Pop Culture definition and Pulp Culture Artifact #1

Pop Culture Definition

In my own words, pulp culture is a catch-all definition for the influential mediums that make up the interests and aspects of our daily lives.   The mediums could be in any form, such as video, tactile, audio.  The examples of pulp culture become defined as such when a large group of people takes interest in them, whether it be positively or negatively.  Common examples of popular culture are movies, music, books, advertising, television shows, etc.

Understanding popular culture affects everybody differently.  It affects me in my business environment by influencing what software\hardware\etc. we buy.  For example, Microsoft's near total domination of the computer world in the 1990s led to almost universal adoption of the Microsoft Windows operating environments around the world.  This influences companies such as the one I work for as far as what software and hardware we have and will implement.  As the trends change, such as the heavy adoption of iPhones into business environments, no doubt will my company as a whole adapt to allow for the change in popular trends in the technology world.

 Pop Culture Artifact #1

Image courtesy of http://humdrum28.blogspot.com/2011/01/these-are-some-of-my-favorite-logos-in.html.  Star Trek, and all associated imagery Trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All rights reserved.

I chose the Starfleet Command Insignia to represent Star Trek, one of the most popular science fiction and television franchises in the whole world, as my first chosen pop culture artifact.

I have chosen Star Trek as my pop culture artifact because it is one of my favorite shows.  The show depicts an evolved humanity that has been able to overcome all war and poverty on Earth; a society where humans dedicate their lives to science, exploration and self-betterment.  The message the show conveys is inspiring to me, and to many others.

Star Trek has been making its mark on popular culture ever since the show first debuted in the late 1960s.  The influence the Star Trek universe has on our society is evident in many aspects of our lives.   Fictional devices such as the "Communicators" and "Tri-corders" from Star Trek likely inspired the inventors of the cell phones and iPads of our reality.  Many of the characters, such as "Spock", "Captain Kirk", and "Klingons", are well known characters of popular culture, even to those that may never have seen the show. Various quotes and phrases taken directly or inspired  from the franchise such as "Beam me up, Scotty" and "He's dead, Jim", are still commonly repeated today.

Star Trek has spanned six different series, eleven different movies, and countless books in its 40+ year history.  very few television shows have been able to stay relevant for that amount of time.  I believe this makes Star Trek an excellent example of popular culture.