the impact of technology and information availability on society and individual evolution?

The lecture suggests that the availability of information through technology has significantly changed society and individual evolution. It has led to the emergence of new terminologies like 'woke' and 'snowflake', which are part of a postmodern and left-wing ideology, and has facilitated power struggles and forms of bullying in the digital age.

What activity does the lecturer suggest for visualizing the lecture's content?

The lecturer suggests creating a mind map as an activity to visualize the content learned during the lecture. This involves drawing lines and branches on a blank piece of paper to represent the main idea and supporting details without the constraints of a notebook's lines, allowing for a free flow of ideas.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction to Pop Culture Theories

The lecture begins with an introduction to Philippine pop culture and delves into pop culture theories. It starts with Yuri Bronson Brenner's Ecological Systems Theory, which is crucial in understanding the context of a child's world, including their identity, family, and surroundings. The microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem are discussed as layers of influence on an individual's identity. The lecture also touches on the impact of social media as a modern influencer in pop culture, highlighting the role of social media influencers and traditional mass media.

05:02

🏞️ Exploring the Macrosystem and Chronosystem

This section expands on the macrosystem, which includes cultural and societal values, laws, and customs. It emphasizes the importance of understanding these elements to grasp the identity of an individual within the context of Philippine culture. The chronosystem is introduced as the in-depth aspect of the ecological systems theory, focusing on the influence of time and generational differences. The discussion highlights the evolution of societal realities and the recognition of different generations, such as Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and the current youth, to better understand pop culture.

10:03

🏭 The Industrial Revolution and Mass Society

The lecture continues with the theory of mass society, which originated during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. It discusses the transformation of labor, urban populations, and the rise of complex communication systems leading to globalization. The term 'mass society' is explored, with its roots in anti-capitalist and aristocratic ideologies, and its association with a perceived moral crisis due to the weakening of traditional authority centers. The aristocratic theory of mass society is also examined, which predicts a society dominated by the masses without moral or cultural guidance.

15:04

🎭 The Culture Industry and Progressive Evolution

The concept of the culture industry is introduced, where culture becomes a business driven by consumer capitalism. The Frankfurt School's critical theory is mentioned, which posits that the culture industry caters to consumer happiness, leading to changes in entertainment and pop culture values. The theory of progressive evolution is discussed as a liberal perspective that sees the economy as an opportunity for individuals to participate in a democratized culture through mass education and leisure expansion. The lecture also touches on the impact of information availability and the rise of terms like 'woke' and 'snowflake', which are part of a postmodern and left-wing ideology.

20:05

🌐 Power Struggles and the Impact of Technology

The final section addresses the power struggles within society, particularly the influence of technology on individuality and the rise of cyberbullying. It discusses how the mass society can lead to the loss of individual identity and the detrimental effects of power struggles on society. The lecture concludes with an activity suggestion—a mind map exercise—to help visualize the concepts learned during the lecture. The mind map is presented as a tool for branching out ideas and supporting details to encapsulate the lecture's teachings.

25:07

📘 Conclusion and Upcoming Lecture

The lecture concludes with a reminder of the upcoming session, encouraging participants to apply the knowledge gained from the discussion on pop culture theories. It sets the expectation for continued learning and exploration of Philippine pop culture in the subsequent lectures.

Keywords

💡Ecological Systems Theory

Ecological Systems Theory, as discussed in the video, is a framework developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner that examines the relationships between individuals and their environments. It is crucial for understanding the context of a child's life, including their immediate surroundings and broader societal influences. In the video, the theory is applied to Filipino culture to analyze how different systems—microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem—affect an individual's identity and experiences within pop culture.

💡Microsystem

The microsystem is the first and most immediate level of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. It encompasses the individual and their immediate environment, including family, friends, and school. In the video, the microsystem is used to illustrate the personal elements that shape a Filipino's identity, such as their personality and immediate family relationships.

💡Mesosystem

The mesosystem in ecological systems theory refers to the interconnections between different microsystems. It is the immediate environment beyond the personal microsystem, including the neighborhood, friends, and community groups. The video uses the mesosystem to discuss how a Filipino's immediate surroundings, apart from their personal microsystem, influence their identity and pop culture experiences.

💡Exosystem

The exosystem is a level in ecological systems theory that involves social systems that indirectly affect the individual, such as workplaces, community services, and extended family. In the video, the exosystem is highlighted by discussing the role of social media and traditional media in shaping pop culture and individual identity in the Philippines.

