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Stylistic Approaches To Pop Culture: Christoph Schubert and Valentin Werner

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Jane Lugea, Stylistic Approaches To Pop Culture: Christoph Schubert and Valentin Werner, Applied Linguistics , 2024;, amae051, https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amae051

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This volume augurs a shift in the way that pop culture is perceived and its place in the study of language. For context, the collection under review was preceded by the publication of The Language of Pop Culture ( Werner 2018) and followed by the recent establishment of the Journal of Language and Pop Culture (John Benjamins). These publications on the intersection of popular culture and language study signal a rising interest in pop culture across linguistics, which Bednarek hailed as a potential ‘“popular turn” in linguistics’ ( 2018: 255) and, in the introduction to this volume, the editors call a ‘turning point’ (Werner and Schubert). In one of the chapters, Stamenković discusses how the rise in studies of multimodality was dubbed ‘the late discovery of the obvious’ Stöckl (2004: 9), applying the same observation to video games; yet we might also apply it to popular culture!

On that note, the editors’ introduction observes that the study of pop culture has already been normalized in cognate disciplines, such as literary studies, cultural studies, and sociology, while historically overlooked in linguistics, citing its exclusion from reference corpora—such as the BNC or COCA—as compelling evidence. They acknowledge that pop culture texts may not necessarily have intrinsic stylistic properties but, following Jeffries and McIntyre (2010: 16), are classified as ‘popular’ because of the contexts in which they occur, as well as social value judgements where they are associated with ‘low culture’. Based on the definition drawn from Merskin (2008), pop culture includes a diverse range of text types and practices in various modes, which are for entertainment purposes and use scripted language. Other defining features include their mass appeal and distribution which, arguably, make popular culture texts all-the-more influential and, therefore, worthy of study.

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Historical research can be incredibly exciting and interesting, but getting started can be daunting--especially if you are starting from scratch in coming up with a topic. 

In general, the most important thing to remember is that getting started early is essential.  Give your self time to browse, connect, reimagine, and revise.  Below are some links walk you through steps for developing a topic and writing an interesting paper.  These aren't the only way to approach the work, but they give you a place to start.   Remember to consult your professor for big questions or concerns and to re-read the assignment.

Learning to Do Historical Research: A Primer How to Frame a Researchable Question Created by historian William Cronin and his graduate students to help undergraduates develop research topic in environmental history, but ideas and concepts are useful for any area  of historical research.

Stages of A Historical Research Project Independent project on the Web. offers a streamlined outline for research processes that may be a good quick reference tool

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• Think like a file clerk.  sometimes collections are organized by subjects, but often they are organized around dates, alphabetical listings of names, or by the group or individual that produced the records. If you don't find any files called "Cuban Missile Crisis" in a search of a politician's papers from the early 1960s, there is a good chance that there are relevant materials in  a folder called "1962."  (The more you know; the MORE YOU KNOW!)

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111 Popular Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Popular culture is a fascinating and ever-evolving aspect of society that influences our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. From music and movies to fashion and social media, popular culture shapes our daily lives in countless ways. If you're looking for inspiration for your next essay on popular culture, we've got you covered with 111 topic ideas and examples to get you started.

• The impact of social media influencers on consumer behavior
• The evolution of hip hop music and its influence on society
• The portrayal of mental health in popular culture
• The rise of reality TV shows and their effects on viewers
• The cultural significance of memes in the digital age
• The representation of gender and sexuality in popular culture
• The influence of celebrity endorsements on consumer choices
• The role of fashion in popular culture and self-expression
• The impact of streaming services on the music industry
• The cultural appropriation of minority cultures in popular culture
• The influence of video games on youth culture
• The representation of race in Hollywood films
• The phenomenon of binge-watching TV shows and its effects on mental health
• The popularity of true crime documentaries and podcasts
• The rise of K-pop and its global impact
• The portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in popular culture
• The influence of technology on popular music production
• The nostalgia trend in pop culture and its appeal to millennials
• The role of fan communities in shaping popular culture
• The impact of social media on celebrity culture
• The representation of women in superhero movies
• The influence of TikTok on music trends
• The phenomenon of viral challenges on social media
• The portrayal of mental illness in TV shows and movies
• The popularity of superhero movies and their cultural significance
• The evolution of online dating and its portrayal in popular culture
• The cultural significance of tattoos in modern society
• The impact of streaming platforms on the film industry
• The representation of disability in popular culture
• The influence of gaming culture on mainstream media
• The rise of eco-friendly fashion in popular culture
• The portrayal of drug use in popular music
• The influence of celebrity fashion on trends
• The cultural significance of sports in popular culture
• The representation of body image in advertising
• The impact of cancel culture on celebrities and public figures
• The influence of political satire in comedy shows
• The portrayal of mental health in music lyrics
• The popularity of true crime podcasts and their appeal to audiences
• The role of nostalgia in marketing and advertising
• The representation of technology in science fiction movies
• The influence of social media on beauty standards
• The evolution of dance trends in popular culture
• The cultural significance of food trends
• The impact of social media on body image
• The representation of race and ethnicity in TV commercials
• The influence of celebrity endorsements on fashion trends
• The role of fan fiction in popular culture
• The portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships in TV shows
• The popularity of ASMR videos and their effects on viewers
• The influence of Instagram on travel trends
• The representation of women in advertising campaigns
• The impact of streaming services on the film industry
• The cultural significance of street art
• The evolution of language in popular culture
• The influence of reality TV shows on beauty standards
• The portrayal of mental health in young adult literature
• The popularity of conspiracy theories in popular culture
• The role of nostalgia in music trends
• The representation of gender in video games
• The influence of social media on fashion trends
• The cultural significance of emojis in communication
• The impact of celebrity scandals on public perception
• The portrayal of addiction in TV shows and movies
• The influence of social media on body positivity movements
• The phenomenon of influencer marketing in the beauty industry
• The representation of race and ethnicity in fashion advertising
• The popularity of true crime documentaries on streaming platforms
• The evolution of internet slang and its impact on language
• The influence of gaming culture on fashion trends
• The cultural significance of street style photography
• The portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in young adult literature
• The impact of social media on mental health awareness
• The role of nostalgia in music festivals
• The representation of disability in children's literature
• The influence of celebrity chefs on food trends
• The popularity of DIY culture in the digital age
• The evolution of online dating apps and their impact on relationships
• The cultural significance of drag culture
• The portrayal of race and ethnicity in social media influencers
• The influence of social media on travel destinations
• The phenomenon of viral challenges on YouTube
• The representation of mental health in comic books
• The impact of streaming services on the TV industry
• The role of fan art in popular culture
• The influence of celebrity fashion on street style
• The cultural significance of dance trends
• The evolution of slang in rap music
• The popularity of wellness trends in popular culture
• The portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships in romantic comedies
• The representation of race and ethnicity in beauty advertising
• The impact of celebrity endorsements on skincare trends
• The role of fan fiction in shaping TV show narratives
• The cultural significance of streetwear fashion
• The evolution of language in pop music lyrics
• The influence of social media on body image
• The phenomenon of influencer marketing in the fitness industry
• The representation of mental health in young adult novels
• The popularity of true crime podcasts and their appeal to listeners

These are just a few examples of the many ways popular culture influences our lives and shapes our society. Whether you're interested in exploring the impact of social media on beauty standards or the representation of race in Hollywood films, there's no shortage of topics to explore in the world of popular culture. So pick a topic that interests you, do some research, and start writing your next essay on popular culture today!

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Popular Culture Research Paper

This sample culture research paper on popular culture features: 6600 words (approx. 22 pages) and a bibliography with 42 sources. Browse other research paper examples for more inspiration. If you need a thorough research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always turn to our experienced writers for help. This is how your paper can get an A! Feel free to contact our writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates.

I. Introduction

Academic writing, editing, proofreading, and problem solving services, get 10% off with 24start discount code, ii. the future is the past, iii. mass society becomes popular culture, iv. contemporary popular culture, v. the heart of the matter, vi. conclusion.

Popular culture is a malleable concept. It can be thought of as folk culture produced by people as an expression of their values and modes of existence, and it can be the opposite, an ideologically laden product imposed by an elite class in a display of power and social control. Popular culture can be an ordinary part of everyday life as well as a site of intellectual and political struggle. It can be a participatory form within a community (actual or virtual) that engages the most populous mainstream in society, and it can be a mode of entertainment— an almost universal feature of most known societies. Wall painting, body decorating, singing, and gladiatorial sports from the ancient world can all be regarded as forms of popular culture, as can Rembrandt’s cottage industry products and Shakespeare’s seventeenth-century theater. Items for inclusion in the category of popular culture are now so diverse that no single definition contains them. Thus, popular culture refers to any demotic form that appeals to the populace at large, and as such, it can function as a social bond and folk culture that is expressive of the people. In its early form, from the sixteenth century, the popular also implied the lowly, vulgar, and common (Storey 2005:262). Popular culture can simultaneously refer as well to a mass media dedicated to spreading propaganda and political repression. In the modern era of industrial capitalism, it is an element in a vast commercial enterprise that both co-opts forms of rebellion and sustains an intellectual, creative class that might also be opposing it. When Andy Warhol declared that modern art is “what you can get away with,” he demonstrated the frangibility of the boundaries around art; in much the same way, the products of popular culture now exert similar category pressures, bringing emphasis to the problem of representation in the popular mainstream, of who is being addressed by the products, and who is the populace in popular.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the range of phenomena potentially covered by the term popular culture is such that its study is necessarily interdisciplinary and of interest not just to sociologists but also to a variety of area specialists in fields such as American studies (from which the Journal of Popular Culture has its origins), anthropologists, historians, and literary scholars. It has also generated new academic disciplines, including cultural studies, leisure studies, media and communication studies, and youth studies. It has been a focus of research and teaching in gender studies, where the question of how femininity and masculinity are socially and culturally constituted gives priority to issues of representation and everyday cultural practice. The coexistence of these new research and teaching disciplines with the older subfields in sociology from which some of them, at least in part, emerged (e.g., sociology of popular culture, sociology of cultural production, sociology of everyday life, sociology of education, sociology of gender, sociology of sport, and sociology of consumption) and with the more established disciplines of anthropology, history, and literature makes the field of popular culture crowded and, at times, contested.

The legacy of the ancient Greeks, of Plato and Aristotle, and the aesthetic products of the Renaissance have been largely eclipsed by the scientific revolutions of the seventeenth century onward. This has had the effect of separating the arts from science, creating dual cultures and knowledge systems that sometimes seem unrelated, and a consequence of the separation has been a quest for a science of human behavior and society. Yet such measures are elusive. A sense of progress is largely based on a belief that there are measurable trends in social organization and administration that build on the achievements of earlier societies. Estimates of the value of popular culture as contributing to the improvement and civilizing of society become implicated in these debates. For instance, those elements of popular culture that encourage greater liberalism in the circulation of knowledge and more democratic social practices can be used to signify increased levels of human progress. With the busy commercialism of the eighteenth century and the profound changes it brought to mechanics and technology, there was a comprehensive renovation of the individual’s everyday experiences. Ideas now circulated widely through coffeehouses in London, Paris, and Venice; clubs and philosophical societies sprang up in provincial towns; the closed and elite position of the artist and patron had begun to change; commercial theaters flourished, as did dealers in engravings, paintings, silverware, and furniture. Publishers, merchants, and shopkeepers became part of an intellectual revolution that made the social meaning and status of art objects of fresh interest to the urban dweller. City life was not just about surviving dense living quarters and compromised hygienic conditions; it also involved the emergence of a middle class and the commercialization of taste and the arts. The material and technical changes of the modern world brought new ways of thinking about and experiencing pleasure, which in turn directly influenced what we now understand as popular culture and its capacity to shape society.

Sociology’s engagement with popular culture was framed in the first instance by the opposition between “community” and “society,” through which the discipline organized understanding of the transition from feudalism and agriculture to capitalism and industry. Popular culture produced by ordinary people (the folk) was part of the charm of community; popular culture produced as a commodity for “the masses” was part of the attenuated lifeworld of society. These oppositions of community/society and folk/mass are imbued with nostalgia for enduring social relationships and “traditional” cultural practices that have been embedded in a hierarchically ordered rural lifeworld— the “fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions” swept away, as Marx and Engels (1930:17–36) put it, by capitalism’s “constant revolutionizing of production.”

In the nineteenth century, with the advent of technologies for mass communication, mapping the terrain of popular culture involved adding further layers and permutations to the meaning of the term, which could no longer be restricted to culture produced by “the people.” The association of popular culture with widely recognized celebrity figures, material icons, and forms of social knowledge that are widely distributed through mass societies was under way by the early twentieth century with the expansion of communication technologies (film, radio, photography) and their increasing commercialization. Through the second half of the twentieth century, revolutionary developments in electronic and information communication technology allowed for increasingly rapid distribution of this culture across the globe. In effect, this lifts popular culture out of a local context (where it was situated prior to the nineteenth century) and relocates it on a global stage. The cultural industries (e.g., the Hollywood film studios and transnational telco networks) with their vast technological reach have made popular culture a defining feature of what Marshall McLuhan (1964) termed “the global village.”

Both sociology and popular culture in its massproduced form were products of the same historical conjuncture—namely, the industrial revolution and its associated social, cultural, and political upheavals. The language of social fragmentation and moral disintegration that underpins discussion of the relocation of rural populations into industrial cities thus framed interpretation of their commodified leisure pursuits as less worthy than the folk traditions that preceded them. According to Raymond Williams (1961:17), the idea of “culture” as it emerged in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was conceptualized as a transcendent sphere of noninstrumental value from which the increasingly rationalized, commodified, and environmentally polluted lifeworld of industrial capitalism could be judged. Whether from Herder’s (2002) understanding of “folk culture” or Matthew Arnold’s (1935) sense of high culture as a bulwark against anarchy, culture was positioned in opposition to the masses. This was a neat ideological reversal in which the historical actors who suffered most in the transition to capitalist modernity were deemed responsible for its sometimes impoverishing cultural consequences. As bearers of “mass culture,” uprooted peasants, remade as urban workers and a swelling underclass, were positioned as barbarians within the gates—a threat not only to social and political order but to “civilization” itself.

The sociology of popular culture separates from the sociology of the mass society at the point where the relationship between high culture and popular culture loses its simple homology with class division and assumes a more complex symbiotic relationship that generates new definitions of taste. The creation of the mass audience from the 1920s, largely through the popularity of Hollywood films, solidified yet another cultural fissure, extending the one created between 1890 and 1930 by the avant-garde of Rimbaud, Joyce, and Picasso. The separation of high, mass, and avant-garde tastes made it clear that cultural messages of any kind cannot be dissociated from the social conditions from which they arise. The popularity of contemporary forms such as the cinema, sitcom TV, and fashion magazines seems to advance the ideological appeals of materialist capitalism. The Frankfurt School, in particular, championed much of the avant-garde as the conscious minority who were resisting the standardization that came with the mass production and consumption of products from the American culture industries.

The sociology of popular culture in its contemporary form draws on the early work of Raymond Williams (1961), who redefined culture to include a new layer of meaning—namely, the structure of feeling. Williams rightly pointed out that how people thought and felt about themselves and others played a singularly important role in shaping everyday culture. It was not sufficient to study social institutions, such as the family, and the organization of production; it was also necessary to understand how members of society communicated, acquired ideas and tastes, expressed views, and felt engaged in society.

By definition, whatever is popular has a large audience and is well received by huge numbers of people. In the twenty-first century, the popular is most often produced by professionals (such as journalists, musicians, and filmmakers) to appeal to global audiences that traverse various local cultures. In this context, questions about the nature of popular culture that relate to its production and audience (e.g., the question of whether popular culture is produced by the people for themselves as a kind of folk culture) represent viewpoints more useful prior to the eighteenth century. Thereafter, popular culture has been understood as those ideas and entertainments that win the attention of a mass audience, and as such, it is a manufactured form of entertainment and idiomatic knowledge often characterized as being inferior to other, more highbrow or elite forms. It can then be imbued with sinister intentions; for instance, it can be thought of as a tool in a political armory designed to be a form of entertainment that is made easily available to keep the masses distracted and diverted.

