EstablishedShared Culture
My recent posts on Stephen King’s Entertainment Weekly op-ed piece (why don’t you have a link EW?!) have got me thinking. While the article itself expresses valid concern over how we will continue to produce high quality content, its subtext seems to fear the new future of pop culture which is not national in nature. We no longer have the Cosby Show that everyone watches. Gone are the days of Thriller taking over the airwaves. Hell, even the Oscars and the Super Bowl aren’t universally watched like they once were. I don’t think King needs to worry about a lack of high quality content. There will always be great storytellers and entertainers that find a way to reach an audience. With modern technology, that opportunity is open to more people than ever before.
But what is gone, what truly is a loss, is the unified American pop culture. As a young nation that has no core of kings and queens or ancient peoples, we have often found our sense of self in our entertainment culture. The modern world has cast this asunder and many of our modern problems stem from a lack of shared experience. Today we each exist in our own bubble of media – while great for personal satisfaction, it is sorely lacking in giving Americans a communal bond. This bond is something the US needs now more than ever but pop culture is no longer where we should look to find it.