Popular Culture

Popular Culture

Today's pop cultures and subcultures deeply affect the process of identity formation. Traditional identification models such as profession, religion, class, and region appear to exert decreasing influence in the context of an increasing demand for personal flexibility. Pop cultures and sub-cultures not only serve as markers of distinction from others through – sometimes deviant – lifestyles, but also, supported by new media technologies, allow individuals to connect to like-minded people who share a culture worldwide. Sub-cultures can be characterized as groups of people who have something in common, such as problems, interests, or practices, which “distinguishes them in a significant way from the members of other social groups” (Thornton, 1997: 2). Popular cultures were often seen “as a form ...