Embedded in these views are assumptions that culture originating from the lower social orders, or appealing en masse to a mainstream, is both less interesting than highbrow culture and more heavily freighted with ideology. It also assumes that popular culture can be understood and interpreted properly from the vantage point of those in an elite intellectual position. Yet popular culture is not a homogeneous form; it has contradictions within itself as well as a range of diverse forms. A new manner of thinking about popular culture was provided by the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, established in 1964 under the leadership of Richard Hoggart, who had lovingly documented the working class culture of his youth in The Uses of Literacy (1958). Hoggart’s approach was in direct opposition to the perspectives expressed by T. S. Eliot (1948) and F. R. Leavis (1948), who argued for a top-down approach to the civilizing influences of culture. Hoggart’s construction of the working class and its cultural practices and preferences was a major factor in defining the populist agenda of popular culture in the British context. He made explicit the link between the study of popular culture and representations of class and the distribution of privilege. He asserted the importance of art and culture as the means by which much of the individual’s quality of life was revealed. Learning to read objects and practices in a critical manner was the key to understanding society. The dominant elite classes had expressed their own views through a monopoly over culture, and these values had been taken for granted. Now with the establishment of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, the canonical elite forms of high culture were transposed into sites of cultural struggle as new modes of seeing were being developed. Across the Atlantic, other social analysts and theorists were at work reshaping views toward the popular and, in so doing, changing the sociological landscape of everyday modern life.

In the first half of the twentieth century and into the 1960s, the study of popular culture in sociology can be located in terms of three broad traditions. Within Parsonian structural functionalism, emphasis on system maintenance gave popular culture one of two functions: “value integration” or “tension management.” Popular events and practices were judged according to the effectiveness of their contribution to one or the other of these outcomes. Within Marxism, the location of popular culture in the ideological superstructure carried similar implications. For instance, if the ideas of any age are the ideas of the “ruling class,” then a shift in the popular, from forms of expression and practices embedded in the lifeworld of “the folk” to forms of amusement and entertainment produced under industrial conditions as commodities for sale to the masses, has the politically serious consequence of positioning popular culture as a means of rendering the dominant system of class relations palatable to subordinate groups. The idea of the popular being resistive had not yet formulated itself within this perspective. With symbolic interactionism and the Chicago School, the notion of “subculture” did focus attention on social actors and the construction of meaning and, thus, marked the beginning of a more complex way of understanding the individual’s real or immediate social experience. Such perspectives promised to incorporate the quirkiness of the private and the diversity of individual value positions into the sociological project (Truzzi 1968). Had this been a more successful maneuver, it might well have anticipated much of the success enjoyed by the subdiscipline of cultural studies some three decades later. However, the specter of social fragmentation and moral decline hovered over early studies such as Paul Cressey’s (1969) study of commercialized recreation and the inner city, The Taxi-Dance Hall, and this aura persisted into the mid-1960s, thus positioning popular culture more as a “social problem,” as evidenced by the inclusion of Howard Becker’s (1963) study of dance musicians in Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance and Herbert Gans’s essay on popular culture in America in the edited collection Social Problems: A Modern Approach (Becker 1966).

One of the defining moments in the sociology of popular culture was the relocation of scholars from the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research to temporary accommodation at Columbia University in New York in the mid-1930s. As exiles from Nazi Germany, they had seen a popular movement that was morally corrupt and rancid; thus, their critical engagement with American popular culture was framed by an acute sense of the capacity of radio and film to mobilize audiences to support wrong-headed causes such as fascism. In the United States, they argued, the technologies of mass communication served the interests of capitalism. In coining the term “culture industry” (Jay 1973:216) to describe the “non-spontaneous, reified, phony culture” churned out as entertainment by Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley, they shifted the terms of debate on the politics of the popular from “mass taste” to the conditions of its production. Popular culture was deemed an ideological misnomer for the products of a profoundly undemocratic industry characterized by centralized control, distance between audience and performers (the star system), standardization, instrumental orientation, and affirmation of existing social privileges. In contrast to conservative critics of mass culture, who argued that democracy leveled taste to the lowest common denominator (e.g., de Tocqueville 1966; Ortega y Gasset [1948] 1968), the critical theorists of the Frankfurt School framed the problem in terms of capitalist social and economic relations and technological rationality. They saw the culture industry as extending capitalist domination into all areas of life,

subordinating in the same way and to the same end all areas of intellectual creation, by occupying men’s sense from the time they leave the factory in the evening to the time they clock in again the next morning with matter that bears the impress of the labor process they themselves have to sustain throughout the day. (Horkheimer and Adorno [1947] 1979:131)

Whether the product was cars or culture, the technology of mass production was inseparable from “the rationale of domination” underpinning “the coercive nature of society alienated from itself.” “Automobiles, bombs and movies,” they argued, “keep the whole thing together” (Horkheimer and Adorno [1947] 1979:121).

While the Frankfurt School critique of the culture industry was of a piece with the arguments on “mass society” being put forward by David Reisman’s (1964) The Lonely Crowd and C. Wright Mills’s (1959) The Power Elite, it was less than palatable to a generation of sociological and cultural theorists who had grown up with television and regarded rock ‘n’ roll as “an instrument of opposition and liberation” (Gedron 1986:19). Their commitment to the resistive force of rock ‘n’ roll was particularly strong if their reading of the Frankfurt position extended no further than Adorno’s ([1941] 2002) quarrelsome essay “On Popular Music” or his offensively ethnocentric essay “On Jazz” (published under the pseudonym of Hektor Rottweiler). This interpretation of Adorno’s essays on popular music and jazz so offended them that they read no further. Yet Herbert Marcuse’s (1964) One- Dimensional Man presented a similarly bleak view of the capitalist domination gained through the broad appeal of entertainment and consumer goods, but as he was writing in the 1960s, after living 30 years in California, he was not writing from the position of social dislocation and culture shock that must have colored Adorno’s views on American culture. While Adorno was reviled as a cultural elitist, Marcuse’s concepts of “co-option” and “repressive tolerance” became part of the language of the New Left.

Marcuse (1964) lamented the infusion of the consumer ethic into the popular imagination: “People recognize themselves in their commodities; they find their soul in their automobile, hi-fi set, split-level home, kitchen equipment” (p. 24). His argument that “the irresistible output of the entertainment and information industry” is part of a commodity culture that serves to “bind the consumers, more or less pleasantly to the producers, and through the latter to the whole” (p. 12) is faithful to the spirit of Horkheimer and Adorno. Yet at the same time, his thesis that radical students and blacks were bearers of the revolutionary mission from which consumption had seduced the working class gave de facto recognition to a new cultural politics in which popular music, underground comics, and films were capable of expressing and mobilizing opposition to capitalism, albeit in commodity form. The Frankfurt School thesis on a culture industry uniformly affirmative of capitalism was destabilized by the advent of the New Left, whose members listened to Bob Dylan and The Doors, read Karl Marx, and reframed the Hollywood movies of the 1930s and 1940s as “classics” celebrated by directors of the French “nouvelle vague.”

A sociology of popular culture based on rejection of the mass society model emerged in the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television and rock ‘n’ roll arrived at university and graduate schools. This was a period of expansion in higher education and the extension of access to students from the working class, many of whom were the first in their family to attend university. While the emotional dynamics of social mobility are complex, and there is no necessary connection to be made between being from the working class and identifying with its “taste culture” (Gans 1974:68), nonetheless, a space was being made in which a new twist in the social significance of popular culture was about to take shape. This new generation of students was also eager to consume the popular culture of its own making. It did not accept the theoretical approach to popular culture, which defined one’s own tastes and practices as inferior, and the idea that popular music served to pacify the masses did not generate much enthusiasm; indeed, this was particularly unconvincing given the equation of rock music with youth rebellion.

The new generation of students in the early 1960s overturned the theories about industrialized popular culture and the mass society. The depiction of society as a vast mass of alienated and atomized individuals, who were undifferentiated from one another and unable to overcome a nameless loneliness, was about to be swept away. Reisman’s (1964) depiction of modern America in The Lonely Crowd was replaced with the communities of Woodstock. Feminism, gay liberation, identity politics, and race debates shattered the sense of homogeneity that permeated the economic expansionism of the suburban 1950s and set in motion the mannerisms of thinking that would arrive at French poststructuralism and postmodernism and threaten the Anglo-American discipline of sociology with theoretical eclipse.

One obvious consequence of the social, cultural, and political movements that defined the 1960s as a transformative decade was a new relation between popular culture and the academy. While earlier generations of sociologists had approached popular culture from the outside, and by implication from “above,” the post-1960s generation were more likely to share its codes and values. Popular culture was in that sense normalized as part of everyday life rather than positioned as a “problem” to be interrogated for signs of social pathology. Changes in technologies of production were also implicated in rejection of the mass culture approach, which made less sense as Fordist conditions of mass production and consumption were rendered obsolete by new electronic and information technology that made it possible for producers of all manner of goods to cultivate “niche” and “subcultural” markets.

Work associated with the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies exemplifies this shift in focus. There was a sense in which both the critique of mass culture and the culture industry thesis can be read as denigrating popular taste and, by implication, the people who have it. It might therefore be argued that dismissal of the Frankfurt School critique as an “elitist defence of high culture” is fuelled by a sense of class “injury” (Sennett and Cobb 1972) that produces selective (mis)reading—passing over barbed remarks about art galleries and “classical music” and taking umbrage at the perceived insult to ordinary people and their pleasures.

Yet there were significant similarities between the Frankfurt and Birmingham traditions, as Douglas Kellner (1995) astutely noted, in terms of a shared interest in how culture and consumption served to integrate the working class into capitalism. But whereas the Frankfurt School’s culture industry thesis allowed no scope for resistance, the Birmingham School adopted Gramsci’s concepts of hegemony and counterhegemony to position popular culture as a site of struggle between the forces of hegemonic domination and counterhegemonic resistance. Stuart Hall’s (1980) influential essay “Encoding/Decoding” argued that people are active “readers” of media texts, decoding messages in one of three ways: (1) a dominant or “preferred” reading, which accepts the intended message; (2) a “negotiated” reading, in which some elements of a message are accepted and others opposed; and (3) an “oppositional” reading, which is opposed to the way the “encoder” of the message intended it to be read. Watching television was thus redefined as an active process involving the production of meaning rather than the consumption of capitalist ideology, and viewers could no longer be written off as couch potatoes or cultural dopes. In the same way, Birmingham School studies of subcultures (e.g., Hebdige 1979; Willis 1978) involve what Miller and McHoul (1998) aptly describe as a shift from “culture as a tool of domination” to “culture as a tool of empowerment” (p. 14) with subordinate groups appropriating commercial popular culture for their own ends, which invariably entail “resistance” to the dominant order.

The emergence of another contiguous field, the sociology of consumption, has added further dimensions to the study of popular culture. In this vein, John Fiske (1989) draws on Michel de Certeau’s (1988:127) understanding of consumption as a form of secondary production to extend the argument on appropriation so that popular culture can be seen as being produced by its consumers. In his view, “popular culture in industrial societies is contradictory to its core” because it is produced and distributed as a commodity by “a profit-motivated industry,” but at the same time, it is “of the people,” whose choices determine whether or not the products of the culture industry are “popular.” In support of his position, Fiske (1989) points to “the number of films, records and other products that the people make into expensive failures” (p. 23) and maintains that as a living, active process of generating and circulating meanings and pleasures within a social system, popular culture cannot be imposed from without or above but indeed is “made by the people.” From this point of view, what the culture industries produce is “a repertoire of texts or cultural resources for the various formations of the people to use or reject in the ongoing process of producing their popular culture” (p. 24). It might be argued that in the absence of power to define the repertoire of cultural resources from which “popular culture” is produced, consumer choice is a poor substitute for cultural democratization. As Kellner (1995) observed, “The texts, society, and system of production and reception disappear in the solipsistic ecstasy of the textual producer, in which there is no text outside of reading” (p. 168). Moreover, uncritical valorization of “oppositional reading,” “resistance,” and “audience pleasure” leaves out important questions of power and value in relation to forms of cultural expression in which one group’s resistance involves another’s oppression.

The maturation of popular culture as a proper field of sociological enquiry has seen a massive growth in its range of topics, from an analysis of the greeting card (Papson 1986) to football crowds and museum attendance (Bennett 1995), from gender advertising (Goffman 1972) to radio broadcasting and teen magazines (Johnson 1979; McRobbie 1991). As well as providing fascinating case studies of popular practices, this type of scholarship also alerts us to an underlying political agenda, and from sociological readings of such popular practices, we can identify systematic instances of social injustice, exclusion, and prejudice. Popular forms such as top 40 dance music, street fashions, skateboarding, Internet chat rooms, and “blogging” reveal complex social relationships and group identifications. Chris Jenks’s (2005) sociology of culture brings the rigors of theory to illuminate how the contemporary urban experience can be understood as a shifting ground where the institutions of power and social order have been substantially destabilized by various innovations and, in particular, the impact of new technologies in communications.

Subsequently, it becomes more apparent that studies in popular culture can be portals to understanding the postmodern experience in a wider sense. It is not the case that popular culture is automatically about the simplest and most banal or only about the fashionable and fresh. For instance, the serialized production of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1995) attracted at least 10 million viewers and subsequently has been broadcast in over 40 countries. The publisher of the novel sold 430,000 copies in the year following the television screening of the serial. Such an example of a popularized book, traditionally categorized as part of highbrow or elite culture, identifies new directions for studying the popular. In this instance, it points to the possibility that canonical products (Austen, Shakespeare) that are assumed to be part of an elite cultural field can be read differently and thus become expressions of rebellion and resistance to dominant conventions and manners of thinking. Reading against the grain and subverting the form can be modes through which we establish what we like and hence use the cultural form to reveal ourselves. Accordingly, the popularity of Pride and Prejudice might well indicate a form of refusal of the social disruption being associated with increased globalization during the 1990s. It could be argued that its depiction of local village life was a repudiation of the blurred boundaries and oceanic liberations that were washing over us with the advent of the Internet and instantaneous global communications. Austen’s sympathetic view of provincial life, in contrast to the sophistication of London society, may well have appealed to the modern masses, who were experiencing an unnerving sense of destabilization brought about by the vertigo induced by mass communications and the accompanying collapse of temporal and spatial divisions.

From the BBC version of Austen’s novel in the mid- 1990s to the parodic film Bride and Prejudice in the Bollywood genre in the twenty-first century, there are numerous examples of how items of traditional elite culture can be reformulated into popular versions and thereby come to support a continuous and often querulous reading of the world. The works of Austen, Shakespeare, and Mozart have been so repositioned, with the consequence that it is worth asking, Have these forms been co-opted into a nostalgic diversion that promotes the pleasures of domestic life? And can this be regarded as a disguised form of social control? Does such repositioning reveal the processes of bowdlerization that are so often apparent in popularization? Or, conversely, is the expanding category of popular culture a sign of maturation in the cultural capital of modern societies as products of our elite heritage are introduced and absorbed into mainstream life?

