1. Why is Popular Culture Widely Distributed?

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

3. 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

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

5. 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

6. 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.

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

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

16. 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)

17. 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)

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

19. 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

20. The End
HW Bring Books