💡Macrosystem

The macrosystem is the broadest level of ecological systems theory, representing the cultural and societal structures that influence individuals, such as customs, values, and laws. The video connects the macrosystem to the broader cultural context of the Philippines, emphasizing how national and local customs and values contribute to the understanding of pop culture.

💡Chronosystem

The chronosystem is the aspect of ecological systems theory that considers the influence of time and historical context on an individual's development. In the video, the chronosystem is used to discuss generational differences and how the evolution of society over time affects pop culture and individual identity, with examples of different generations like baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and the current youth.

💡Mass Society

Mass Society is a theory discussed in the video that originated during the 19th century, particularly during the Industrial Revolution. It refers to a social structure where a large, undifferentiated group of people is subject to the influence of mass media and consumer culture. The video connects this theory to the historical changes in society that led to the development of pop culture and the urban identity.

💡Culture Industry

The term 'Culture Industry' is used in the video to describe the commercialization and industrialization of cultural products, such as music, movies, and television. It is linked to the Frankfurt School's critical theory, which posits that the culture industry manipulates mass culture to serve capitalist interests, shaping consumer tastes and preferences. The video discusses how this impacts the content and values portrayed in pop culture.

💡Progressive Evolution

Progressive Evolution, as mentioned in the video, is a liberal pluralist ideology that views economic development as creating opportunities for individuals to participate in a democratized culture through mass education and the expansion of leisure time. The video uses this concept to discuss how the availability of information and cultural products has changed society and influenced pop culture.

💡Postmodern Ideology

Postmodern Ideology is a term used in the video to describe a set of perspectives that challenge traditional grand narratives and emphasize the importance of individual experiences and subjectivities. It is connected to the video's discussion of terms like 'woke' and 'snowflake,' which reflect a sensitivity to social issues and a critique of mainstream culture. The video suggests that postmodern ideologies have influenced the discourse around pop culture and identity.

💡Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully others, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. In the video, cyberbullying is discussed as a form of power struggle that can occur within the context of mass society and pop culture, where individuals may attack others to destroy their reputation or assert dominance in online spaces.

Highlights

Introduction to Philippine Pop Culture theories

Yuri Brunson Brenner's Ecological Systems Theory as a framework for understanding context

Microsystem as the smallest element of a child's identity and immediate surroundings

Mesosystem includes the child's neighborhood, friends, and peer groups

Exosystem encompasses the workplace, community services, and extended family

Social media as a key element in an individual's life and identity

The role of social media influencers in shaping pop culture

Macrosystem includes culture, customs, values, and laws

Chrono system emphasizes the importance of generation and time in pop culture

Understanding pop culture through the lens of different generations

Transition to traditional pop culture theories

Theory of Mass Society originating from the 19th-century Industrial Revolution

Aristocratic Theory of Mass Society linking moral crisis to weakening traditional authority

Culture Industry Theory by the Frankfurt School critiquing consumer capitalism in pop culture

Progressive Evolution Theory viewing mass education and leisure as democratizing forces

Postmodern ideology and its impact on pop culture and individuality

The power struggle and bullying in the context of mass society and individual identity

