Pop culture has become one of the largest tools to shape the ideals of much the youth across the nation. Using media outlets such as movies, music, television, video games, internet, and magazines, young children and teenagers have been influenced by popular culture. As with any family, beliefs are passed on from one generation to the next, but what happens when everything they see outside their home contradicts what they know to be true? The values we instill in our children can help carry them through life with a positive or negative outlook. The character, personality, and identity of a person are shaped through many different means, but with the unlimited access to anything and everything through media, children's identities are being skewed. Pop culture both positively and negatively alters the identities of youth in America.
Popular culture is a contemporary life style that is generally accepted by a large population of people. While the opinion of what is popular varies from region to region within the United States, the broad based literature, movies, and music genres cross most of these boundaries. For example the summer blockbuster movie Shrek 2. Though it may have not appealed to everyone, it was popular enough to be a household name. Pop culture is surrounded by many of us in every daily task we do. Whether it is reading a magazine, watching television or a movie rented from Blockbusters, or even listening to the radio in the car, society is induced by some form or another of pop culture are on a daily basis. Pop culture is so ingrained into our society that it's nearly
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impossible to not be influenced by it. The youth are more so victims of pop culture. With easier access, quicker results, and uninformed parents, children are exposed to large amounts of uncensored information fed to them by the pop culture world. This influences and shapes the identities of our children.
The start of popular American culture can be traced back to the...