Is Pop Culture Good For You? Blog

Collaborative Document Dilemmas and Debating Pop Culture

As part of a group assignment, my classmates and I recently had to work together on a collaborative document analyzing an article by Gladwell. The process of coordinating with the group and trying to reach an answer on key points was certainly an interesting experience. On top of the usual challenges of group work, we also had to contend with some technical difficulties that added an extra layer of stress.

To start, scheduling a time for our group to meet up and work on the document was quite difficult. We tried to find a day and time that worked for everyone, but with all of our busy schedules, it was nearly impossible. We went back and forth over messages, but just couldn't seem to agree on something that fit for the whole group. In the end, we had to resort to working chatting as it if was a live chat publication on facebook, with each person contributing their thoughts and rankings individually before trying to mix it all together.

The online platform we were using, Blackboard, also decided to stop at the most inconvenient time. Just as we were trying to finish the document, the system crashed, leaving us all stressed trying to access and save our work. It was a real test of our patience and adaptability as a group. Thankfully, we were able to get things back on track, but the technical difficulties definitely added an extra layer of stress and frustration to the process. Despite these challenges, we managed to produce a collaborative document that I think captures the key points of the Gladwell's article we were analyzing. The article itself explored the power of context and how it shapes social movements and activism, particularly in the digital age. As a group, we discussed questions about the role of social media, the differences between traditional and modern forms of activism, and the potential limitations of online participation. One of the more interesting discussions we had was around the concept of "pop culture" and whether it is ultimately good or bad for society. The article addresses how online activism can sometimes be seen in the realm of "solipsism", with people more concerned with personal branding and visibility than driving real change. This led us to wonder about the broader influence of pop culture and its relationship to social progress.

-Screen shot from the group chat, unfortunately we couldn't meet in person or facetime but we had a great time when one of our group members submitted the assignment by mistake while missing some things of the final work.

On one hand, we acknowledged that pop culture can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and sparking conversations around important issues. Celebrities and influencers with large platforms can use their voices to shine a light on causes and request support. And the memes, viral videos, and other shareable content can help spread ideas and movements.

-Here is a little sneak peak at the technical difficulties.

However, we recognized the negative aspects of the prevalence of pop culture. Reducing important topics to catchy snippets or trending hashtags can oversimplify or trivialize them, which is a potential risk. The focus on personal branding and individual expression in pop culture can hinder collective efforts for social change. In the end, we discovered that pop culture can both help and hinder progress in society. It can enhance significant messages and rally individuals, yet it can also divert attention from more intricate issues. We believed that the key is to utilize the energy and involvement of pop culture to create lasting change, instead of allowing it to be the main focus. As we concluded our joint document, I thought about the similarities between our group dynamics and the article's themes. Similar to how contemporary activism may face difficulties due to a absence of centralized leadership and the excessive independence of competing factions, our group also dealt with the obstacles of organizing and coming to agreements. The article emphasized the significance of context and interpersonal connections, and our capacity to overcome technical challenges and ideological disparities relied on our strong "critical friendships" within the group. Overall, I believe that working together on this document, despite its challenges, taught us valuable lessons about the complexities of social change in both online and offline settings. It serves as a prompt that advancement is seldom easy or direct, and that unforeseen challenges can derail even the most well meaning initiatives. However, it also demonstrates the strength of determination, flexibility, and teamwork. If we can grasp the intricacies of pop music, we'll be successful.