Interesting Popular Culture Artifact

I read your blog and was fascinated by the item you chose. I had never heard of it before. About an hour after reading your blog, I was talking to my son, he is 13 years old, and he was wearing some of them on his wrist. I asked him what they were and he said silly bands. It is strange that I did not notice him wearing these over the past few weeks until someone points it out as a popular culture item. I also wanted to just add how interesting it is that things like this become a fad, whether for a short period of time or a long period of time. But now with technology, fads are spread in record time.

So what is Popular Culture anyway?

According to the book Profiles of Popular Culture, “Popular culture is the system of attitudes, behavior patterns, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society” (Edited by Ray Browne, 2005, p. 3. para. 2).  To me, it is the here and now; the television shows we watch, the music we listen to, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and the homes we want to live in.  It’s what we do for fun; it’s the latest and greatest.  Simply put; it’s the current norms of mainstream society.

Understanding popular culture is not only relevant, but imperative in a business environment; one must know what the consumer wants in order to be successful.  For example, I am in retail; my business depends on having the right products at the right time.  In other words, if we do not have the products that the consumer wants to buy, nothing will sell; without sales, the business will quickly go under.  However, staying in tune with, and understanding popular culture ensures that the business has the right product at the right time.  

An example of a popular culture artifact is that which is pictured above; Silly Bandz.  This is the latest and greatest of juvenile bracelets.  They are pliable bracelets that come in many shapes, such as animals and stars, and come in many colors, including neon and glow-in-the-dark.  I was very excited to see them arrive at my store as I knew they would immediately sell; they were gone in a matter of days.  It would be difficult to find a preteen that was unaware of, or did not own, these bracelets.  Many people call these bracelets a fad; retailers call them a money maker; I call them an artifact of popular culture.      

Browne, R. (Ed.). (2005). Profiles of popular culture. Madison, Wisconsin:  The University of   Wisconsin Press.