| Pop culture is, put simply, the events, people, fads, and | | | | source of information. Theories about the impact of |
| trends that capture the public imagination. It is also a | | | | this concept range from the belief that it is a substitute |
| term used to describe current cultural trends, and | | | | for traditional family and religious values to the theory |
| cultural trends of the past that have achieved enduring | | | | that pop culture is a shared history that links people |
| status. Cultural icons can be anything, even cartoon | | | | together. A lot of pop culture history is tied to the |
| characters, like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and other | | | | popularity of the television, which first made its |
| classic Disney characters. Cultural icons can also be | | | | appearance in the early 1950's. |
| political figures, athletes, celebrities, and people who | | | | The term was first used in the 1950's, but did not really |
| have somehow achieved notoriety in less conventional | | | | gain popularity until much later, when media saturation |
| ways. Examples would be lottery winners, criminals, | | | | made it easier for people to spot and follow trends. |
| inventors, and similar types of people or groups of | | | | Websites that chronicle pop culture through the |
| individuals. Animals can achieve cultural icon status as | | | | decades also make mention of news events, trends, |
| well, either because of their celebrity status, like Lassie, | | | | and celebrity news of the era, and these are the |
| Benji, or Flipper, or because of their association with a | | | | same things that make up pop culture today. |
| human celebrity, like Paris Hilton's Tinkerbelle or the little | | | | If you think back to a popular fashion trend, a music |
| dogs that Britney Spears was seen carrying around | | | | group, or an event that made news in your lifetime, |
| for a while. | | | | than you can see just how much of an impact pop |
| Traditionally, pop culture has held the most appeal for | | | | culture really has. Whether you agree that it has a |
| the younger demographic, but has been thoroughly | | | | deeper social significance or not, it is clear that events, |
| ingrained into society to the point that it is drawing | | | | people, and circumstances do serve as a way to |
| attention from people of all ages. Pop Culture seminars, | | | | connect people. And without pop culture, we wouldn't |
| studies, and academic careers based on the study of | | | | have the Hula Hoop, Silly Putty, slap bracelets, or any |
| pop culture are all commonplace nowadays, particularly | | | | of the other innovations that people take for granted. |
| since the Internet has evolved into such a ubiquitous | | | | |