Activity: Creating a mind map to visualize learning from the lecture

Conclusion and anticipation for the next lecture

Transcripts

hello everybody and welcome to another

lecture

in our subject philippine pop culture

today we'll be discussing pop culture

theories

what are those ideas for um

thinking that influences how

we study pop culture

let's start with

yuri brunson brenner's ecological

systems theory

so as we are in education

brenton brenner's ecological systems

theory is one of

the major theories that we study

as teachers because it is understanding

the context of the child his

world his surroundings his reality

and every individual has a set of

systems so as filipinos let's look at

brandon brenner's ecological systems

theory

beginning with the microsystem so the

microsystem

is the smallest um element

of a child this includes himself

his identity his name his age

how he looks okay what is important to

him

um his personality it also

includes his family his immediate family

this includes his brothers and sisters

his

mother his father

beyond the microsystem is the muscle

system

so this is the immediate uh surrounding

the child

apart from his personal

microsystem this would include his

neighborhood friends

his school peer groups or

older individuals and

beyond that is his egg exo system

so the exo system would be his workplace

uh his community services

such as the public hospitals

the police the fire department

and his extended family so as you see

it goes outward and becoming

wider and yet these are all still

elements that

influences the identity of

an individual the exosystem also

includes

the social media so today social media

is

one um key

element in an individual's life

one can can spend

so many hours in a day in social media

and since we are discussing pop culture

you will see

that social media is a big part

and it's a very essential part in the

identity of an individual

so in social media it will

give him his influences

his dislikes his dislikes

and even social media themselves

uses terminologies that

um kind of pertains

to how they are to an individual

you would hear words such as

a social media influencer so our social

media influencer is what

we now call celebrities uh

these are youtube vloggers tick-tockers

um facebook uh celebrities or instagram

tweet twitter and

whatever they do whatever they

endorse uh their followers will

also do it that's why they are called in

influencers so these are primary

sources of influences

in pop culture today

also with excel system is the more

traditional

media the mass media this includes your

television

cable television your radios your print

ads

and they are still influencing

the individual

beyond the exo system is the macro

system

so the macro system includes one's

culture

or customs your customs here in the

philippines

what are they with your customs here in

aklan what are

they so this encompasses

all people that is living in this area

this country

also your values what are the values of

a filipino okay you have your family

values you have your

nationalistic values so

these are part of the macro system

and then your loss so laws are something

that

everybody has to contend with everybody

has to follow

and so whatever the laws are here in the

philippines

is uh applicable here and

other countries will also have their own

laws okay

now uh the ecological systems theory

doesn't only just

come outward in a circle it also goes

in depth the in-depth is what you call

the chrono system

or the the importance of generation and

time

okay so you would notice that what was

what was the reality 10 years ago

is it has changed to what it is now

and 20 years ago okay so

here we recognize

the different generations of course you

have your baby boomers

your they were born during the 1970s

1960s okay

so and then you have your gen x okay

i think i am part of gen x so we

we the highlight of our lives were the

1990s

and then we have your millennials okay

they are the adults now

and then you have your seniors they are

your young adults and your teenagers

today

so we have to recognize this because

you would understand pop culture in the

philippines

better if you identify which

generation a certain individual belongs

in

so having having understood

the random brand or psychological

systems theory

we can move forward to the more

traditional

um pop culture theory

we start with the theory of mass society

so the theory of mass society began

during the 19th century

the 19th century is also called the

industrial revolution

industrial revolution is when

mankind discovered steam engine

steam steam power

and so they began to start creating

steel metal iron

you have your big factories your big

machineries

and somehow what used to be

farmlands and nature started to become

the kind of cities we see

we see now yeah lots of big buildings

and the type of works are becoming

office related and we have

factory workers industrial workers

so what like the 19th century brought

is a division of labor so

what used to be like a farmer can be a

miller

and uh also a merchant

now there is a division of labor a

merchant is a merchant a farmer is a

farmer

uh a journalist is a journalist

and as you see growing up

now our labor system our

employment has all these kinds of

new um titles right we have your

electrical engineers chemical engineers

but you also have

like district supervisors

and

computer lab technicians uh these are

new titles for jobs that were not

uh that did not exist before

then um so yes the 19th century

brought the large-scale industrial

organization

and there were concentration of urban

populations so as i've mentioned before

in our overview

pop culture began with the urban

populations

so there becomes an identity

in the cities okay now of course here in

the philippines our 19th century

is kind of different from the western

what we had were spanish era

and uh

so it was a different reality for

filipinos here

however you can still see the changes

in their culture in our culture we have

um uh the values

of proto aspect spanish and also

the filipino values uh we have

the type of dresses and what

what does what a particular filipino

spends his time

with during the spanish columnization of

the 19th century

okay so that is that is one uh new ones

that we have to

consider then we have your growing

centralization of

decision making so

when we were villages and

uh small cities the centralization of

decision making

is through small leaders

or just small group leaders

but with with the industrial revolution

with the 19th century

you have uh the centralization of

decision making

has grown to

to cover

governments and

religious organizations they influence

the lives of the people

then you have development of a complex

and

international communication system

so here they discovered the telephone

and all of a sudden you

have a way of

communicating far farther than before

you have telegraph and uh the postal

service

was in in complete service then

and so with it with with the growing

complex and international communication

system