The impossibility of providing definitive answers that would allow us to take a firm stand either for or against popularizing appropriations of canonical texts lends support to Eva Illouz’s (2003) argument that what she calls “pure critique”—the tradition of cultural criticism that holds popular culture to account in relation to a clearly articulated political or moral standpoint—is no longer an option. At the same time, she sees the “systematic ambivalence” of postmodernism as contrary to sociology’s critical vocation—its necessary engagement with “the question of which social arrangements and meanings can enhance or cripple human creativity or freedom” (p. 207). Given the collapse of metanarratives through which cultural critics presumed to know in advance what texts “ought” to say and how, Illouz advocates the development of “impure critique,” which engages with cultural practice from the inside instead of “counting the ways” in which popular culture promotes (or fails to promote) a given political agenda. She argues that as in psychoanalysis, critical understanding in the sociology of popular culture “ought to emerge from a subtle dialogue that challenges reality by understanding it from within its own set of meanings” (p. 213).

One such approach to the meaning of popular culture is provided by Mikhail Bakhtin’s (1984) study of carnival, which represents popular culture as a vision of the world seen from below. Carnival is a festive form of political critique of existing social hierarchies and modes of high culture. It can transform the world into a site of pleasure where the significance of economic alliances, political forces, and social conventions can become inverted and thus made into sources of parodic humor and entertainment. Bakhtin locates carnival most often in an urban setting, where there are opportunities for contestation and where it finds application to a variety of contemporary festivities such as street parades, county fairs, sports events, bicycle races, and walkathons. Such popular activities flourish in the more complex society of the town, where commerce and the marketplace bring together individuals with different experiences and cultural consciences. From this mix of strangers, there is opportunity for outbreaks of the unpredictable, inadvertent, and humorous, which in turn produce varied forms of popular entertainment. Ordinary individuals are given access to a global media and subsequently perform themselves. Heroes of the day emerge and become instant celebrities.

Contemporary popular culture in the West has been dominated by a celebrity culture that elevates individuals into icons of practice: Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, Bart Simpson, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Jordan, and so on become archetypes of modern values. They are instruments in the production of popular culture, and at the same time, they function as hinges or switching points where mainstream values can be derailed and rerouted. Through their (often unintentional) personal influence, we can see the networks through which the arts, music, cinema, bookselling, publishing, television, and magazines are interleaved. The spate of reality television programs has most recently introduced an intensified selfreflexivity into popular culture that echoes certain practices from the Renaissance, when carnivale drew attention to the fragility of status and the social order and showed how easily it could be inverted. The globally popular reality TV program Big Brother, for example, can be seen as “carnivalesque,” in that it generates a widespread interest in the banal and ordinary, which in turn is revealed to be much more diverse and contested than expected. Thus, in the heterogeneous spaces of the metropolis, individuals with different cultural experiences and values are brought together in clashes of language, speech patterns, behavioral habits, and conventions. When this occurs, the spectator or viewer is made a witness to difference and, in turn, is consequently made more self-aware. These displays of contrasted styles of conducting business, thinking about the world, and living in it build a foundation for forms of entertainment and culture that are engaging, entertaining, and socially creative and have a wide popular appeal.

In a parallel manner, when Georg Simmel (1900) analyzed metropolitan life in the early decades of the twentieth century, he identified stock characters such as the dude who slavishly followed fashion, the rich property owner who had delusions of grandeur, and the downtrodden poor and social castoffs who were bestialized, and he used these stereotypes to characterize the carnivalesque qualities of contemporary social life. Such stock characters mirror many of those presented in popular television and mainstream cinema—for example, the unpredictable, lunatic politician; the incompetent judge; the hen-pecked husband; the quack medical doctor; the sexually wayward priest; the simple-minded corporate executive; and the incompetent boss. These types become figures of fun for an audience that laughs at the incompetence of those who generally hold greater economic power and social prestige. Such entertainments, like competitive sports, supposedly function as safety valves in a society where values are thought to be held in common and where instances of dysfunctionality and schadenfreuden (common in television sitcoms) work to restore the social balance and reaffirm social cohesion.

In contrast, such interpretations of popular culture as sources of self-management and self-critique can be refigured to show that some forms of the popular function in oppositional ways, such as being expressions of resentment and hostility to others. For instance, displays of mayhem and rebellion in popular entertainments can act as challenges to authority and thus articulate hostility and repugnance toward the stranger and lower orders, such as women, Jews, gypsies, dogs, and cats (Darnton 1986). Certain forms of popular culture appear to demonize those who are different or who have less social status. In this way, popular culture is essentially conservative, acting to maintain the imbalance between a privileged elite and the masses. This darker, sometimes sinister side of popular culture characterizes the differences and expressions of resistive contra-subcultures, such as those found in religious cults, music groups, bikies, drug users, and nomadic feral surfers, as collectively repugnant.

The field of popular culture is much traversed by classifications and categorizations. It has become a site where politics and aesthetics mingle freely. The old distinctions of high and popular, elite and mass cultures are destabilized by the recognition that the arts are a form of political mobilization. From this perspective, distinctions in tastes are no longer just preferences intimately linked to biographical circumstances but also practices that reflect social and political viewpoints. Shakespeare and opera can thus be presented as high culture or adapted to popular and street forms, which raises the question, What circumstances and interests are at work in shifting specific art forms into new expressive locations? How do these reevaluations occur and what viewpoints are being presented through them? When, for instance, did opera and the live theater move from the popular into the elite category? Is the categorization of music, poetry, painting, sculpture, and dance as the fine arts, as distinguished from craft and the mechanical arts, still convincing, particularly when we think of dance as hip hop and sculpture as welded plates of steel and fused concrete?

Montesquieu, in Diderot’s ([1774] 1984) Encyclopedie, argued that the fine arts were distinguishable because they produced sensations of pleasure. With this definition, he asserted a marriage between aesthetics and the emotions. Immanuel Kant (1800) elaborated this point in Kritik der Urteilskraft by suggesting that beauty and the arts corresponded to definitions of truth and goodness. Subsequent debates on the nature of the sublime resonate through studies of culture, but importantly, these are relatively recent issues linked with other developments in the sciences, commerce, and technology. After all, it was not until the eighteenth century that high culture became an acceptable category, separate and distinguishable from more banal popular forms.

It was a concern of the eighteenth century, and it remains a concern now, that distinguishing between commercial culture and popular culture is difficult. For those concerned with the loss of regional and provincial cultural forms, such as folk dancing and singing, or styles of food preparation, we could now read the risks to some indigenous cultures. The modern cultural form produced from artifice and overrefinement threatens to overshadow the indigenous art form, making it seem a quaint and narrowly focused object. The pursuit of wealth through commerce produces an environment in which age-old skills and ways of seeing are easily surpassed. A nostalgic primitivism that upholds the “noble savage” is as much a part of popular culture as are the overproduced techniques for self-improvement, do-it-yourself kits, and commercialized signs of status and snobbery. In short, to understand popular culture, it is necessary to unravel—at the individual level—the connections between economic acquisition, pleasure, and social distinction and the desires associated with the fashionable life, along with the growth of audiences who seem variously willing to purchase entertainment, pleasure, and status. At the structural level, popular culture has become such an economic powerhouse that it has political consequences. In the mid-twentieth century, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee provided a vivid instance of the political power attributed to the culture industries, and again a similar debate erupted in the last decades of the twentieth century, when the National Endowment for the Arts came under scrutiny by the American government and radical artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Karen Findlay were accused of corrupting the morals and minds of their audiences.

Popular culture as a series of practices has had a tempestuous past ever since its economic and political dimensions have been uncovered. So it was in the sixteenth century, when the Parisian printing apprentices murdered the totems of the aristocracy in the great cat massacre (Darnton 1986), and so it continues with current debates about the causal relationship between video games and the subsequent violent behavior of their audiences. Scholars of popular culture from the various disciplines of anthropology, sociology, history, literary studies, media, and so on function as analysts of art forms and the history of aesthetics as much as of political movements and social insurgency. The position of popular culture in the modern world is now inextricably linked with international politics and the global economy, and this makes it an irresistible focus for sustained sociological attention.

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100 best popular culture essay topics.

Popular culture essay topics are interesting and exciting to read about. They have mass appeal and most people can relate to them. Pop culture can take different media forms. It can range from comic books to films about superheroes. The list can also include fashion, social media, and slang.

As such, selecting pop culture topics to write about is not easy for some students. Although learners have many ideas to consider, they should think carefully before they start to research and write. Pop culture is often criticized for being superficial and primitive. Some people think it’s from indie groups. But, how justifiable are these beliefs? These are some of the issues that can form the basis of popular culture topics for essays. But, if struggling to choose what to write about, here is a list of popular culture topics to consider.

Argumentative Popular Culture Essay Topics

Most people love reading argumentative essays. However, writing argumentative essays on pop culture topics is not easy. It requires skills and time. Here are some of the topics to consider if you want to write an argumentative essay about pop culture.

• Popular television shows do not portray what society considers important
• Social media does not affect the movies that we watch
• Globalization does not affect the pop culture
• Globalization affects pop culture significantly
• Social media affects movies significantly
• Social ideas and pop culture do not have a connection
• Popular culture is defined by social ideals
• Celebrities influence the buying decisions of most people
• Most people will buy a product that is sold by a celebrity
• The popularity of soap operas will keep rising
• Soap operas are no longer part of the popular culture
• Music connects people and other music topics
• Connecting with people that listen to different music style is not easy
• Music can connect even people that listen to different genres
• The internet does not affect what people enjoy
• The internet affects what people like
• Artists with a low following should watch everything they do and say
• Artists should not worry about younger followers that mimic what they do and say
• Weather channels should be an aspect of popular culture
• Disney princesses affect young girls positively

When writing on any of these pop culture argumentative essay topics, students should be persuasive and provide relevant examples. What’s more, they should be logical in their thinking to convince readers to believe their viewpoints.

Topics about Culture and Science

It’s not easy for some people to think that science and popular culture can merge. However, some topics touch on both science and popular culture. If looking for a pop culture topic that allows you to talk about science, consider these ideas.

• Some scenes in pop culture films are accurate
• Experiments from Frankenstein can be conducted today
• Some experiments from Frankenstein can be conducted in the future
• Pluto should be considered as a planet in the current age
• Evolution is real when viewed from a pop culture’s perspective
• Evolution is a myth when viewed from a pop culture’s perspective
• Discuss the popular existential crises attitudes in the 21st century
• What can humans learn from watching television about neuroscience?
• What parallels can be drawn from Huxley’s Brave New World with the current drug industry?
• How does the Gattaca movie resemble current genetic editing
• Discuss the popular attitudes towards 21st-century space exploration
• Discuss changes in the evolution’s opinion in the popular culture over the centuries
• What are the most common objections to eating meat as popular culture?
• Can popular culture be studied in science professions by academics?
• How has the perception of healthy eating changed?
• How does popular culture portray scientific questions with a link to existential philosophy?
• What is the effect of climate change movies on impact reduction?
• Has the understanding of the solar system and stars been changed by popular science?
• Discuss the popular objections that some people have towards vegetarianism
• Why is the inclusion of popular culture references in academics wrong?

This list also has some of the best pop culture debate topics. Nevertheless, you should pick the idea to write about carefully. That’s because some ideas are the basis of controversial pop culture topics. As such, you must also convey contrary opinions and take a stance when writing your essay.

Social Issues and Culture Topics

Some pop culture essay topics tie with some social issues. A topic is popularized by society. That’s why most films, television programs, and books focus on social issues. Therefore, good pop culture topics are relatable to most people. Here are some of the best social issues and pop culture paper topics to consider.

• Popular culture implication on dumbing down the youth
• Racism and popular culture over the last century
• Impact of the popular culture on the moral compass
• Why some religions are popular than others
• Which are the most popular religions?
• Why does free speech stress some people in today’s society?
• Discuss the impact of social media on popular movements in society
• Analyze the current popular culture and consumer behavior trends
• Analyze popular culture and consumer behavior in the past 100 years
• Discuss the changing landscape in the popular culture and gender equality
• How does popular culture represent terrorism
• Discuss changes in terrorism representation over the past years
• What are the most popular clans in the world?
• What is the influence of popular clans?
• Discuss the changing attitudes towards gender equality
• How is the moral landscape changing?
• What are the most influential cults in popular societies
• How has feminism affected popular culture?
• How does pop culture create apathy in modern society
• How does homosexual attitude differ in society due to popular culture?

These pop culture research paper topics touch on social issues too. They show that popular culture is an important aspect of society. Students can focus on these pop culture research topics to show that this essential aspect can cause or solve issues in society.

Controversial Pop Culture Topics for Research Papers

Some popular culture research topics are generally controversial. Writing about such topics entails addressing the controversy that is witnessed almost every day by students. Nevertheless, writing about controversial American pop culture topics, for instance, requires analytical skills. Here are examples of topics in this category.

• The government should ban some countercultures
• Some cartoons are catchy and bright- Discuss with Toy Story in mind
• Products of pop culture bend the present-day youth’s aesthetic perception
• Social media activity should be moderated strictly
• Some old music and books are better than some of the modern bestsellers
• Most people criticize some products of pop culture for being trash
• Celebrities should be accountable for racist messages
• Most celebrities include sexist messages in their work
• Parents should be attentive to the music listened to by their kids
• Reading comic books can cause a superficial perception of daily reality

It’s crucial to remember that you should always be ethical when writing about controversial popular culture topics. That means you should focus on making a strong argument with sufficient evidence when writing your paper or essay.

Interesting Culture Speech Topics

Some educators ask students to write speeches on global and American popular culture topics. These topics can also be great for debates. Here are examples of topics that learners can choose for their speeches.

• Negatives and positive effects of popular culture on young people
• How pop culture can influence the current generation’s moral code
• How the values of feminists are represented in contemporary cartoons
• How pop culture denounces gender inequality
• How popular culture promotes gender inequality
• Discuss religious conflicts in pop culture
• Explain the influence of pop culture on consumer behavior
• How does pop culture lead to political apathy?
• Is pop culture the reason why society has accepted homosexuality?
• How is the fight against terrorism represented in popular culture?

These are great culture research topics that can also be great for speeches and debates. Nevertheless, they also require research to come up with detailed facts and present them properly.

Extraordinary Culture Essay Topics

Students that like thinking outside the box should pick extraordinary popular culture research paper topics. Here are examples of such topics.

• Traveling is part of the modern popular culture
• Pop culture is important for modern education
• What is McDonaldization?
• Discuss the American history representation in modern television series
• Compare the portrayal of yakuza in Western and Asian pop culture
• Contrast the portrayal of yakuza in Western and Asian pop culture
• Contrast pop culture and folk culture
• How has the childhood concept been changed by pop culture?
• How has popular culture influenced the global economy?
• Explain your relationship with the popular culture phenomenon
• What is Black Dandyism?
• Discuss the pop art principles
• Explain ethical problems using pop culture’s technologies
• What role do anime and manga play in modern popular culture?
• How does American popular culture affect the rest of the world?
• How is the US criminal justice system represented in pop culture?
• How are the US courts represented in pop culture?
• Discuss a famous historical personality in pop culture
• How is the mentality of children influenced by their faith in superheroes?

Students can choose from a wide range of global, Asian, or American culture topics. However, it’s crucial to pick a pop culture topic that a learner is interested in. Our term paper writers are here to help. They make writing a paper or essay interesting and easy.

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164 Popular Culture Topics and Questions for Essays & Research Papers

Are you looking for popular culture essay topics? You’re at the right place! StudyCorgi has compiled a list of popular culture topics for you to debate in argumentative papers or use for essays, projects, and other assignments. Feel free to use these pop culture research topics for your inspiration!

👨‍🎤 TOP 7 Popular Culture Research Paper Topics

🏆 best pop culture topics to write about, 🌶️ hot popular culture ideas to write about, 🎓 most interesting pop culture essay topics, 💡 simple pop culture research topics, ❓ pop culture research questions, 🗣️ pop culture persuasive speech topics, 💃 pop culture criticism topics, 🌺 more popular culture topics.

