Description: For this essay assignment, you will choose a contemporary popular culture artifact to analyze using course concepts and intercultural communication perspectives. An artifact is a tangible piece of communication such as a film, TV show, song, music video, speech, or commercial. You may choose any one artifact from these categories that you feel is significant timely, or compelling that fits within the textbook’s definition of popular culture (see Ch. 9). The best artifacts are clearly connected to larger social, political, cultural, or ethical issues. For example, a commercial about immigration or the COVID-19 pandemic, a song about protest or social justice, a speech about climate change or gender inequality, a TV show about intercultural relationships, etc.
To analyze an artifact means that you must use course concepts to illuminate how the artifact is communicating a particular message and interpret/explain why that message is important. The analysis is subjective and relies on your unique perspectives and informed opinions. You should use Ch. 9, “Popular Culture & Intercultural Communication” or other outside sources to help you with this assignment, but ultimately, I am looking for your interpretations and perspectives. Keep in mind that any outside sources used must be listed in proper APA format on a references page at the end of your essay.
Instructions: After listening to/watching your artifact and taking detailed notes on your observations, you will write a 3–4-page analysis (see above) using course concepts. In particular, you should aim to answer the following questions:
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How and why is popular culture important/powerful?
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How does this artifact fit within the parameters of popular culture?
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What issue(s) is this artifact demonstrating? Why is this issue important, timely, and/or relevant in our contemporary moment?
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What perspectives and/or cultural groups are being represented by this artifact? For example, does the artifact demonstrate a transnational perspective, a U.S. American perspective, the perspective of hyphenated Americans, the perspectives of migrants or refugees, etc. Importantly, how and why is representation in pop culture important?
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What course concepts does this artifact demonstrate? For example, stereotyping, code-switching, intercultural relationships, transnationalism, social and/or cultural identities, different types of histories, privilege, etc. Review your notes on previous chapters such as Chapters 3 and 5 to help refresh your memory on the course concepts you have learned.
Pop Culture Analysis Essay
Introduction
Pop culture is the kind of modernized cultural dynamics that has been formulated in the Western world. Pop culture provides emphasis on a specific subject which is a matter of focus. Through the use of pop culture, the circulation of information is executed. Pop culture helps human beings to become aware and cautious about the subject. It is also required to mention that the subject has to be prominent in the theme. In this essay, environmental consideration is going to be a concern.
Importance of pop culture
Pop culture is a kind of cultural process that is based on various kinds of mediums. Pop culture helps to provide the unification of human beings. It also helps to provide human beings to concentrate on globalization. Pop culture helps human beings to have the potential to receive different kinds of knowledge. Pop culture is the dynamics through which information can be circulated in a proper way. It also helps to share the cultures of different societies, and it also helps to interact with the different kinds of human beings around the globe.
Artifact and pop culture
The artifact that is going to be used is the speech about environmental conservation. The common theme of environmental pop culture is based on the activities of the various kinds of Environmentalists and youths of the globalized nations, mainly the USA, involved in drama and different kinds of demonstrating actions. Pop culture about environmental conservation is based on human beings having better and more conservative interactions with the environment. This artifact is being formulated by former US President Barack Obama. Barack Obama is a prominent global leader who can act as a modulator of pop culture. In this speech, the former president is invoking the global citizens and authorities to be aware and cautious about the environment of the earth. It can be understood that the followers of Barack Obama are of high value, and it can help to conduct pop culture based on environmental conservation.
Issue based on the artifact
Barack Obama provided the information at the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. The main theme of this speech is based on the UN climate summit. Barack Obama has been represented as a man of spirit. He has been graced by the crowd. Barack Obama has been providing information the modern generation is not aware of about the rising global temperature, which can provide various kinds of issues to human beings. It can also provide issues to the environment of the earth. The former president has provided the information that nations like China and Russia are not bothered about the rise of temperature, which is based on climate change. Barack Obama has also provided the information which has ripped Trump and the gross Republican party for the progressive hostility towards climate alteration. The former president has provided the concerning facts based on iteration that the Carbon Dioxide level is increasing. He has said that the industrial activities of human beings are not focused on filtration and conservation. Everyone is concerned about their own profits and self-interests. It is essential for modern human beings to understand the need for environmental conservation. Barack Obama has provided the clarification that the generation is rich and greedy and is going to kill the younger generation. Barack Obama has also provided the classification that saving resources for the future generation of the earth is also necessary. It can help to save the environmental dynamics of the world (Youtube.com, 2021).
Perspectives of the artifacts
This artifact is based on the environmental conservation speech. This speech from one of the famous global leaders can be excellent, and it can be admirable. It can help to provide inspiration to different kinds of European youths and citizens to become more aware of environmental considerations. This speech has the potential to provide the Environmentalists of the Europe and other nations of the world with increasing their performances. As the speech is being conducted in Glasgow, it can provide mobilization of the globalization culture to involve in the popularity of environmental conservation. As a global leader, Barack Obama has worldwide fans, and any kind of alarming information given by this man to the fans and global citizens to be concerned about the environmental considerations programs.
The concept is demonstrated by the artifact.
This artifact has a high rate of potential. It can act as a motivating tool for the youths and younger generations of the USA and other nations of the world. In this artifact, the stereotype is retaining back the movement of the environment. Stereotyping is the kind of social and phycological matter that is based on the generalized belief about the masses, who are in concern about environmental conservation. The speech is going to provide information to the young generations to become aware of their mental issues. The speech has provided the information that it’s essential to formulate new kinds of innovations that can help to reduce environmental issues like pollution. It is also followed by the circulation of ideas that help to reduce the consumption of resources. This speech can provide the formulation of renewable resources which can help to save coal, petroleum, and other non-renewable resources. This speech can provide confidence to global citizens to have proper involvement in environmental conservation programs. Therefore, through this speech, it can be concluded that an innovative pop culture based on the brand name of Barack Obama can be created. This can provide environmental conservation dynamics and enhancements through the new program, events, conferences, and organizations by the youths of the new generation (Rollingstone.com, 2021).
Conclusion
The essay concludes that it is essential for the USA to act as the global leader in the conservation of the environment. It can help to reduce global issues based on pollution and depletion of resources. Through this, a better-formulated framework can be created, which is dynamic and can help to provide the circulation of awareness of environmental conservation. Climate change is also a serious matter that is required to be considered as the effect of environmental degradation. As the best creation of God, the earth has to save and protected by human beings. It can be considered as the divine duty of human beings. It is also required to make environmental conservation programs based on spiritual essences.
References
Rollingstone.com (2021) Obama Addresses Climate Activists in Glasgow, But Should They Listen?, Retrieved from: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/obama-glasgow-climate-change-cop26-1254911/ [Retrieved on: 15 November 2021]
Youtube.com (2021) President Obama delivers a speech at COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ScHyXs50Q [Retrieved on: 15 November 2021]
