INTRODU C T IO N T O

POPULAR C U L TU R E
• Popular culture (or "pop culture") refers in general to the traditions and material culture of a
particular society.

• In the modern West, pop culture refers to cultural products such as music, art, literature,
fashion, dance, film, cyber culture, television, and radio that are consumed by the majority of
a society's population.

• The term "popular culture" was coined in the mid-19th century, and it referred to the cultural
traditions of the people, in contrast to the "official culture" of the state or governing classes.
WHAT IS CULTURE?
•Culture is derived from the latin word “cultura” or “cultus”, which
means care or cultivation.
•Culture is a social heritage that is transmitted from one generation
to another through language.
•Culture may also be acquired by man as a member of society. It
tells a man what to do, what not to do, and how to do things.
TYPES OF CULTURE
•Material culture - refers to physical objects, resources, and space.
(homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, offices,
factories and plants, tools, means of production, goods and products, stores, foods and so forth)

•Non-material culture - nonphysical ideas that people have in their minds.

(beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language)
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE

• Culture is learned and acquired. It is acquired through sense and experiences from the
society where we belong.

• Culture is shared and transmitted. We share our culture to other people to preserve it so it
can reach the future generation.

• Culture is adaptive or dynamic. Even culture is changing and is adopting to the present
time. People must be prepared and ready to conform to these changes.

• Culture is cumulative. It is said that culture is dynamic therefore it can be modified or

innovated to make it new and updated.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
• Culture is ideational. This serves as an ideal pattern of behavior which are expected to follow
by the members of the society.
• Culture gratifies human needs. Certain culture will continue to exist as long as it satisfies the
needs of human whether biologically or psychologically.
• Culture is social. It is a group product developed by many individuals interacting in a group.
The habits and knowledge are being shared by a member to other members of the group.
• Culture is integration. When we say integration, it means that there is a tendency for
individuals to fully appreciate those elements in culture that are best for them until such time
that those culture will be integrated or be part of one person’s life.
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE

• It serves as the trademark of the people in the society. Culture serves as a distinguishing mark
of one group of people to another group.

• It gives meaning to man’s existence. There is no society that does not have a culture. This
makes the existence of a person more meaningful and purposive.

• Culture unifies diverse behavior. Culture serves as a common denominator of the people in a
group. Though they have differences, through culture they become unified and coordinated.

• Culture provides social solidarity. It develops loyalty and devotion for a common national
pride.
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
• Culture establishes social personality. Behind the differences of one another, through culture we can make
one social identity or personality that is produced in a society or group where a person belongs.

• Culture provides systematic behavioral pattern. Individuals are governed by culture. Each culture consists of
one norm as the basis for all individual to observe.

• Culture predicts social behavior. Since culture is being internalized by the members of a particular society,
the culture of the members can be the basis of predicting the behavior of the members in the society.

• Culture provides social structure category. The culture that exists in a certain society could be the basis of
judging the kind of social structure existing in the society.
MODES OF ACQUIRING CULTURE

• Imitation - children and adults alike have the tendency to imitate the values, attitudes,
language and all other things in their social environment.

• Formal teaching - this may take the form or formal training or informal training. Formally,
the person learns from school. Informally, he may acquire those behaviors from listening
or watching, reading, or interacting.

• Conditioning - the values and attitudes of other people are acquired through conditioning.
This conditioning can be reinforced through reward and punishment.