• Functionalism and Other Theories of Popular Culture
• “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” by John Storey
• The Influence of Popular Culture on Society
• The Impact of Popular Culture on Body Image
• Why Are Fantasy Films so Popular?
• How Popular Culture Influences Morality in Society
• Exploring Popular Culture in Architecture
• Michael Jackson’s Influence on Pop Culture Michael Jackson is such an influential figure in pop culture not only because of his dancing and singing abilities but also because he influenced people’s values.
• Einstein’s Impact on Science, Pop Culture, and Diversity Albert Einstein was chosen because he is one of the most recognized figures in science and pop culture and his name is well-known to people and children.
• Popular Culture via the Lens of Marxism, Postmodernism, and Psychoanalysis The purpose of this paper is to describe a popular culture through the lens of Marxism, Postmodernism, and Psychoanalysis.
• Pokémon Go Pop Culture Analysis Pokémon Go became one of the most popular games in the world right after its release in 2016. For a short time, the game became part of pop culture.
• The Influence of Popular Culture on Society’s Perception of Wealth as Life’s Priority The modern world has long entered the era of technological advancement that broadened the scope of popular culture manifestations.
• Popular Culture in “Inglourious Basterds” Film One of the most well-known and controversial movies about World War II, “Inglourious Basterds” by Quentin Tarantino, is densely packed with references to popular culture.
• Pop Culture and Serial Killer in Darkly Dreaming Dexter The essay compares and contrasts how the literary study could explore “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” differently than a film analysis could of the TV series.
• Pop Culture as a Potent Globalization Tool Pop culture popularizes different ideas and makes them familiar to people from various countries, which helps to minimize the number of misunderstandings.
• Resistance in Popular Culture In the 1970s, with the development of equal rights movement, popular music was enriched by a number of songs, which sought to de-construct androcentrism.
• Popular Culture’s and Fashion Industry’s Influences The popular culture influences particularly the youth. This paper creates awareness for the audience concerning the effects of the manufacturers’ advertisements.
• Doctor Faustus in Popular Culture This paper examines the image of Doctor Faustus in popular culture, using the examples of the works by Christopher Marlowe and George Lucas.
• The Impact of Technology on American Popular Culture in the 20th Century The work aims to examine how the development of technology influenced the popular culture of America in the twentieth century.
• The Impact of Popular Culture on Body Image in Women This paper is about how the media and film industry promotes unhealthy body image toward women and how it affects women consumers.
• The Impact of Popular Culture on Racial Perceptions Dehumanization through the use of racial stereotypes in popular culture extends as far as labeling minorities “exotic.”
• “TV, Ideology, and Emancipatory Popular Culture”: General Idea and Sub-Points The author sees mass media as a powerful tool of influence on the public as well as a great sphere for the social struggle against social unfairness.
• The Global Impact of American Popular Culture The paper discusses the global impact of American popular culture, both positive and negative and concludes that American culture is a double-edged sword.
• Aspects of the American Pop Culture The paper states that the American film industry is one of the main components of the nation’s popular culture. It highlights the domains in the US.
• Pop Culture in “The Godfather” by Coppola The Godfather film is a part of the pop culture because it is regularly cited as an inspiration by many filmmakers.
• Anime in Pop Culture: Art Review Anime as a form of art presented a new storytelling method. The link between cinema and anime is evident in the technology and storylines used.
• “The Star Trek” Film and Popular Culture This paper analyzes the book Star Trek and Popular Culture and analyzes the issues addressed such as Trump’s politics, civil rights, war, and gender inequality.
• Gendered Details and Variations Between Popular Culture
• Method Acting and 1950’s Popular Culture
• Differences Between Popular Culture and Indigenous Culture
• Baseball and American Popular Culture
• How Does Popular Culture Mirror America Life?
• Media and Popular Culture During World War I
• Popular Culture and Border Musical Audience
• American Popular Culture Definition
• Popular Culture Affect Gender and Sexuality
• American Music and Popular Culture
• Advertising and Senior Citizen Treatment by Popular Culture
• Popular Culture and Consumerism
• European Witchcraft and Popular Culture
• Christianity and Popular Culture
• Did the Popular Culture of 1960 Do More Harm Than Good?
• Popular Culture and the Influence of TV News
• Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture
• Contrasting and Comparing Mass Society With Popular Culture Media
• How Does Popular Culture Stereotype Latinos?
• Bureaucratization and Popular Culture
• Asian Americans and Popular Culture
• American Popular Culture and Advertisement
• American Popular Culture and Gender Roles
• Immigration and Popular Culture
• Korean Popular Culture and Its Influence in India
• Society’s Changing Views Reflected on Popular Culture
• Popular Culture American Family in Television Entertainment
• Moscow’s 1980 Olympic Games and Russia’s Popular Culture
• American Influence on Popular Culture in Australia
• Japanese Popular Culture and Traditional Culture
• Worldly Writing on Music: K-Pop Culture Music is an essential component in the socio-cultural mainframe of any community due to the trickle-down effect of influencing emotional connectivity despite diversity.
• How Popular Culture Can Promote the Idea of Sexual Assault in Society Popular culture, including articles, songs, videos, and other materials from influencers in social media and life, can promote the idea of sexual assault in society.
• Popular Culture and Musical Success This project aims to establish the link between popular culture and marketing and promotion of an indie record label, Elusive Records.
• Popular Culture: Artifacts, Icons and Myths Popular culture helps businesses to grow because they have to get what is trendy at any particular time in order to meet the people’s needs.
• Gender Representation in American Pop Culture The excerpt of the book “The Pop Culture Freaks” focuses on the representation of gender in American pop culture that is a powerful tool capable of impacting social tendencies.
• The Link Between Pop Culture and Stereotypes The majority of movies in the military and action genre involved Russians as primary antagonists. Such films used the stereotypical version of Russians.
• Hip-Hop Influence on American Popular Culture The sphere of the hip-hop influence on American popular culture is constantly extending, involving new forces and new interpretations.
• Pop Culture in Movies: How Far Can It Get? Pop culture is music, films, products etc. in a particular society that are familiar to and popular with most ordinary people in that society.
• Pop Culture: Developments, Recycling and Revitalizing Pop can be defined as the usual way of life of Americans. It refers to the popular culture that at least all Americans agree to.
• Dickson’s “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” & Pop Culture Emily Dickson vividly portrays that modern society is influenced by mass culture and customization which leads to the selfless and nameless society.
• Popular Culture: Native American Communities BBC and Reuters, the Times, and the Look portray that low-class location prevents many Native Americans to obtain social respect and opportunities available for the white majority.
• Michael Jackson: Essay on His Influence on Music & Pop Culture Jackson has received a place in pop history as a pioneer and legend, which is why he will always be remembered as the King of Pop.
• American Popular Culture and Globalization Effects The ubiquity of wealth-concentrated American popular culture in the lives of modern people threatens the generally accepted system of values and causes adverse shifts in it.
• Pop Culture, Entertainment and Media Representation This paper reviews three articles: Medhurst’s “Batman, Deviance, and Camp,” McBride and Bird’s “From Smart Fan to Backyard Wrestler,” and Kidd’s “Methodology Moment.”
• Interconnection in Popular Culture With globalization and commercialization of culture, every aspect of culture seems to be merged into one single realm.
• Rhetoric in “Pop Can: Popular Culture in Canada” The way words are presented has a huge influence on the manner readers will get the intended message while interpreting aspects such as logic, emotions, etc.
• Female Pop-Culture in “Where the Girls Are” by Douglas In “Where the Girls Are”, Susan J. Douglas analyzes the state of the media in the 1960-1970s. She describes and explains the female pop-culture images of the time.
• Popular Culture and the Cold War Popular culture was strongly restricted. The Cold War had an immense influence on the lives of people since they were afraid to be considered communists.
• Pop Culture in America Pop culture is a multidimensional concept acting in many interpretations as the opposite of elitist types of cultures and is often replaced by the term mass culture.
• Cars in Popular Culture and Mass Media The entirety of ideas, fancy images, attitudes, and perspectives within the cultural mainstream define what is known as popular (or pop) culture.
• Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives Population culture includes all the aspects of life that we live by. Popular culture helps businesses to grow because they have to get what is trendy at to meet the people’s needs.
• The American Popular Culture in New York City
• Modern Popular Culture: Katabasis
• Latin American Popular Culture’s Transformed
• The Erudite and Popular Culture and Music
• New Femininities, Gender Constructs, and Popular Culture
• Heroes Throughout History and Popular Culture
• Asia and American Popular Culture
• Subcultures: Popular Culture and Cultural Capital
• Popular Culture, Gender Constructs, and “New Femininities”
• Heterosexuality and Gender Ideals in Contemporary Popular Culture
• Has Popular Culture Turned Marriage Into a Joke
• Market Imperative and Popular Culture
• Communism and Popular Culture
• Vampire Genre Storms Popular Culture
• Transcendentalism Through Popular Culture Project
• Politics and Popular Culture During the 1960s
• The Air Jordan Brand as Popular Culture Object
• Popular Culture and Media Portrayals of Child Abuse
• Japanese Popular Culture and Eastern Media Societies
• Popular Culture and Feature Films
• Popular Culture and Music Affect U.S. Public Opinion On
• Critical Thought and Popular Culture
• Australian Popular Culture Influenced by the United States
• Popular Culture: Historical Icons and American Culture
• Mass Media, Popular Culture and the American Dream
• Indian Cinema and Popular Culture
• Folk Culture and Popular Culture
• American Popular Culture: Trends and How They Affect Personal Decisions
• Gender Roles and American Popular Culture
• Does Popular Culture Teach Immoral Values?
• How Did “Frankenstein” Become an Essential Part of Pop Culture?
• How Does the Line Between High and Popular Culture Become Blurred?
• How the Popular Culture in the United States Depicted the 9/11 Attack?
• Why “The Beatles” Revolutionized Music and Popular Culture?
• Why Video Games Have Made a Shift Into Mainstream Popular Culture?
• What Area the Differences Between Pop Culture and Reality?
• What Are the Effects of the Simpsons Television Show on Pop Culture?
• Will Western Popular Culture Destroy National Culture in Thailand and Malaysia?
• Does “Romeo and Juliet” Deserve to Be Considered Pop Culture in the Elizabethan Era?
• How Pop Culture and Mass Media Affects Each and Every One of Us?
• How the Popular Culture and Politics of the 1970s Shaped American History?
• What Negative Effects Popular Culture Has on Adolescent Women?
• What Does Pop Culture War Mean and What’s Its Influence on Modern Society?
• What Is the Change Into Popular Culture Through Media and Other Forms?
• Why the Gap Between High and Pop Culture Is Still So Huge?
• What Does the Popular Culture’s Critical Attention Mean?
• How Can New Media Help Enhance the Spread of Local Pop Culture?
• How Does Popular Culture Shape the Way Students See the World?
• How Popular Culture Has Impacted the Smarts of the USA?
• How and Why Japanese Pop Culture and Anime Comunity Has Invaded the U.S.?
• How Does Popular Culture Shape Teen Society?
• How Did the Infusion of Pop Culture in Educational Discourse Happen?
• How Can Popular Culture Help to Engage Students in the Classroom?
• How a School Shooting Affected a Nation, From Gun Control to Popular Culture?
• What Event Has Forever Changed the Pop Culture of America?
• Can stricter video game regulations help reduce youth violence?
• Hollywood films should prioritize diversity and minority representation.
• Do reality TV shows harm our relationships and values?
• Music artists are well-positioned to foster political and social change.
• The hidden dangers of the use of celebrity endorsements in advertising.
• We should boycott fashion companies using excessive Photoshop and image editing.
• Internet memes are a powerful tool to use in social activism.
• Pop culture artists should challenge gender stereotypes.
• Binge-watching as a threat to mental health.
• Is it ethical to use CGI to resurrect dead actors in movies?
• The lack of diversity in mainstream movies and TV shows.
• Unrealistic standards promoted by fashion magazines.
• The overemphasis on consumerism and materialism in pop culture.
• The shallow nature of paparazzi culture.
• The impact of digitalization on the homogenization of pop music.
• The cult of youth and the marginalization of older pop culture icons.
• The objectification of women in pop culture.
• Modern pop culture: art as a commodity.
• The promotion of toxic masculinity in pop culture and its effects.
• The influence of pop culture on body image and eating disorders.
• The impact of pop culture on adolescents’ identity formation.
• The portrayal of gender and sexuality in pop culture.
• Video games as an educational tool.
• The depiction of mental health issues in pop culture and its effects on stigma.
• The link between pop culture and consumerism.
• The role of memes in modern communication.
• The place of cosplay and fandoms in pop culture.
• The impact of pop culture on fashion trends.
• The influence of streaming services on the film and TV industry.
• Pop culture’s role in shaping national identity.

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StudyCorgi. (2022, March 1). 164 Popular Culture Topics and Questions for Essays & Research Papers. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/popular-culture-essay-topics/

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These essay examples and topics on Popular Culture were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on June 24, 2024 .

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60 Popular Culture Research Paper Topics You Can Use To Make an Excellent Paperwork

Pop culture influences many aspects of modern life. Economics, politics, and even religion are intertwined in one symbiosis when it comes to pop culture. That is why this topic is relevant for students who are going to write a cultural essay. Popular culture essay topics offer a wide range of research themes. Many interesting options for inspiration can be disclosed by providing arguments and discussions with different views on the problem. Such popular culture essay topics are very actual these days.

All teachers have standard criteria for preparing such essays. First of all, your work must meet certain standards and criteria of the educational institution. It concerns the general structure, format, font, and paragraphs. Your essay should have a relevant topic that you must fully disclose and give arguments for each statement. Students must use many sources and confirm information with detailed facts and statistical data.

It adds value to your work and allows you to reveal the essence of the topic you have chosen fully. It is very important to adhere to the structure and the given theme. If you are writing about the influence of pop music on children's intelligence, then you should research this issue and give examples of how a child's brain develops when listening to certain music. All such popular culture topics are needed to rethink contemporary culture.

You can also refer to certain scientific studies and leave links to the best examples that support your point. It's worth noting that this is not a motivational essay where you can write whatever you want. This kind of work should be relevant to the given topic and have convincing arguments.

Pop Culture Argumentative Essay Topics

This topic is interesting because it reveals a specific problem and argues your point of view on this matter. Choose pop culture research paper topics carefully. Many teachers encourage students to choose this essay format because it allows them to show the author's extraordinary qualities. Most of these pop culture topics can become part of large-scale scientific work.

• Disney princesses and their impact on young girls.
• Popular culture as a part of common mythology.
• Modern technologies as a part of innovations in pop culture.
• Erotic overtones in modern pop culture.
• The influence of pop culture on the worldview of adolescents.
• Pop culture as the tuning fork of romantic relationships.
• Why is pop culture so relevant these days?
• Formation of moral values through the prism of pop culture.
• The influence of pop musicians on teen behavior.

Pop Culture and Science Essay Topics

Due to the symbiosis of pop culture and science, such essays are especially interesting for teachers. Students can show analytical skills and create truly expert material by studying the topic. By choosing such a popular culture research paper topic, you can expand your horizons.

• Principles of materialism and vitalism in the films of Dr. Frankenstein.
• Are experiments from old films realistic?
• Modern medical TV shows in the context of neurobiology.
• Analysis of "Gattaca" and the novel "Brave New World" in the context of gene editing.
• Features of cloning and restoration of extinct species on the example of science fiction films.
• An example of the biotechnology risks on the example of Hollywood blockbusters.
• The value of pop-culture objects in the context of scientific research.
• Interpreting the future from a pop culture perspective.

Pop Culture Topics: Social Issues

Social issues are a special topic for the entire modern society. Given the context of pop culture, it can be interesting to create an essay. By choosing topics of the cultured conversation, you get the opportunity to answer the most pressing questions of society.

