High Culture Definition
Today, when people travel the world, even with just a backpack while staying at hostels, they will be considered to have important cultural knowledge˳ Traditionally, to be defined as cultured, a person needed to be associated with high social status, wealth, intellect, power, and prestige˳ High Culture is the subset of experiences that defines those in the highest class of society˳ People associated with high culture are part of an elite class who often have political power; they are the ones who attend the ballet or opera on the weekends˳ Furthermore, high culture is connected to higher education and affluence, often including consistent involvement in the arts and literature˳ Basically, this type of culture depends on money and how it is spent, making membership to high society quite restrictive˳
High Culture Examples
Although defining someone as cultured may seem outdated, the fact is that high culture is still prevalent in modern high-class societies˳ In today’s world, the following examples of cultural activities can be associated with high culture:
- Ballet
- Classical music
- Theater
- Opera
- Art exhibitions
- Red carpet events
- Expensive, caviar serving restaurants
- Even charity events and auctions, which are often reserved for the rich
A Box Seat at the Italian Opera
Pop Culture Definition
Unlike high culture, pop culture is easily accessible to the masses˳ It is a subset of culture that the majority participates in, making it a familiar topic of conversation within mainstream society˳ For example, pop music, short for popular music, is a type of pop culture, and the majority of Americans enjoy listening to and talking about pop music on a daily basis˳ In the 80s, Michael Jackson was the King of Pop˳ In the 90s, Mariah Carey ruled the scene, and today, Beyonce has taken the reins˳ In this case, the United States is the larger culture, and pop is a subset of American culture that can be enjoyed by most in U˳S˳ society˳
Pop culture is often spread via media including, radio, television, news, and more commonly in today’s world, social media, such as Facebook and Twitter˳ This ease of information flow is what makes pop culture so accessible; high culture requires wealth for attendance, but pop culture simply requires turning on the television, or just taking a look at the nearest magazines and billboards˳ And while pop culture is considered low-brow when compared to the refined tastes of high culture, the fact is that pop culture has just as much, if not more, value in society˳ High culture may be associated with education, but when teachers make pop culture references in their lessons, students are more likely to listen as they find the material to be relatable and relevant˳ Nowadays, it’s common for curriculums to include hip hop and rap as a means for teaching language, literature, and history, for example˳
Pop Culture Examples
The following are examples of pop culture in today’s world:
- Basketball, both College and the NBA
- Reality television, such as Survivor or Keeping Up With the Kardashians
- Singing competitions like American Idol or The Voice
- Female rap, such as that of Nicki Minaj and Cardi B
- K-pop Bands, such as Blackpink and BTS
- Fast food such as McDonald’s, Subway, or Chick-fil-A
- Role Playing Games like Dungeons & Dragons
- Korean Dramas like Squid Game
Starbucks is currently one of the most popular establishments in pop culture˳
Subculture Definition
Subcultures are smaller cultures within larger cultural groups˳ For example, in the United States, one may identify with American culture as a nation while also identifying with the subculture of their ethnic group, such as Chinese American˳ Similarly, China is a culture as a nation, but China also has 56 subcultures of ethnic groups, 55 of which are minority ethnic groups˳ For instance, the Li ethnic group resides in Hainan where they have their own language, food, clothing, and traditions˳ But a person can be part of more than one subculture, and an individual’s subcultures often make up their unique identity˳ For example, a person may identify with the larger American culture, but they may also identify as Jewish and as being part of the LGBTQ+ community˳