you find a hint of globalization

you now know what's happening in other

countries

and what are the politics and what are

the

trends in other countries

then you have the growth of mass

political movements

so you have your of course during the

19th century you have your unions

the workers banding part of

fascism socialism communism

and of course democracy

it was during the 19th century that the

term math society was coined

of course we now have mass media so

mass meaning the general public right

and this was introduced by

anti-capitalists

and aristocratic ideologists

mass society term was used against the

values and practices

of industrialized society

and pop culture are often subjected to

bias

so even now

we have um oppositions from

from the pop culture from the mass

society because

of course we don't want to use our ident

uh

our personal identity

so mass society term also originated

from a general

perspective next

the there is the aristocratic theory of

mass society

so when you say aristocratic this is

the hierarchy of the ethics

the rich people the royals so

they have a theory of on their own about

the mass society

they linked it to the moral crisis

caused by the weakening

of traditional centers of authority so

your traditional centers of authority

you have your church you have your

government but then

with the with the growth of people they

started to

rebel against them now

elliot and others predicted a society

the

society dominated by tennessee masses

without centers of hierarchies

of moral or cultural absorption

this is kind of a very negative

outlook because what would what would a

society be like

if you have no moral or cultural

authority but

as as we move towards the

uh

uh bit by bit this is becoming a reality

the next theory we'll discuss is the

theory of culture

industry so now

culture itself became an industry it

became a business

okay and you have

here in the philippines you have um

music industries you have network

industries

movie industries right and

this uh culture industry was developed

by the frankfurt school

who are critical theorists and they met

they mentioned that masses are dominated

by an

all-encompassing culture industry

and obeying only to the logic of

consumer happiness

so we see the the word capitalism for

the first time

and is this kind of something that we

have to contend with

when we are studying pop culture because

consumer capitalism is saying that

the culture industry follows

the people and what the people wants

what the people

um would pay for

okay and for a while

you would see that uh

the values in entertainment and in

the pop culture is also changing

so if you if if i personally

watch netflix now there

are elements in the

[Music]

[Music]

but then they are available now

is this because of capitalism because

people would want to pay

to see these or is it something that

they would say

uh it's it's the freedom of the people

to see

the realities now of course you have to

you have to have a bit of responsibility

there because

we are also responsible for the next

generation

for the children who will be seeing

these things

on tv and yes it is a big influence in

them

as i have mentioned in brother brenner's

ecological systems

next there is the theory of progressive

evolution

the progressive evolution is a liberal

pluralist ideology it sees

economy as creating opportunities

for every individual to participate in a

culture

which is fully democratized through

mass education expansion of leisure time

chief records and paperbacks

so here we are with all the information

available to us and what would

people do with this information

um when i was in college in high school

it was so hard to to research on

something that

i am i am interested in

i have to look for it in the library i

have to look into

magazines you cannot simply find it in

there were no google search engines

so but now that any information

is just one click away how did it

change the society how did it change

the way people think so even

even the growth of people

their evolution has changed because

of the availability of information

now with this i have heard

terminology such as woke or

snowflake or castle culture

and the thing about these is that it

pertains to

a postmodern ideology and

a bit of

a left-wing ideology so when you say

left-wing it is a bit of marxism

wherein uh you look into

way people

think about okay for example

um i would i would be watching

something like i don't know if you know

duck dynasty

and i i like the people there they

they're funny and the patriarch was

an interesting guy who built a dynasty

who built an empire

out of uh an instrument for

calling ducks okay so these are kind of

hilly buildings with

long hair and long beards and the

patriarchs

imagine something that connotes to

the lgbtq community in a negative way

and then the doc dynasty tv series was

cancelled

um there are a lot of elements that went

into that

one is that people especially

from the probably the lgbtq

community protested

against the network against the

production

and also the tv

tv networks now are trying to

put themselves in a in a place

where they are um

they are pleasing the consumer

capitalists

so instead of losing these consumer

capitalists

they would simply cancel one tv show

and then you would have heard of

snowflake

so snowflake is your

your sensitivity okay and the problem

with this is that um

you cannot take everything personally

okay uh if if something

uh hurts us or um

negativity to a certain specific

can't just go marching and

talking about it right we have uh

i i guess it was technology that

facilitated this

and somehow you would see that it is

also

a power struggle a power struggle and

forms of bullying you've heard of

cyberbullying also

then it also goes after the reputation

of individuals so they would

they would attack somebody to

destroy their reputation

and usually the fundamental guide here

is power if that happens

your individuality um disappears

right now part of the mob regarding that

mass society and

the individual becomes the mountains of

their roof

and it's a power struggle between

so it's something that

in the long run is

detrimental to a society

and it will it it only looks

for what was what has evolved into

a modern world

i hope i i was able to explain that

sensitively and

would end my talk today with

an activity for you guys this is

uh what we're going to do is a mind map

a mind map is a good exercise for us to

visualize what we have learned during

this lecture

so in the middle of the mind now is the

the main idea that you got from this

lecture

and you can you can let it go

go beyond and branch out into other

ideas

and you don't have to use lines on a

notebook to do this

because like a notebook would kind of

control your

your thinking too much but with a blank

piece of paper

and just drawing lines and

nothing letting your ideas

have uh go into details

right uh supporting details it can

give you a very good picture of what you

have learned

from this lecture and i will end my

lecture here and hope to see

or i will see you on our next one