• Hip hop music: Has this improved or strained race relation?
• Gender fluidity and LGBTQ movement in modern pop culture.
• Pop culture and its methods of informing people about class problems in society.
• Do television and pop culture influence children's perception of the world?
• Pop culture analysis in the context of fast food advertising and impact on teens.
• The influence of pop performers on the emotional and mental state of adolescents.
• Analysis of the modern pop industry as propaganda of false values.
• Can you replace classical music with pop hits?

Pop Culture Topics: Idols and Heroes

Almost everyone has watched superhero movies, read comics, or had a favorite childhood character. This is a great option for writing about similar characters and interpreting them in real life. These cultural research paper topics are very popular with many students.

• Madonna's influence on the image of women in pop music.
• Why is Bob Dylan considered an icon of his time?
• Influence of superheroes on children's perception of the world.
• How did Marilyn Monroe change the approach to women's fashion?
• Michael Jackson's legacy and influence on the genre of music.
• Reasons for the popularity of K-pop idols and psychophysical addiction.
• Analysis of the spontaneous popularity of the rapper PSY and its tracks.
• The influence of 90s rockers on modern youth.
• Analysis of culture based on social tendencies towards self-development.

Extraordinary Pop Culture Essay Topic Ideas

When you take an extraordinary essay topic, it gives you some space to be creative. Many teachers encourage students to show their intellectual potential and choose original topics for research. Any pop culture essay topic has a rather deep connotation.

• Manga as a vein of social mood.
• The influence of pop culture on the self-identification of sexual minorities.
• Pop art and its basic principles today.
• How do ethnic issues form in pop culture?
• An example of historical figures that are significant in pop culture.
• Impact of pop music on global economic trends.
• Pop culture's twisted representation of justice.
• The hibernation of children's qualities in modern pop culture.
• Is there a place for ethnic music in the pop scene?
• The influence of music on the formation of modern trends in political development.

Pop Culture Controversial Topics

A controversial topic is an opportunity to prove your point of view to the teacher. If you want to argue for certain views on life and pop culture in general, this is a good option to demonstrate your position. This list of popular culture topics are the most relevant. Many teachers appreciate students who are willing to prove their point of view with real facts. Choosing a controversial pop culture topic will definitely get your instructor's approval.

• Contemporary pop culture in modern society.
• The phenomenon of pop culture and a person's attitude to it throughout life.
• Revealing ethnic issues through the prism of cinema.
• Modern correctional system in the context of popular music.
• The popularity of the yakuza and the representation of the group in modern pop culture.
• Has Metallica changed the image of rock performers in society?
• Globalization in the 21st century. Its impact on cultural trends.
• How did Black Sabbath arrange the cultural revolution?

Pop Culture Debate Topic

The debate is an integral part of a democratic society. This format of interaction with students is very popular in many colleges and other educational institutions. That is why you can take an actual topic that is open to discussion and new arguments. The importance of any cultural analysis topic can hardly be overestimated.

• Pop music as a cultural artifact.
• Miller's lower-class focal concerns theory and its implementation.
• Why do pop culture and rap romanticize crime?
• How intercultural experiences affect the nation.
• Does Del Monte food affect pop culture?
• Pre-Columbian American peoples in modern pop culture.
• Thornberry's theory of interaction in a pop-culture context.
• How the nature of social mobility has changed pop trends.

How to Write a Research Paper on Cultural Topics?

The essay preparation process should be structured by the rules of the educational institution. First of all, such paperwork should answer three questions:

You must clearly understand how to cover the topic and convey the basic information to the reader. This is very important if you want to argue each step and provide evidence that you are right. The second point is how you will respond to counter arguments and convince the reader that you are right. Your reasoning should be based not only on personal preferences and views but also on general trends and well-established rules. Pop culture debate topics can help build a lot of leadership skills.

Your reader should also understand why you are covering this topic and why you want to explain its importance in society. Such essays are crucial because they reveal the general essence of the problem of social culture and pop culture as such. It is worth noting that not all students can fully disclose such a topic, so it is worthwhile to learn in more detail how to write such essays, at least.

If you are still not ready to approach this task on your own, you can contact us for help. Our experts specialize in high school essays like these and are ready to help you create an original paper based on your instructor's requirements. The main task of the student is to select the correct pop culture research topic. Thanks to our contributors, you will be able to get highly appreciated paperwork that will allow you to get recognition among other students.

An Inspiration Sources List:

• Popculture.com
• Complex.com
• Trendhunter
• Pop Culture Happy Hour

472 Popular Culture Essay Topics & Good Ideas

• Icon Calendar 18 May 2024
• Icon Page 4070 words
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Popular culture essay topics offer an in-depth exploration of various facets of societies’ prevailing trends, interests, and practices. Some themes may include areas, such as music, fashion, social media, film, television, literature, and even sports. From analyzing the societal influence of groundbreaking television series to dissecting the role of social media in shaping fashion trends, these topics provide an excellent platform to understand the human cultural milieu. Moreover, they offer a critical lens to examine the intersection of popular culture with issues, like gender, race, politics, and identity. By delving into such topics, one can get a better understanding of current societal dynamics, influential forces, and the complexities of shared cultural narratives. Thus, popular culture essay topics allow students to develop an engaging discourse on how pop culture reflects, influences, and challenges societal norms and beliefs.

Best Popular Culture Essay Topics

• Anime’s Influence on Global Fashion Trends
• Superheroes and Their Reflections on Societal Ideals
• Latinx Representation in Hollywood: Progress and Pitfalls
• Evolution of Video Game Narratives in the 21st Century
• K-Pop’s Global Dominance and Cultural Exchange
• Graffiti as an Expression of Urban Culture and Identity
• Reality TV and Its Effect on Public Perception of Celebrity
• Transformation of Comedy in Digital Platforms: Case of Memes
• Reinterpretation of Classic Literature in Modern Cinema
• TikTok: Disrupting Traditional Performance Art
• Influence of Western Culture on Bollywood Cinema
• Streetwear and Its Intersections With Youth Culture
• Science Fiction and Its Predictions of Future Technologies
• Dystopian Novels as Commentary on Present Societies
• Skateboarding’s Influence on Pop Culture and Urban Development
• Representation of LGBTQ+ Characters in Children’s Cartoons
• Ethical Concerns Surrounding the Consumption of True Crime Content
• The Role of Comics in Shaping Political Satire
• Internet Slang and Its Effect on Language Evolution
• Cancel Culture: Societal Responsibility or Online Mob Mentality?
• Body Positivity Movement’s Impact on Fashion Industry
• eSports’ Rise to Mainstream Popularity and Its Future
• Nostalgia Marketing in Film and Television: Case of Reboots
• Cinematic Depictions of Historical Events and Their Accuracy
• Food Trends and Their Influence on Health Perceptions
• The Cultural Significance of Music Festivals in Globalization
• Cosplay’s Emergence as a Mainstream Hobby and Its Impact on Fashion

Easy Popular Culture Essay Topics

• Pop Art and Its Relevance in Modern Advertising
• Podcasts as a Medium for Storytelling and Social Discussions
• Interpretations of Artificial Intelligence in Cinema and Literature
• Drag Culture and Its Influence on Gender Norms
• Cyberpunk Culture and Its Visions of the Future
• Disney’s Influence on Childhood Perceptions of Morality
• Social Issues Portrayed in Animated Films
• Rap Music as a Tool for Sociopolitical Commentary
• The Role of Netflix in Shaping TV Consumption Habits
• Mental Health Representations in Modern Literature
• Zombie Mythology and Its Reflections on Societal Fears
• Veganism’s Impacts on Culinary Trends and Food Industry
• Diversity in Barbie Dolls: Shifts in Gender and Racial Representation
• Role-Playing Games and Their Influence on Social Interactions
• Viral Challenges: Risks and Rewards of Internet Fame
• Fanfiction’s Role in Expanding and Challenging Canonical Narratives
• Sci-Fi’s Influence on Public Interest in Space Exploration
• Generation Z’s Use of Social Media for Activism
• The Evolution of Dance Trends Through TikTok
• Modern Interpretations of Fairy Tales in Popular Culture
• Street Dance and Its Influence on Music Videos
• Technological Advancements and Their Impact on Film Production Techniques
• Hyperrealistic Art and Its Influence on Perception of Beauty
• Book-to-Film Adaptations: Analysis of Narrative Fidelity
• Technology’s Role in Transforming the Music Industry

Interesting Popular Culture Essay Topics

• Musical Theatre’s Cultural Impact: Case Study of “Hamilton”
• Virtual Reality’s Impact on the Video Game Experience
• Youtubers as Modern-Day Influencers: Challenges and Successes
• Sports Marketing and Its Influence on Brand Perception
• Architectural Styles in Popular TV Shows and Films
• Environmental Messages in Animated Children’s Movies
• Hollywood’s Influence on Global Beauty Standards
• Historical Analysis of Hip-Hop Culture
• Streaming Platforms and the Decline of Traditional Radio
• Digital Art’s Rise in Contemporary Art Market
• Country Music’s Reflection on American Culture
• Young Adult Dystopian Novels and Their Societal Messages
• The Influence of Award Shows on Film and Music Industries
• Paranormal Fiction and Its Appeal to Young Adult Readers
• Contemporary Tattoo Culture and Its Significance
• The Evolution of Feminism in Pop Music
• Subcultures and Their Representation in Modern Films
• Magic Realism in Latin American Literature
• Technology’s Impacts on Print Media and Journalism
• Food Blogs and Their Influence on Culinary Industry
• The Cultural Significance of the Olympic Games
• Modern Photography and Its Role in Documenting Social Movements
• British Influence on American Pop Culture

Pop Culture Argumentative Essay Topics

• Influence of Reality Television on Modern Society
• Representation of Gender Roles in Disney Films
• Nostalgia and Its Role in Fueling Retro Fashion Trends
• Impacts of Social Media on Celebrity Culture
• Violence in Video Games: Examining Its Effects on Players
• Modern Rap Music: Examining Its Influence on Youth Behavior
• Superhero Films: The Potential Over-Saturation of the Genre
• Body Image Perception Altered by the Fashion Industry
• Internet Memes and Their Cultural Significance
• Roles of Artistic Expression in Protest Movements
• Podcasts vs. Traditional Radio: A Shift in Audio Consumption
• Animation Advancements: Pixar’s Influence on the Film Industry
• Streaming Services: Impact on Movie Theatre Culture
• Virtual Influencers: The Future of Advertising?
• Cultural Appropriation in Popular Music: Where to Draw the Line?
• Influence of Anime on Western Animation
• Celebrity Endorsements and Their Effect on Consumer Behavior
• Fan Fiction: Challenging the Boundaries of Intellectual Property
• The Instagram Aesthetic: The Reality vs. The Highlight Reel
• Diversity in Hollywood: A Reflection of Society or Tokenism?
• Cancel Culture: Champion of Accountability or Modern Witch Hunt?
• Impacts of K-Pop on Global Music Trends
• Virtual Reality in Entertainment: Boon or Bane?
• Binge-Watching: The Shift in Television Consumption Patterns

Pop Culture Research Paper Topics

• Dark Humor in Television Shows: A Psychological Perspective
• Examination of Gothic Themes in Modern Literature
• Virtual Influencers and Their Role in Digital Marketing
• The Cultural Impact of Mobile Gaming Trends
• Post-Apocalyptic Narratives as Reflections of Societal Anxiety
• The Evolution of Romantic Comedies in the Film Industry
• Queer Coding in Classic Hollywood Films
• The Role of Autobiographies in Celebrity Branding
• Analysis of Minimalist Lifestyle Trends
• Pop Culture’s Role in Destigmatizing Mental Illness
• Transformation of Traditional News Platforms in the Digital Age
• Fan Cultures and Their Influence on TV Series Continuity
• The Cultural Significance of Ballet in Film
• The Rise of Celebrity Chefs and Gourmet Cooking Shows
• Psychedelic Art and Its Influence on the Music and Fashion Industry
• Celebrity Activism: Influence on Public Policy and Opinion
• Examination of Fashion Statements in Award Shows
• Roles of Women in 21st-Century Horror Films
• Graffiti and Street Art as Tools for Political Protest
• The Impact of Hollywood’s Typecasting on Actor Careers
• Evolution of Women Characters in Comic Books
• Influence of Science Fiction on Technological Innovation
• Cybersecurity in Pop Culture: An Analysis of Film Depictions
• The Cultural Impact of Mobile Apps on Daily Life

Essay Topics on Pop Culture and Internet Trends

• Influences of TikTok Challenges on Youth Behavior
• Memes as Communication Tools in Modern Society
• The Impact of Streaming Platforms on Traditional Media
• Cyber Activism: The Power of Hashtag Movements
• Anime Influence on Global Pop Culture
• Fashion Trends Initiated by Influencers and Their Consequences
• Cultural Shifts Facilitated by YouTube Personalities
• Roles of E-Sports in Defining New Entertainment Avenues
• Instagram’s Contribution to Self-Image and Mental Health
• Influence of K-Pop on the Global Music Scene
• Cyberbullying Phenomenon in the Age of Social Media
• Intersectionality of Pop Culture and Politics in the Internet Era
• Podcasts: Disruption of Traditional Broadcasting Media
• Ethical Dimensions of Internet Privacy and Personal Data
• Reality Television’s Influence on Social Perceptions and Norms
• Cancel Culture: Internet Accountability or Online Harassment?
• Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency: Impact on Financial Cultures
• Virtual Reality: Changing Dynamics of Entertainment and Gaming
• The Role of AI Influencers in Modern Advertising
• Social Media: Agent of Globalization or Cultural Appropriation?
• The Influences of Internet Slang on Language Evolution

Essay Topics on Pop Culture in Mass Media

• Influences of Pop Culture on Modern Advertisement Strategies
• Representation of the LGBTQ+ Community in Pop Music Videos
• Impacts of Superhero Movies on the Young Generation’s Ideals
• The Evolution of Animated Series and Their Cultural Significance
• Reality Television: A Window Into Contemporary Society
• Pop Culture’s Role in Shaping Youth’s Body Image Perceptions
• Digital Media’s Influence on Fashion Trends in Pop Culture
• Asian Representation in Hollywood: A Discussion on Cultural Diversity
• Graffiti and Street Art: Symbols of Counterculture in Mass Media
• Stand-Up Comedy’s Effect on Social Commentary Within Pop Culture
• Memes and Their Disruptive Impact on Mass Media Communications
• Feminism Portrayed Through Pop Culture: A Historical Perspective
• Musical Genres and Their Reflection of Societal Changes
• The Role of Science Fiction Films in Shaping Future Expectations
• Social Media and Its Influence on Celebrity Culture
• Analysis of Pop Culture’s Influence on Language Evolution
• eSports’ Rise: A New Phenomenon in Pop Culture
• The Power of Animation in Breaking Societal Taboos
• How Do Video Games Reflect and Influence Pop Culture?
• The Impact of Mass Media on the Globalization of Pop Culture
• Cult Television Shows and Their Impact on Fan Cultures
• Graphic Novels’ Cultural Significance in Contemporary Society

Fashion and Beauty in Pop Culture Topics

• Evolving Trends in Celebrity Street Style
• Power of Pop Icons in Shaping Fashion Norms
• K-Pop Influence on Global Beauty Standards
• Roles of Social Media Models in Fashion
• The Art of Body Positivity in Hollywood
• Influence of Hip-Hop on Urban Style
• Red Carpet Events: The Ultimate Fashion Showdown
• Film and Its Effects on Contemporary Hairstyles
• High-Fashion Inspirations in Music Videos
• Tattoos: An Emerging Trend Among Celebrities
• Representation and Diversity in the Beauty Industry
• Fashion Lessons From Period Drama Series
• Sustainability Practices of Luxury Brands
• Sneaker Culture Within the Music Industry
• Athleisure Wear: Sports Celebrities as Style Icons
• Vintage Revival in Modern Celebrity Wardrobes
• Gender Fluidity: Changes in Fashion Perception
• TV Series That Revolutionized Makeup Trends
• Music Festivals and Their Unique Style Statements
• Reality Shows’ Impacts on Fashion Choices
• Video Game Characters Inspiring Cosplay Trends

