Popular Culture

Popular Culture is one of four depth studies. In Section II you answer questions from two depth studies; each question is worth 20 marks and has two unrelated parts: (a) 5 marks and (b) 15 marks. NESA's exam specification gives an expected length of about 800 words for the whole question, so (b) is usually about 600 words. Allow about 40 minutes per depth study.

The focus of this depth study is the interaction of popular culture, society and the individual. The syllabus covers:

• The nature of popular culture: popular culture is (1) commercial, produced and marketed for mass consumption; (2) able to move from local to global; (3) accessible to many consumers through media and technology; and (4) constantly changing.
• The focus study: ONE popular culture from a genre such as comic books, cyber culture, fashion, film, leisure, literature, music, sport, television series or toys. You study its origins and development, commodification, mythology, consumption, ownership and control, how it is perceived, and its contribution to social change, plus likely future directions.
• The contemporary context: the role of technology, and a content analysis of a current issue.

Concepts to use: commercialisation, commodification, consumption, ideology, institutional power, continuity and change, conflict, values, plus the course concepts (persons, society, culture, environment, time, power, authority, gender, identity, technologies, globalisation).

• Commodification: turning something (an object, image, experience, even a feeling of belonging) into a product that is bought and sold. Example: limited-edition merchandise, paid fan memberships.
• Commercialisation: organising a culture around making profit, for example through sponsorship, advertising and licensing.
• Consumption: how people buy, use and give meaning to popular culture. Consumers are not passive; they reinterpret, remix and create.
• Mythology: the stories, images and meanings that surround a popular culture and give it status, for example the 'rags-to-riches' story of a star or the idea that a brand represents freedom.
• Ownership and control: who owns the companies, rights and platforms, and how that shapes content. A small number of large corporations often dominate (concentration of ownership).
• Institutional power: the power of organisations such as corporations, governments, classification boards, sporting bodies and media platforms to shape what is produced and consumed.
• Ideology: the values a popular culture expresses or promotes, such as consumerism, individualism or particular ideas about gender.
• Perceptions: how consumers, the media, authorities and the wider public view the culture. New youth cultures are often first seen with suspicion, sometimes producing a moral panic (Stanley Cohen, 1972).

It helps to think about influence in three directions:

1. Society shapes popular culture: technology, the economy, laws and values decide what can be made and sold. For example, a country's classification rules shape which games or films reach young people.
2. Popular culture shapes society: it spreads values, fashions, language and sometimes political ideas, and can contribute to social change (for example, representation of diverse groups).
3. Individuals and popular culture: people use popular culture to build identity and belonging at the micro level, from choosing clothes to joining fan communities. At the meso level, clubs, schools and fan groups organise around it; at the macro level, global corporations and governments regulate it.

Theory you can use

You are not required to use theory, but it can lift an answer:

• The culture industry (Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, 1940s): mass-produced culture encourages passive consumption and serves the interests of those who own it.
• Hegemony (Antonio Gramsci): dominant groups maintain power partly through culture that makes their values seem natural.
• Active audiences (Stuart Hall's 'encoding and decoding', 1973; Henry Jenkins on participatory fan culture, 2006): consumers interpret and remake texts in their own ways.

Using these together shows balance: corporations hold great power, but consumers also shape popular culture.

Choose ONE popular culture and know it in depth. Your evidence should be dated and specific. Prepare notes under each syllabus heading:

1. Origins and development: where and when it began, key turning points.
2. Commodification and commercialisation: how it makes money; merchandise, licensing, sponsorship.
3. Mythology: the stories and images that surround it.
4. Consumption: who consumes it, how and why; the role of fans.
5. Ownership and control: the companies and institutions that control it; any concentration of ownership.
6. Perceptions: how views of it have changed; any moral panics or controversies.
7. Contribution to social change: has it changed values, behaviour or laws?
8. Technology: how technology has changed its production, distribution and consumption.
9. Future directions: trends that point to the next 5–10 years.

