Why is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?

Objectives Diffusion of Popular Housing, Clothing, and Food Electronic Diffusion of Popular Culture

Diffusion of Popular Housing, Clothing, and Food WHY is popular culture widely distributed? Money, technology, & time allow for people to adopt popular culture Slight regional differences in MDC’s. WALMARTIZATION Regional differences are due to variation of resources (Food Franchises) Amount consumed is also based on beliefs, income, and advertisement. LEFT: Darker the color the more whiskey. RIGHT TEQUILA

Coke, Soda, or Pop? Red is coke, Pop, Soda is yellow

Wine: case study Spatial distribution of wine = environment (soil/climate) Also influenced/ diffused by particular cultural values (European hearth/ Christianity) Temperate climate of moderate cold, rainy winters and long hot summers… SOIL = coarse and easily drained

Rapid Diffusion of Clothing Style MDC countries’ fashion typically reflect social group, occupation & income rather than environmental Communication and mass distribution from designer to manufacturer to consumer result in rapid diffusion of fashion.

Jeans Associated with low-status manual laborer and farmer. 1960’s they symbolized cool, youthful, western, independence. Highly prized in foreign markets (USSR = banned)

Popular Housing Styles Change more rapidly with time than in place (3 periods) Pre-1940: Folk 1945 – 1960: Modern Post- 1960: Neo Eclectic

Modern House Style 1945 – 1960) Tudor-style (one story) target young families and veterans WWII. Ranch House: One story, long side parallel to street, one story, larger Split Level: garage, intro of “new” family room. 2nd level bedrooms. Contemporary: flat or low pitched roofs Shed: high pitched shed roofs (geometric)

Neo Eclectic (since 1960) Mansard: shingle covered 2nd story walls sloped inward and merged into the roof Neo Tudor: steep-pitched front facing gables. Neo French: dormer windows, rounded tops, high hipped roofs Neo Colonial: large central great room (combined family and living room)

Electronic Diffusion of Popular Culture Television: diffusion of popular culture 1954: US contained 86% of TV’s 1955 - 1970: spread to Europe & Japan 1970 - 2005: ownership rates to that of US. LDC rapid increase. 1954 top, 1970 middle, 2005 bottom

Diffusion of Internet More rapid diffusion than television 1995: 62% of world market By 2000: 31% of world market By 2008: 14% of world market 1995 top, 2000 middle, 2008, bottom

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