Food and Drink in Pop Culture Essay Topics

• Influence of Television Cooking Shows on Modern Cuisine
• Representation of Cultural Identity Through Food in Anime
• Impacts of Celebrity Chefs on Popular Culinary Trends
• Drinks in Film: Crafting Character and Setting Through Beverage Choice
• The Rise of Veganism: How Does Pop Culture Encourage Plant-Based Diets?
• Coffee Culture’s Emergence in Television and Its Social Impact
• Food-Related Social Media Trends: The Effect on Eating Habits
• Wine in Literature: Symbolism and Character Development
• Evolution of the Fast Food Industry as Shown in Popular Music
• The Art of Baking in British Television: Cultural Interpretation and Influence
• “Cocktail Culture” in Classic Hollywood Films: Glamour, Intrigue, and Influence
• Depictions of Holiday Feasts in Movies: Ideals and Reality
• The Role of Comfort Foods in Iconic American Sitcoms
• Feast or Famine: Food Symbolism in Fantasy Literature
• Chocolate in Pop Culture: A Sweet Treat’s Role Across Mediums
• Culinary Reality Shows and Their Impact on the Restaurant Industry
• The Beer Industry’s Presence in American Sports Culture
• Tea Rituals in Asian Cinema: Tradition, Modernity, and Cultural Exchange
• The Socio-Economic Influence of Foodie Culture as Presented in Blogs
• The Image of Soda Pop in Teenage Films: A Symbol of Youth Rebellion

Historical and Literary Influences on Pop Culture Topics

• Gothic Literature’s Elements in Today’s Horror Pop Culture
• Chronicles of King Arthur: Recurrent Themes in Fantasy Genre
• Biblical References in Contemporary Music Lyrics
• Victorian Fashion Trends Revived in Modern-Day Couture
• Examination of War Poetry’s Influence on Anti-War Songs
• Jack Kerouac and the Beat Movement’s Echoes in Indie Culture
• Norse Mythology’s Role in Video Game Narratives
• The Odyssey: Inspiration for Epic Space Operas
• Orwellian Themes in Dystopian TV Shows and Films
• Resurgence of 1920s Jazz Age in Postmodern Music
• Reflection of the Harlem Renaissance in Urban Street Art
• Reinterpretation of Fairy Tales in Disney Animation
• Renaissance Art and Its Impact on Graphic Novel Aesthetics
• Influence of Chivalric Romances on Modern Fantasy Tropes
• H.P. Lovecraft’s Cosmic Horror: Inspiration for Sci-Fi Movies
• Influence of Homeric Epics on Hollywood Blockbusters
• French Revolution’s Symbolism in Political Drama Series
• Roles of American Frontier Legends in Western Movies
• Japanese Folklore’s Influence on Anime and Manga
• Elements of Celtic Mythology in Contemporary Fantasy Literature
• Eastern Philosophy’s Imprint on Mindfulness Movements in Pop Culture

Pop Culture and Education Essay Topics

• Intersecting Worlds: The Influence of Pop Culture on Modern Education Systems
• Unraveling the Impact of Social Media Stars on Youth Learning Habits
• Hollywood’s Effect on Contemporary History Education
• Significance of Graphic Novels in Promoting Literacy
• Celebrities as Role Models: A Study on Ethical Education
• Role-Playing Games and Their Potential for Pedagogical Strategies
• Podcasts as a Platform for Lifelong Learning and Self-Education
• Memes and Their Influence on Digital Literacy
• Science Fiction Literature’s Effect on STEM Education
• Art Education: The Role of Pop Culture Iconography in Classrooms
• Popular Music’s Contribution to Language Learning
• Anime’s Influence on Cross-Cultural Understanding in Education
• Superheroes in the Classroom: Teaching Morality Through Comic Books
• Video Games’ Potential as Interactive Learning Tools
• Gender Representation in Pop Culture: Implications for Sex Education
• Virtual Reality: A Paradigm Shift in Experiential Learning
• Food Shows and Their Impact on Culinary Education
• Streamed Content as a Tool for Foreign Language Acquisition
• Exploring Environmental Education Through Post-Apocalyptic Films
• Street Art: A Catalyst for Creativity and Artistic Education
• Reality TV’s Influence on Career Choices in the Modern Youth
• Sports Celebrities as Motivational Figures in Physical Education

Pop Culture Essay Topics on Movies and TV Shows

• Exploring the Cultural Impact of Superhero Movies
• Analyzing the Evolution of Female Characters in TV Shows
• Unraveling the Symbolism in Quentin Tarantino’s Films
• Examining the Role of Diversity in Contemporary Television
• Investigating the Influence of Anime on Western Animation
• Dissecting the Complex Themes in Christopher Nolan’s Movies
• Tracing the History of Film Noir and Its Modern-Day Resurgence
• Unveiling the Psychology of Villains in Popular Movies
• Exploring the Phenomenon of Binge-Watching and Its Effects
• Deconstructing the Mythology of Star Wars
• Focusing on the Representation of Mental Health in TV Dramas
• Explaining the Success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
• Analyzing the Influence of Science Fiction on Popular Culture
• Addressing the Satirical Elements in Black Mirror
• The Evolution of LGBTQ+ Representation in Film and TV
• Exploring the World of Animated Shorts
• The Role of Soundtracks in Enhancing Movie Viewing Experience
• Analyzing the Cinematic Techniques of Stanley Kubrick
• The Impact of Streaming Platforms on Traditional Television
• Unveiling the Power of Nostalgia in Remakes and Reboots
• Examining the Cultural Significance of Game of Thrones

Topics for Analyzing Pop Culture

• Analysis of Stereotypes in Sitcoms
• Body Language and Non-Verbal Communication in Movies
• The Popularity and Impact of DIY Culture
• The Influence of Jazz Music on Modern Music Genres
• Cyberbullying and Online Harassment in Digital Culture
• The Role of Children’s Literature in Promoting Diversity
• Impact of Biographical Films on Public Perception of Historical Figures
• The Role of Modern Art in Social Justice Movements
• Influence of Video Game Aesthetics on Fashion Trends
• The Evolution of Women in Superhero Movies
• Paranormal Reality TV Shows and Public Belief in Supernatural
• Satire and Its Impact on Political Views
• Trends in Advertising and Their Influence on Consumerism
• Magic and Mysticism in Popular Literature
• Transformation of Traditional Art Forms Through Digital Media
• Influence of the Maker Movement on Technology and Education
• Role of Aesthetics in the Popularity of Social Media Platforms
• Cultural Significance of Epic Poetry in Modern Literature
• Influences of Greek Mythology in Contemporary Pop Culture
• Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Animated Movies
• YouTube and Its Impact on Independent Music Artists
• The Influence of Psychedelic Culture on Graphic Design
• Implications of Digital Piracy on the Music Industry
• Exploration of the Punk Rock Movement’s Influence on Fashion
• Representation of Indigenous Cultures in Modern Cinema

Topics on American Pop Culture

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Revolution: Impact on American Pop Culture
• Hollywood Blockbusters: Evolution of the American Film Industry
• Jazz Age: Birth of American Music Icons
• Urban Street Art: Influences on American Graffiti Culture
• Fashion Icons: Shaping Trends in American Pop Culture
• Sitcom Sensations: Comedy Shows That Defined American Television
• Hip-Hop Phenomenon: Cultural Influence and Evolution
• Comic Book Heroes: Superheroes’ Impact on American Culture
• Gaming Revolution: Rise of Video Games in American Society
• Reality TV Obsession: America’s Fascination With Unscripted Entertainment
• Broadway Spectacles: Theatrical Experiences That Captivated America
• Social Media Influencers: Power of Online Personalities in American Culture
• Breaking the Mold: Iconic American Art Movements
• Sports Legends: Athletes Who Became Cultural Icons
• Technological Advancements: Shaping American Pop Culture
• Literary Icons: American Writers Who Transformed Popular Literature
• Television Talk Shows: Influence on American Conversations and Trends
• Golden Age of Radio: Impact on American Pop Culture
• Stand-Up Comedy Revolution: Comedians Who Redefined American Humor
• American Food Culture: From Fast Food to Gourmet Delights
• Dance Craze: Evolution of American Dance Styles
• Drive-In Theaters: Iconic American Pastime and Entertainment

Celebrity Culture Research Paper Topics

• Celebrity Influence on Fashion Trends: A Comparative Analysis
• Exploring the Psychological Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Consumer Behavior
• Ethical Dilemmas of Paparazzi and Invasion Into Celebrity Privacy
• Examining the Role of Public Figures in Social Change: Celebrity Activism
• Analyzing Successful Celebrity-Brand Partnerships: Strategies for Celebrity Branding
• Investigating the Effects of Celebrity Scandals on Public Perception and Career Sustainability
• A Sociocultural Examination of Fame and Obsession: The Cult of Celebrity
• Celebrity Parenting Styles and Their Influence on Public Perception
• The Evolution of Celebrity Gossip Journalism: Tabloids to Digital Media
• Shaping Culinary Trends and Food Culture: The Role of Celebrity Chefs
• Celebrity Influence on Body Image and the Rise of Eating Disorders
• Examining Motivations and Impact: Celebrity Humanitarian Efforts
• Analyzing Power Imbalances: The Dynamics in Celebrity Relationships
• Investigating the Role of Fame in Addiction Recovery: Celebrity Rehabilitation Culture
• The Impact of Celebrity Culture on Mental Health and Well-Being
• Exploring the Phenomenon of Celebrity Obsession: Celebrity Impersonators
• Psychological Motivations and Implications: Celebrity Worship Syndrome
• The Intersection of Celebrity Culture and Politics: Influence and Perceptions
• Evaluating Effectiveness and Transparency: Celebrity Charity Foundations
• Economic Impact and Market Dynamics: The Celebrity Endorsement Economy
• Substance Abuse, Mental Health, and Tragedy: The Dark Side of Celebrity

Culture Essay Topics on Modern and Popular Literature

• Cultural Identity and Immigration in Contemporary Poetry
• The Role of Gender in Recent Literary Works
• Ecological Themes in Popular Environmental Literature
• Unconventional Narrative Structures in Contemporary Fiction
• Love and Relationships in Modern Romance Novels
• Social Commentary in Contemporary Satirical Writing
• Historical Fiction as a Window Into the Past
• The Representation of Mental Health in Modern Literature
• Magical Realism in Contemporary Short Stories
• Coming-of-Age Stories in Recent Young Adult Fiction
• Political Allegories in Contemporary Literary Works
• Exploring Ethical Dilemmas in Popular Science Fiction Novels
• The Power of Mythology in Modern Fantasy Literature
• Social Media and its Influence on Contemporary Literary Themes
• Personal Identity and Self-Discovery in Recent Memoirs
• Capturing the Spirit of a Generation in Modern Poetry
• Examining Postcolonial Narratives in Contemporary Literature
• Technological Advancements and Their Impact on the Detective Genre
• Environmentalism and Nature Writing in Popular Non-Fiction
• Investigating Magical Elements in Modern Magical Realism
• The Art of Subversion in Contemporary Literary Criticism
• Exploring Family Dynamics in Recent Domestic Fiction

Ethics and Morality in Popular Culture Research Topics

• Analyzing Ethical Choices of Superheroes in Comic Books
• Roles of Ethics in Music Lyrics and Popular Songs
• Exploring Moral Ambiguity in TV Series
• Ethical Considerations in Advertising and Product Placement Within Movies
• Influence of Social Media on Moral Decision-Making
• Morality and Violence in Video Games: A Critical Analysis
• Ethical Representation of Gender and Sexuality in Popular Culture
• Ethics of Cultural Appropriation in Fashion and Music
• Morality in Documentary Filmmaking: Balancing Objectivity and Impact
• Moral Implications of Reality Television Contestants’ Behaviors
• Ethical Issues in Celebrity Endorsements and Sponsorships
• Morality and Privacy in Digital Age: Examining Social Media Influencers
• Analyzing Ethical Treatment of Animals in Film and Television
• Ethical Dimensions of Political Satire in Late-Night Talk Shows
• Morality and Consent in Popular Romance Novels
• Roles of Morality in Gaming Community: Online Interactions and Behavior
• Ethical Challenges in Virtual Reality Gaming and Augmented Reality Experiences
• Morality and Surveillance in Science Fiction Literature and Films
• Ethics of Violence in Sports and Athletic Competitions
• Examining Moral Consequences of Reality TV Judge Panels
• Morality and Body Image in Fashion Advertising and Magazine Covers
• Ethical Implications of Historical Revisionism in Film and Television
• Exploring Morality and Identity in Video Game Character Customization

Music-Related Popular Culture Essay Topics

• Protest Anthems: Social and Political Expressions
• Jazz: A Timeless Cultural Heritage
• Music Festivals: Celebrating Diversity and Unity
• Country Music and the American Identity
• Harmonies in Advertising: Music as a Marketing Tool
• Reggae Rhythms: Cultural Roots and Global Impact
• K-Pop Sensation: Global Domination and Influence
• Music as Catalyst: Driving Social Movements
• Rap Battles: Verbal Artistry and Competition
• Melodies and Fashion Trends: A Symbiotic Relationship
• Music in Video Games: Immersive Sonic Landscapes
• Empowering Women in Music: Breaking Barriers
• Streaming Services Reshaping the Music Landscape
• Healing Harmonies: The Therapeutic Power of Music
• Classical Symphony: Timeless Expressions of Emotion
• Music and Politics: Amplifying Movements
• Honoring Musical Legends: The Legacy of Tribute Bands
• Shaping the Sound: The Evolution of Music Production
• Cultural Appropriation in Music: Navigating Boundaries
• Rhythms and Visual Arts: Exploring Creative Connections
• Technological Innovations in Music: Transforming the Industry
• Music and LGBTQ+ Culture: A Pathway to Inclusion

Popular Culture Essay Topics for Social Issues

• Media Representation of Gender Stereotypes: Influence and Challenges
• Impact of Social Media on Body Image Perception
• Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Music: Debates and Effects
• LGBTQ+ Representation in Modern Television Series
• Celebrities’ Role in Advocacy and Activism
• Influence of Video Games on Youth Attitudes and Behavior
• Racial Diversity in Film Industry: Progress and Obstacles
• Social Media Influencers and Consumer Culture
• Popular Culture’s Contribution to Environmental Awareness
• Future of Traditional TV in the Era of Online Streaming
• Celebrity Endorsements and Their Impact on Consumer Behavior
• Societal Effects of Reality TV Shows
• Music as a Catalyst for Social Change
• Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Literature and Cinema
• Globalization and Cultural Exchange through K-Pop
• Representation of Mental Health Issues in Popular Culture
• The Power of Memes in Public Discourse
• Fashion Trends Shaped by Popular Culture
• Women in Superhero Movies: Empowerment or Objectification?
• The Intersection of Sports and Popular Culture
• Online Fandom Communities and Fan Culture

Sports and Athletics in Popular Culture Essay Topics

• Evolution of Basketball: From Naismith to Professional Leagues
• The Rise of Women in Competitive Soccer
• Influence of Sports Films on Popular Culture
• Olympic Games: Unifying Nations through Athletic Competitions
• The Impact of Social Media on Sports Promotion
• Baseball’s Cultural Significance in American Society
• Sports and Style: The Intersection of Fashion and Athletics
• eSports: The Growing Influence of Competitive Gaming
• Memorable Moments in American Football History: From “The Catch” to Miraculous Plays
• The Fusion of Music and Sports: Athletes as Musical Icons
• Analyzing the Legacy of Muhammad Ali: A Sporting Legend
• Sports in Advertising: Athlete Endorsements and Product Marketing
• The Olympic Spirit: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion Through Sports
• Breaking Gender Stereotypes: The Impact of Sports in Empowering Women
• Sports as a Catalyst for Overcoming Adversity
• Extreme Sports: Pushing Boundaries and Defying Gravity
• Sports Technology Innovations: Revolutionizing Athletic Performance
• Football and National Identity: Passionate Support for Club and Country
• Soccer’s Global Dominance: How Did the Beautiful Game Conquer the World?
• The Artistry of Sports Photography: Capturing the Essence of Athleticism
• Sports and Well-being: Exploring the Health Benefits of Physical Activity
• Athletics and Education: The Vital Role of Sports in Schools

Video Game Culture Topics for Popular Essays

• The Impact of eSports on Gaming Culture
• Gaming as a Form of Storytelling
• Cultural Representation in Video Games
• The Power of Video Game Music
• Game Development and Industry Trends
• Online Communities and Social Interaction in Gaming
• Video Games as Educational Tools
• Ethics and Morality in Gaming
• The Psychology of Video Game Addiction
• Preservation of Video Game History and Retro Gaming
• Social Impacts of Multiplayer Gaming
• Diversity in Game Character Design
• Gaming’s Positive Effects on Mental Health
• Video Game Localization and Cultural Adaptation
• Gender and Identity in Gaming Culture
• The Rise of Indie Game Development
• Streaming Platforms and Content Creation in Gaming
• Monetization Models and In-Game Purchases
• Gamification in Non-Gaming Contexts
• Video Game Censorship and Freedom of Expression
• Representation of Historical Events in Gaming
• Gaming’s Influence on Popular Culture
• Virtual Economies and In-Game Trading Systems

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220 Pop Culture Topics for an A+ Essay

There are many ways to define popular culture. Here’s one of them: pop culture includes mainstream preferences in society within a specific time frame. It covers fashion, music, language, and even food. Pop culture is always evolving, engaging in new trends, and leaving the old ones behind.