Worked example: a focus study outline (Pokémon)

This outline is an example of the level of detail you need; it is not one of our questions.

• Origins: created by Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak; the first games were released for Nintendo's Game Boy in Japan in February 1996. A trading card game and an anime series followed in 1996 and 1997.
• Local to global: the anime and games reached North America in 1998, and the franchise became a global phenomenon within a few years.
• Commodification: one set of characters is sold through games, cards, toys, films, clothing and food packaging. The trading cards encourage repeated buying to 'catch them all', a slogan that turns collecting into consumption.
• Ownership: rights are managed by The Pokémon Company, jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures.
• Technology: *Pokémon Go* (July 2016), a location-based augmented reality game developed by Niantic, took play outdoors and attracted adults as well as children.
• Perceptions: in the late 1990s some schools banned the trading cards and some religious groups criticised the franchise; by the 2020s it was widely accepted and collected by adults, with rare cards selling for high prices.

Notice how each point is linked to a syllabus heading and a course concept.

Content analysis is the research method linked to this depth study and is a common part (a) question.

• What it is: the systematic study of the content of texts (films, music, ads, social media posts, games, magazines).
• Quantitative content analysis: counting how often something appears (e.g. the number of female characters in speaking roles).
• Qualitative content analysis: interpreting meanings, messages and representations (e.g. how characters with disability are portrayed).
• Strengths: popular culture exists in texts, so the evidence is readily available; it is unobtrusive (no participants are affected); it can show change over time; and clear categories make it replicable.
• Limitations: it shows what texts contain, not how audiences interpret them; the researcher's categories may reflect bias; the sample of texts may not be representative.
• Strengthen it by setting clear criteria before you start, using a representative sample, and combining it with a method that captures audience views, such as a questionnaire or focus group.

How to answer a 5-mark 'justify' question

1. Define the method in one sentence.
2. Give two reasons it suits the issue (link to the nature of popular culture).
3. Apply it to a specific example: what texts, what categories, what you would find out.
4. Note one limitation and how to address it.
5. Finish with a sentence that returns to the justification.

The (b) question names a syllabus area and asks you to apply it to your popular culture, for example the impact of technology, the role of ownership, changing perceptions, or contribution to social change.

1. Introduction (3–4 sentences): define the key term in the question, introduce your popular culture, and state your judgement.
2. Body paragraphs (4–5): each one makes a point that answers the question, supported by dated evidence and linked to a concept (e.g. "This shows commodification, because…").
3. Balance: include at least one paragraph on limits or counter-arguments; 'assess' and 'evaluate' require weighing.
4. Change over time: show how the relationship has developed from the culture's origins to today.
5. Conclusion (2–3 sentences): restate your judgement in different words.

• Writing a history of the popular culture instead of answering the question asked.
• Choosing a popular culture that is too broad ('music') or too narrow (one song); choose something like a genre, franchise, toy or sport that has a clear history.
• Using undated, unspecific evidence ("it became really popular online").
• Treating consumers as passive, or treating corporations as all-powerful; strong answers show the interaction.
• Forgetting course concepts. Use commodification, consumption, institutional power and identity by name.

• Learn eight to ten precise facts with dates for your focus study, so you can answer any syllabus area.
• In part (a), the question is usually about the nature of popular culture or content analysis, not necessarily your focus study, but using your focus study as the example saves time.
• 'Assess' and 'evaluate' need a judgement in the introduction and the conclusion.
• Watch the time: about 10 minutes for (a) and 30 minutes for (b).

• Core: technology, globalisation and westernisation explain how popular cultures move from local to global.
• Social Conformity and Nonconformity: fan communities and subcultures show conformity to group norms, and moral panics link to how society labels nonconformist groups.
• Social Inclusion and Exclusion: representation (or absence) of groups in popular culture affects perceptions and stereotypes.