Ethnography

Pop Cultural Imperialism through the Eyes of the Consumer

            A retail store is a location that most everyone goes to at least once a week, though most people who venture into these establishments probably do not notice how the pop culture of their society is defining them as they shop.  After spending a vast amount of time working at retail stores and having spent almost all my weekend window-shopping, my decision had become clear.  The retail store consumers had become my subject of interest and of study.  Consumers essentially are not so different from the common person walking on the street, yet their attitude and choices are clear reflections of the role that pop culture imperialism plays.

            During my study at various malls, I noticed that many people would typically go to brand name stores or chain stores that in a way had become a brand for selling certain categories of items, such as Best Buy or Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Many consumers would typically make a choice between the popular/reliable items or what items were cheaper; this is for the reason that many of the items that are popular were typically marked as being the most reliable.  A great example of this was watching people go to the Apple Store and Best Buy, I saw many customers leaving Best Buy with an Apple computer, even though the Apple store was upstairs.  Another similar incident was that of Jamba Juice, there was a Robek’s just across the food court, but Jamba Juice had a line, whereas Robek’s looked fairly empty.

            Western style modernity does not provide human beings anything that could be considered meaningful.  This is due to the fact that western society stresses the concept of ‘more is everything,’ which is based on providing the consumer more material goods, however these goods do not offer any significant cultural values, thus material goods only focus on our material gain as oppose to growth, mental or otherwise.  However according to Tomlinson, if modern western society is compared to that of pre-modern societies, there is an obvious lack of community, morality, God, and family traditions.  In comparison, western society is now spiritually very poor, which relates to the rising issues of, addiction, mania, depression, low self-esteem, and self-indulgent behavior (qtd. in Barker 164).

            This leads to the concept of, personal meaninglessness, this is the feeling that life has nothing worthwhile to offer, which has now become a fundamental psychic problem of the late modernity (Giddens qtd. Barker 165).  Which comes from the lack of moral pressure that society places upon us, thus with this lack of morality, we are denied the proper resources in which we need to live a full and satisfying life.  This internal struggle stems from the acceptance of one’s routine, be it work or school, which may lack moral meaning, and therefore, can be experienced as empty practices.

            In relation to consumer culture, which was born from modern western society, there is an unconscious belief that the purchasing of goods or materials creates a better life or places meaning in our lives, though in reality it only delivers a hollow object of desire, which cause the average consumer to question their own value as a human being.  With the rise in consumerism in western culture the cares and attention that one has, typically now goes to that of the advertisers and the goods that supposedly make our life better, thus solidifying our problems in a tangible form of commodity.

            Pop cultural imperialism is to blame for the leading cause of issues that are currently plaguing the consumers of modernity.  This is due to the nature of cultural imperialism evolving within western society, since the society is deemed open-minded and liberal it is easy for a new concept to manifest itself upon others, especially in a country like America.  America is a unique country with certain states being so progressive that they have made the leap into becoming ‘melting pot societies.’  In the ‘melting pot society’, it is often hard to find a true culture behind this society, thus leaving a void for something such as pop culture to propagate itself, which leads t domination by the new medium, that being pop culture.  Therefore, if pop culture is given the chance to redefine the ideals of another society it is fair to say that pop culture has turned into a form of cultural imperialism.

            Even now, “companies are trying to find new ways to keep ad-weary consumers’ attention through pop-culture references.  Corporations and marketers are finding new ways to reach out to customers who are bored with traditional advertisements” (Miller).  It is very clear that pop culture plays a huge role in what we buy and what brands we trust, the fact that consumers have become bored with the typical advertising campaign has now lead the corporations to fund a new marketing machine (which is based on the idea that there is such a thing as pop culture imperialism) to reach the masses.

Works Cited

• Barker, Chris. "A New World Disorder?" Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage, 2008. 164-65. Print.
• Miller, Elizabeth. "Pop-culture Ads Grab Attention; Companies Need to Be Creative." The Washington Times 20 June 2007: A02. Print.