This article offers you a list of pop culture topics covering its numerous aspects. Continue reading to find helpful tips on how to choose a perfect topic for your assignment. And don’t forget that custom-writing.org is ready to help you with any task. Check out our resources!

🔝 Top 10 Pop Culture Topics

✅ how to choose a topic.

• ⭐ Top 10 Pop Culture Essay Topics
• 🎵 Music Topics
• 📰 Mass Media Topics
• 📚 Popular Literature
• 📺 Movies & T.V.
• 🇺🇸 American Pop Culture
• 🌐 Internet Phenomena
• ✍️ Pop Culture Analysis
• 🤔 Pop Culture & Social Issues

🔍 References

• How is politics related to sport?
• Is religion related to pop culture?
• Does music affect the fashion industry?
• The ways technology affects pop culture
• Is traveling a part of modern pop culture? 
• Pop culture’s impact on consumer behavior
• How does globalization affect pop culture?
• Is there a negative effect of popular fiction?
• Entertainment industry during different generations
• How does fandom culture vary around the world?

Choosing a topic is the first step towards completing an assignment. This section will help middle, high school, and college students identify the right subject for an essay. Ask yourself these questions:

• What are the requirements? Make sure you understand the task you need to complete.
• You are free to choose your topic. Keep in mind the purpose of the course and the material covered in class. Brainstorm your ideas and choose the one you like the most!
• You are provided with a list of topics to choose from. In this case, start by reviewing every option. Eliminate the ones you are least excited about. Then, select a subject that seems the most interesting to you.
• What do you already know? Of course, you could choose a topic that is brand-new for you. But working with a familiar subject will make the research easier.
• What does your instructor say about the topic? Don’t hesitate to consult with your instructors before writing. Make sure that the selected topic fits the requirements.

Now you understand how to select the right subject for your assignment. Let’s see the topic options! If you looked through the list but still haven’t found anything that insterests you, try your luck with an essay ideas generator .

⭐ Top 10 Pop Culture Essay Topics 

• Gender equality in fashion
• Is food a part of pop culture?
• Characteristics of pop art
• Pop culture vs. folk culture
• K-pop culture’s impact on fashion
• How cultural appropriation affects media
• Consumer culture and the world economy
• Entertainment industry and mental health
• The role of media in the music industry
• Is TikTok a part of modern pop culture?

🎵 Popular Culture Topics about Music

Music never stops changing. It came a long way from hand-crafted instruments to computer programming. You can write about music that was popular in a specific timeframe or discuss the latest trends. Here is a list of topic ideas on this subject.

• How did space-age discoveries affect rock music?
• Discuss music marketing in the digital era.
• Describe the features of Latin American pop music.
• What makes K-Pop stand out?
• The role of pop music for your generation.
• Write about the origin of hip-hop.
• Select a time period and write about its music trends.
• Analyze the evolution of pop music starting from the 1950s.

• Write about the occupational hazards of being a musician.
• The origin and development of sunshine pop.
• Choose a music album and analyze its impact.
• Which pop music era seems the most interesting to you?
• Pick a famous band and describe their career path.
• Compare two different pieces of music from the 20th century.
• What are the main features of rock music?
• How do pop songs influence the teenage generation?
• The role of radio broadcasting in the pop music industry.
• Popular vs. serious music: a comparison.
• Talk about a person who largely contributed to pop music. 
• What are the functions of film music?
• Can popular songs influence public opinion on a specific subject?
• Why do some people develop a very negative attitude towards pop music?
• Describe the role of music in your life.
• Do famous artists influence the lifestyle of their fans?
• Discover why some entertainers remain famous even after their death.

📰 Mass Media Pop Culture Essay Topics

Popular culture exists and survives because of the mass media. With its help, it reaches and unites billions of people. Television, radio, and newspapers are the main outlets of mass media. Here is the list of media-related pop culture topics to write about.

• Do magazines publish celebrity gossip too often?
• Describe the way mass media dictates fashion standards to young adults.
• Analyze the link between pop culture and mass media in the U.S.
• Does mass media influence the preferences of the audience?
• Describe how the media contributes to stereotypes about minorities.
• Should newspapers expose sensitive details about celebrities’ lives?
• How can one make sure not to consume fake news?
• Analyze the peculiarities of New Journalism.
• Discover the influence of the New York Times on the press.
• Write about radio stations contributing to pop culture in the past.
• Discuss racial stereotyping on television.
• Talk about an influential online news resource.
• Body as a subject in media and marketing.
• What kind of pop culture topics are not broadcast via mass media?
• Would you consider Twitter a mass media source?
• Talk about the media and the global public sphere.
• Write about promotional campaigns via mass media.
• Is it possible for an artist to gain fame without the internet?
• Which websites are known for spreading fake news ?
• How to avoid information overload nowadays?
• Conduct a semiotic analysis of a perfume commercial.
• Can pop culture survive without American media?
• Describe the American Idol phenomenon.
• Talk about the internet’s effects on journalism.
• Which influencers do you personally prefer and why?

📚 Modern Popular Literature Essay Topics

This section will be fun for book lovers! The term “popular literature” refers to writings intended for a broad audience. It’s no surprise that such books often become bestsellers. You can describe this type of writing as fiction with a strong plot. Look at this list of topic ideas for a great analytical, argumentative, or informative essay.

• Describe the magic of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books.
• Discover the initial public opinion about The Handmaid’s Tale .
• Why did The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo become a bestseller?
• Principles used in Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson.
• Why did Enduring Love by Ian McEwan gain popularity?
• What charmed the readers of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton?
• Discuss the theme of change in Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee.
• Discover the way the sad ending in The Lucky One affected the readers.
• Orange Is the New Black: Netflix series vs. book.
• What made The Wednesday Letters different from other love novels?

• How did The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins become iconic?
• Describe the characters of Katherine Min’s Courting a Monk .
• Discover the way Atonement by Ian McEwan impacted the readers.
• What values are encouraged in Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks?
• Discuss the initial public opinion about Life of Pi by Yann Martel .
• Self-awareness in The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman.
• Analyze the success of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie .
• Discuss the literary issues of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air.
• How did the public accept the controversial message of The Da Vinci Code ?
• Did Aziz Ansari’s reputation contribute to the fame of his book Modern Romance ?
• What made The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer popular?
• Analyze the fanbase of The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.
• What draws the readers to Confessions of a Shopaholic ?
• Explore confession and forgiveness in The Lovely Bones.
• Why did The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield gain popularity?

📺 Pop Culture Topics: Movies and T.V.

Movies and T.V. shows are an integral part of U.S. culture. This category includes films based on popular literature and all-time-classic movies. T.V. production is often accompanied by a massive amount of merchandise that fills clothing and toy stores. The following list will help you select an on-point essay topic.

• Write about the way the Star Wars saga unifies several generations.
• The Wizard of Oz in relation to populist movement.
• Analyze the impact of King Kong on cinema.
• What makes New York City an iconic location for movies?
• Describe the role of fandom in pop culture.
• Is it better to watch a movie at home vs. in theater?
• Why is Lord of the Rings considered one of the greatest trilogies?
• Define the genre of Scarface.
• How does Groundhog Day relate to Buddhism?
• Did The X-Files inspire conspiracy theories?
• Analyze the way Friends logo entered the clothing industry.
• Write about the role of the media in Jerry Maguire.
• Why did the movie Aliens become popular?
• Discover the effects of Western movies on Arab youth.
• What has brought Terminator into pop culture?
• Write about the impact Rocky had on viewers.
• Discuss what fans appreciate about The Matrix movies.
• Racism and masculinity in A Soldier’s Story.
• Write about a successful Marvel movie.
• What makes D.C. movies iconic?
• Describe the role of social workers in Crash.
• Discuss the periods of The Simpsons ’ fame.
• Analyze the way Parks and Recreation reflect the U.S. culture.
• Talk about your favorite blockbuster.
• Should government control the contents of T.V. shows?

🇺🇸 American Pop Culture Topics

The history of the United States was always reflected in various art forms. Today its pop culture highlights social identity and carries on the American heritage. In this section, you can explore the elements that contribute to American pop culture.

• How did globalization impact American pop culture?
• Analyze the influence of the American movie industry on the world.
• Write about Hispanic American culture.
• Explore the place of alien encounters narrative within American culture.
• Write about a specific period of American pop culture.
• Examine the popularity of American movies overseas.
• Write about the history and influence of Halloween.
• Discover the economic value of the American entertainment industry.
• Write about an aspect of the American pop culture you’re most proud of.

• What would you like to change about the U.S. pop industry?
• American folk culture vs. pop culture.
• Which countries are not influenced by American culture at all?
• Describe the role of T.V. broadcasting for the U.S.
• Talk about American fast food as a part of pop culture.
• Discover vacation destinations in and outside of the U.S.
• Why is so much of today’s pop culture focused on the 80s?
• How significant is Disney for Americans?
• Discover the roots of U.S. pop culture.
• How does the American pop industry portray sexuality?
• Analyze the way pop culture unifies American citizens.
• What are the destructive trends prevalent in the U.S.?
• Discuss gender roles in American cartoons.
• What does American pop teach about lifestyle?
• How quickly do new fashion trends spread across the U.S.?
• Discuss the way the U.S. pop culture reflects its historical values.

🌐 Popular Culture Essay Topics on Internet Phenomena

The internet is the ultimate means of communication worldwide. The rise of online trends is quite unpredictable, which is why it’s called internet phenomena. Memes, videos, challenges will be the focus of this section. Continue reading to find a fun essay topic!

• What purpose was intended for the Ice bucket challenge ?
• What made the dab famous worldwide?
• Describe a dangerous internet phenomenon.
• Why were teens attracted to the fire challenge?
• Analyze the way Harlem Shake went viral.
• What is people’s attitude towards social media?
• How does something become an internet phenomenon?
• Describe the influence of the Thriller dance on the world.
• Debate the ethics of Coffin Dance.
• What’s the reason for Gangnam Style’s fame?
• How did the Momo challenge turn into a worldwide phenomenon?
• Write about an internet phenomenon that emerged in 2020.
• Talk about an online challenge you participated in.
• What made Bongo Cat famous for many years?
• Write about a politics-themed online phenomenon.
• What distinguishes popular video games nowadays?
• Analyze the role of TikTok in song advertisement.
• Write about a comics book that gained popularity online.
• Discover online challenges that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Describe the Bernie Sanders phenomenon among college students.
• What internet phenomena are popular amongst the older generation?
• Discuss the outcomes of a viral fundraising challenge.
• Talk about one of the earliest internet phenomena.
• How did the first memes appear on the internet?
• Write about a web cartoon that qualifies as an internet phenomenon.

✍️ Pop Culture Analysis Topics to Write About

Pop culture includes many components you could write about. For an analytical paper, feel free to pick any aspect of pop culture. You can focus on positive, negative, or controversial factors. Make sure to use academic resources and professional critique. Here are some topic examples of your future paper.

• How does pop culture impact public health?
• Analyze Coca Cola marketing strategies from the sensory perspective.
• Will the entertainment industry survive without encouraging predatory behavior?
• What percentage of the U.S. population is currently involved with pop culture ?
• Analyze a popular culture artifact of your choice.
• What makes a pop song relatable?
• Why is popular literature often made into films?
• How does Instagram affect people’s lives?
• Will your generation be drawn to pop culture decades from now?
• How can one become famous in the age of informational overload?
• Analyze the price one is paying for remaining popular.

• Why do some classic paintings become a commodity?
• Write about a person who significantly impacted T.V.
• Pick a T.V. show and analyze its rise to popularity.
• Discover how one becomes an influencer.
• Do video games have any positive effects?
• In what ways does politics influence pop culture?
• How necessary is funding for the pop industry?
• Why have memes become a popular form of communication?
• What things should celebrities stop promoting?
• Analyze YouTube’s contributions to pop culture.
• Talk about the important messages in current pop music.
• What catches the attention of modern consumers?
• How did the 2020 pandemic influence pop culture?
• What happens to famous artists who quit their career?

🤔 Popular Culture and Social Issues Essay Topics

Pop culture reveals social issues and creates new ones. In your paper, consider various aspects of society. Think about popular culture’s effect on different generations, languages, or values. The following list will help you select an interesting essay topic.

• Describe ways in which pop culture divides social groups.
• Do pop songs represent the voice of society?
• What social issues does pop music contribute to?
• Analyze the media’s influence on women’s self-image.
• How does an expectation of the zombie apocalypse affect the Americans?
• The impact of T.V. shows on self-realization amongst teenagers.
• Does popular literature disconnect teenagers from society?
• Why do people incorporate fictional characters in protest marches?
• What do modern toys teach children about body image?
• Did pop culture contribute to social unrest in the U.S.?
• Discover the way popular movies contribute to discrimination.
• In what ways do memes influence public opinion?
• Analyze the effects of mass media on one’s sexuality.
• Examine the impact of YouTube on young adults’ career choices.
• Does pop culture promote promiscuous behavior?
• Describe the way modern movies stigmatize obesity.
• What family values are projected in today’s mass media?
• Explore the harming side of fandoms.
• Does mainstream media sabotage social norms or encourage them?
• Do pop songs encourage rebellious behavior amongst teens?
• What kind of lesson does pop culture teach about gender?
• Correlation between mobile games and the overuse of display devices.
• Discover stereotypes that are prevalent in the pop industry nowadays.
• Analyze the effect of television on bullying.
• In what light does pop culture portray religion?

We hope you found this article helpful and choose an excellent topic for your assignment. Now go ahead and write an A+ essay on pop culture!

You might also be interested in:

• A List of 175 Interesting Cultural Topics to Write About
• 497 Interesting History Topics to Research
• 137 Social Studies Topics for Your Research Project
• 70 Music Essay Topics + Writing Guide
• How to Write an Art Critique: Examples and Simple Techniques
• How to Write a Movie Critique Paper: Top Tips + Example
• 267 Hottest Fashion Topics to Write About in 2024
• Choosing a Topic for the Research Paper: Purdue University
• The Evolution of Popular Music: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Mass Media and Popular Culture: Github
• Literacy and Literature in Popular Culture: Reading and Writing in Historical Perspective: Springer
• Popular Literature: Birmingham University
• Fandom and Participatory Culture: Grinnell College
• Popular Culture Issues: Florida State University
• Examining Popular Culture and Society: Arizona State University
• Pop Culture Makes You Smarter: St Edward’s University in Austin, TX
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American Women: A Guide to Women's History Resources at the Library of Congress

Introduction.

• Using the Library of Congress

General Inquiries : Ask a Librarian

Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.

Chat with a librarian , Monday through Friday, 12-4pm Eastern Time (except Federal Holidays).

Editors: Barbara Bavis, Bibliographic and Research Instruction Librarian, Law Library of Congress

Elizabeth Fulford, Senior Network Specialist, Network Development and MARC Standards Office

Note: This guide is a collection of the Library of Congress Research Guides produced as a part of the American Women Series, originally published as American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States (Library of Congress, 2001).

Created: December 16, 2021

Last Updated: December 16, 2021

This research guide gathers together and updates most of the topical and format-based sections of the online presentation of 456-page print resource guide entitled,  American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States , which was published in December 2001 by the Library of Congress in cooperation with the University Press of New England.

• "American Women: Guide to Women's History Resources Published," by Robin Rausch Read an article on the original print publication from the Library of Congress Information Bulletin (LCIB), January 2002.

Table of Contents

Each component of this series is published as an individual research guide and can be accessed from the following links:

Selected Images from the Library of Congress

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. The Women's March was a worldwide protest...to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women's rights... 2017. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

United States National Park Service, contributor. Women's Rights : Women's Rights National Historical Park, New York . 1995. Library of Congress Geography and Maps Division.

Beverly Robinson, photographer. Mrs. Fannie Lee Teals, of Tifton, Georgia, posing with a quilt top she made, inspired by the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Charles Dana Gibson. Studies in expression. When women are jurors. [1902]. Cabinet of American Illustration. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

H.M. Coushá, artist. Detail from "Shell road map: Pennsylvania" showing woman driving a car with license plates in the background. 1933. Library of Congress Geography & Map Division.

Liza Donovan, artist. Hear our voice Women's March on Washington, January 21, 2017. Courtesy of Amplifier Foundation (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. At the Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi,...Michelle Powell-Dotson, Arzella Monix, Erma Akines, and ...Necki Akines..., await a performance... 2016. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Div.

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. The "When Anthony Met Stanton" scupture, by artist Ted Aub, in Seneca Falls, New York. 2018. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Preface by carla d. hayden.

The Library of Congress has a long tradition of collecting women’s history materials in a variety of formats and subject areas. As noted in the preface to the first American Women guide, published in 2001, “For two hundred years, the Library of Congress…has been gathering materials necessary to tell the stories of women in America.” 1 The Library identified women’s suffrage as a targeted subject for acquisitions with surprising foresight, and it continues to build and strengthen its holdings to document the diversity of American women’s lives.

In 1903 the sixth Librarian of Congress, Ainsworth Spofford, convinced his friend, suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony, to donate her personal collection of more than 250 books and other printed material to the Library. As Anthony prepared her donation, she inscribed many of the books with commentary on their history and importance, creating a valuable record of her reflections on a lifetime of activism.

The Library’s curators soon began amassing manuscripts, scrapbooks, photographs, and other items relating to the struggle for women’s rights, including the papers of Carrie Chapman Catt, Mary Church Terrell, and other suffragists, as well as the records of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman’s Party. Together these items form a compelling documentary history of the suffrage campaign from its early connections to the abolition and temperance movements to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment—known as the Anthony Amendment—in August 1920. In fighting for the right to vote, women formed national political organizations and developed new strategies for protest. Women had always represented a vital, but often unacknowledged, part of the nation’s history, and the suffrage movement brought them into the public sphere in new and more visible ways.

Scholarship in women’s history, gender history, women’s studies, and related fields is essential to how we understand American history. This recently revised and updated American Women guide highlights new collection materials and research tools and makes these resources more easily discoverable by researchers. We hope that this guide continues to inspire researchers of all levels in making new discoveries and charting new perspectives on American women.

Carla D. Hayden , Librarian of Congress

• See the preface to the print version of American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States, , 2001. Digitized version available online from HathiTrust Back to text
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• Last Updated: Jul 3, 2024 11:51 AM
• URL: https://guides.loc.gov/american-women

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Russian Missiles Are Making U.S. Tanks Obsolete—But Tesla-Inspired Tech Could Change Everything

Next-gen main battle tanks will need to be “a computer program around which we wrap a vehicle.”

THE COLD WAR HAS BEEN OVER FOR 30 YEARS , but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the world’s tanks today. The armored fighting vehicles of the 1970s and 1980s are still around: America’s M1 Abrams, Russia’s T-72 and T-80, Germany’s Leopard 2 , Britain’s Challenger , and Israel’s Merkava . These machines may have been upgraded over the years, but today’s tanks would still look and feel familiar to a Cold War-era tanker.

But time catches up with all things—even 70-ton steel beasts built to withstand the blast of shells and rockets. By 2050, a new generation of tanks will replace the vehicles from the days of Ronald Reagan’s administration.

The new tanks won’t be totally unfamiliar. They will probably look like today’s vehicles, with rotating turrets and caterpillar tracks. There may also be a family resemblance: instead of incurring the huge expense of developing and manufacturing a brand-new design, nations such as the U.S. and Germany are building from existing models.

Nonetheless, tanks in the mid-21st century will have plenty of new features. They will be smaller and lighter, and thus more mobile and easier to transport by air or sea. They will have hybrid or electric engines, launch their own drones, and have defensive systems to stop enemy drones. They will also be highly digital and automated, including extensive reliance on artificial intelligence .

“This means incorporating advances in energy systems, armor, camouflage and other protection technologies, onboard sensors, digital battle management systems, and improved firepower,” says James Black, assistant director for defense at the RAND Europe think tank. “It also means AI and autonomy, both in terms of automating more of the tasks of a tank crew, and in terms of pairing crewed vehicles with uncrewed ground or air systems to fight as a system of systems.”

For a glimpse of the future of tanks, just look at today’s automobiles. Civilian cars and trucks are increasingly digital, with software an integral part of the vehicle, from entertainment to collision-avoidance systems.

“The next generation of tanks will have to mimic some of the design philosophies of Tesla,” says Mick Ryan, a retired Maj. Gen. with the Australian Defense Force. “The main battle tanks will need to be a computer program around which we wrap a vehicle. They must have open architecture and rapidly upgradeable digital systems.”

WHEN WORLD WAR II BEGAN IN 1940 , tanks weighed as little as five tons. Today, the M1A2 version of the Abrams tops the scale at around 70 tons. This enables the Abrams to pack an impressive amount of firepower and armor, but heavy vehicles chew up paved roads, get stuck in mud, and are hard to transport to the battlefield.

“The Abrams tank can no longer grow its capabilities without adding weight, and we need to reduce its logistical footprint,” Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems, said in 2023.

The transportability aspect is particularly crucial for expeditionary nations such as the U.S. and Britain, who fight their wars on foreign shores, meaning their armored vehicles must be hauled by scarce cargo planes and ships.

“Next-generation main battle tanks will need to be more strategically deployable while also being tactically survivable,” explains Ryan, who commanded an Australian mechanized brigade. “This means they will have to be lighter and able to be rapidly moved by air, sea, and land.”

The U.S. Army’s current plan for a next-generation tank is to develop a lighter version of the Abrams. This trend can already be seen in more recent tanks such as South Korea’s K2 Black Panther and Japan’s Type 10, which weigh around 50–55 tons. Advances in engine technology may help to further slim down future designs.

THE ACHILLES’ HEEL OF TANKS has always been fuel consumption. Many armored offensives, from the German blitzkrieg in Russia to the Allied breakout from Normandy, achieved brilliant success initially, only to grind to a halt as the tanks ran out of gas.

As tanks have grown heavier over the last century, so has their thirst for fuel . The epitome of the armored gas guzzlers is the M1 Abrams, a highly capable vehicle that eschewed the traditional diesel engine in favor of a powerful gas-turbine powerplant that offers high acceleration and horsepower. But the fuel consumption of the Abrams is a staggering 3 gallons per mile. That’s taxing enough for the U.S. Army, with its ample supply system, but for less logistically well-endowed users, like Ukraine , keeping tanks refueled is a crucial concern. Fuel trucks are vulnerable, and mud and rough terrain hamper wheeled supply columns.

This has spurred armies to find ways to reduce the logistical burden of armor. One solution is a hybrid-electric engine —the same concept as those found on consumer vehicles like the Toyota Prius—that combine a diesel powerplant with an electric motor and batteries. In addition to improved fuel consumption over purely gas or diesel engines, a hybrid motor would mean better mechanical reliability, a quieter engine less likely to alert the enemy, and a lighter vehicle overall.

The fuel consumption of the Abrams is a staggering 3 gallons per mile.

The next-generation Abrams will likely be equipped with a hybrid engine. Defense manufacturer General Dynamics has already shown how with its AbramX technology demonstration vehicle, which is powered by a diesel-electric powerplant that uses 50 percent less fuel than the current gas-powered M1, according to the company.

And future tanks will need all the electricity they can get.

“The power requirements for new-generation main battle tanks will be much larger and therefore we need better vehicle power and power management systems,” Ryan says. “Beside the need to power all the traditional things like turret, gunnery, and sensor systems, vehicles will need the power for defensive systems as well as the ability to be a recharge station for uncrewed ground vehicles.”

As for purely electric tanks , that probably isn’t feasible yet. Running out of juice in the middle of a battle is a problem—as is finding a recharging station on the battlefield.

TANK CANNONs HAVE BECOME LARGER and more powerful throughout the years. During World War II, tanks typically sported calibers of around 75mm, followed by 90mm and 105mm rifled guns during most of the Cold War. By the 1980s, Western and Soviet tanks were mostly armed with smoothbore cannons of around 120mm, which remains the standard today.

But the next generation of tanks may be armed with bigger guns.

The Main Ground Combat System , a joint French-German initiative to develop a main battle tank by 2040, may be armed with a 140mm cannon. In the 1980s, the U.S. Army also experimented with a 140mm Abrams gun .

New tanks will probably be equipped with autoloaders , which replace the human loader with a mechanical system to feed the cannon. This enables tanks, such as Russia’s T-72, to reduce crew size from four to three, thus enabling a smaller and lighter vehicle. Critics say that autoloaders aren’t as reliable as a human, which is one reason that some tanks—such as the Abrams, Challenger, and Merkava—have a fourth crewman to load the gun.

But the push for slimmer tanks means autoloaders will probably become standard.

TANKS HAVE USUALLY COMPRISED a revolving turret mounted on a tracked chassis, with four to five crew, since the 1920s. Depending on the design, the majority of the crew— commander, gunner, and loader (if no autoloader is fitted)—would be in the turret, with the driver in the more heavily armored hull. The turret made a smaller target than the hull, but if hit and penetrated by a shell or missile, the results could be catastrophic.

The next generation of tanks will have a very different layout: the turret will be automated, while the crew will be safely nestled in the hull. That’s the approach Russia has taken with its T-14 Armata , whose appearance at a 2015 military parade in Moscow startled Western analysts. The Armata’s three-person crew operates the tank from an armored capsule inside the hull, and operates the turret by remote control.

This approach is somewhat reminiscent of the “assault guns” of World War II. These were essentially tanks without a turret, with the cannon mounted in the front and the crew inside the hull. Though they were cheaper than tanks, the lack of a rotating turret and a fixed-traverse gun meant the entire vehicle had to pivot to engage targets.

But technology, such as computerized displays and AI, will enable next-generation tanks to have the best of both worlds: a traversable turret and a well-protected crew.

“Survivability for crewed main battle tanks and other armored vehicles will be important,” Ryan explains. “This may drive more uncrewed turrets on crewed vehicles.”

DESPITE THE AWE CREATED BY BIG, FIRE-SPEWING METAL BEASTS , tanks have never been invulnerable. They have fallen victim to anti-tank missiles, handheld rocket launchers, mines, artillery shells, and bombs. This has led to multiple pronouncements that the tank is dead —most recently in Ukraine, where cheap drones have picked off armored vehicles.

This eulogy is premature. A variety of defensive countermeasures will protect next-generation tanks. Active protection systems, such as Israel’s Trophy , use radar to detect incoming anti-tank rockets, and then employ jammers and smoke grenades to deflect these munitions, or even fire small projectiles to shoot them down.

The problem with fitting active protection systems to existing vehicles is that they add additional weight . But from the outset, new tanks will be designed to incorporate defensive countermeasures against rockets. As for defense against drones, which have proven lethal to armored vehicles in Ukraine, future tanks will be equipped with jammers to disrupt unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guidance systems.

Next-generation tanks will also become harder to detect.

“The key signatures to be reduced include noise, exhaust, electromagnetic emissions, heat, and visual,” Ryan says. “This will necessitate new camouflage systems that are part of the vehicle as well as add-on systems like thermal nets.”

WHATEVER THE NEXT GENERATION OF TANKS WILL LOOK LIKE , they will be expressly designed to operate with drones—or even launch their own. Manned tanks will be supported by a variety of scout and attack robots, both in the air and on the ground.

“Main battle tanks with crew will act as command and networking hubs for increasing numbers of uncrewed ground combat and support vehicles,” Ryan explains.

Manned-unmanned teaming for aircraft and helicopters has already generated a lot of buzz.

The U.S. Air Force intends to build a fleet of combat drones —which resemble small jet fighters —to support the F-35 manned fighter. Australia is pairing jets and drones in its Loyal Wingman project, while the U.S. Army has tested coupling AH-64 Apache attack helicopters with tactical UAVs.

The same process is underway for armored vehicles. Defense contractor General Dynamics, for example, has developed a variant of the Stryker, called the StrykerX , that is armed with four Switchblade kamikaze drones. And there are plenty of robots that can serve as bodyguards and consorts for tanks. For example, THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System), from Estonian firm Milrem Robotics, is a two-ton tracked, remote-controlled robot that can be armed with anti-tank missiles, a 30mm cannon, or machine guns.

ALMOST 200,000 TANKS WERE BUILT DURING WWII , including 61,000 American vehicles. Today’s models are simply too complicated and expensive to manufacture at that scale. But the heavy tank losses seen in the Russo-Ukrainian War, including 8,000 Russian tanks destroyed in just two years, is a stark reminder that nations can’t afford the luxury of buying just a few tanks—no matter how sophisticated.

“The war in Ukraine has shown that conflicts against a peer adversary are likely to be both bloody and protracted, placing a premium on rebuilding the defense industrial capacity to produce, maintain, and replace tanks at scale,” Black says.

Next-generation tanks won’t be mass-produced as in World War II. But they will be designed to be upgradable, with open architecture to allow easy improvements to software, sensors, and other components.

The fact that Cold War-era vehicles are still around shows the tank is far from dead—and the next generation of tanks may have an even longer life.

Michael Peck writes about defense and international security issues, as well as military history and wargaming. His work has appeared in Defense News, Foreign Policy Magazine, Politico, National Defense Magazine, The National Interest, Aerospace America and other publications. He holds an MA in Political Science from Rutgers University. 

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• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07829-8
• Corpus ID: 271445248

Methyl-reducing methanogenesis by a thermophilic culture of Korarchaeia.

• Viola Krukenberg , Anthony J. Kohtz , +1 author R. Hatzenpichler
• Published in Nature 24 July 2024
• Environmental Science, Biology

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