INTRODUCTION TO

POPULAR CULTURE

MR. MARIONITO JR. C. ALACIO

 POP CULTURE

• Pop culture is short for “popular culture”. It is the

cultural activities, practices, and beliefs of the
masses (and often targeted at youths) within a
society. Pop culture is often spread through mass
media such as television, cinema, radio, and social
media.
• Pop culture is necessarily inoffensive content that can
be consumed by a general audience. It is sometime
derogatorily called “low culture“.
• Its opposite is alternative culture or subculture, which is
culture that is practiced by pockets of people but hasn’t
broken through to the masses. Occasionally, elements
of subculture break through and briefly become
popular culture, such as the rise of pop punk bands in
the late 1990s and early 2000s.
 CULTURE
• (1) culture (along with variations such as multiculturalism) gets
mentioned a lot, implying that it is a significant concept in our
society, and one that we likely can’t do without; and (2) it appears
in many different, often contradictory, contexts, suggesting that
exactly how it signifies is hard to pin down. When we talk about
culture in the sense of building opera houses, the word obviously
means something different than when we talk about Western
culture or youth culture, national culture or business culture.
•A second definition encompasses a much broader
understanding of culture as a whole way of life of a society or a
distinct subsection of society: along with art, it encompasses
everyday rituals such as meals, work, religious observances,
sports, sex, family, and friendship. Implicitly opposed to
“nature,” which we associate with biology (the things we share
with the living non-human world), “culture” in this context
refers to the practices that define us, collectively and in distinct
groups, as human.
 What/Who Defines the Popular?

• Derived from the Latin word popularis, which

means “of, or belonging to the people,”
“popular” is often used in a contemporary
context to describe something that is liked by
a lot of people.
 —that the words “popular” and “the
people” don’t refer to absolutely everyone,
but to a particular group to whom a certain
quality or value is attached.
• Popular culture consists of those things—products, texts,
practices, and so on—that are enjoyed by lots and lots of
people; popular culture is commercial culture (as opposed to,
say, “high” culture, which people today still tend to associate
with the things they imagine that rich people who own yachts
like to do, like listen to opera or go to the symphony); popular
culture consists of the traditional practices and beliefs or way
of life of a specific group; and, finally, the most wide-ranging
definition of all, popular culture is simply the practices of
everyday life.
• The most familiar use of the term “popular culture”
identifies it with the entertainment produced through
and by commercial media (television, film, the music
industry, etc.) that have the economic and technological
capacity to reach large, demographically diverse and
geographically dispersed audiences. Popularity is
measured, in this case, by patterns of consumption: it
refers to the things we buy (or watch, or listen to, etc.).
• A somewhat different use of “popular
culture” defines it in terms not of
consumption but production: popular
culture is what “the people” make, or do,
for themselves. This definition fits fairly
closely with the anthropological definition
of culture as “the practices of everyday
life.”
 Suggested Activity 1.1
• Does commercialism destroy the authenticity of a cultural product or practice?
• Or does the authenticity of an object or practice increase its commercial value and
potential?
• What does it mean if it is possible for us to answer both of these questions
affirmatively?
• How does the divide between authenticity and commercial value work in the case
of a practice like ecotourism and an object like the first release of an indie band
on its own label?
 Folk culture
• refers to those cultural products and practices that have developed
over time within a particular community or socially identifiable
group and that are communicated from generation to generation
and among people who tend to be known to one another. It tends
to be seen as the direct expression of the life experiences shared
by its creators and their audience (Nachbar and Lause 15;
Grossberg et al. 37).
 Mass culture
• on the other hand, is produced for an unknown, disparate
audience. While the transmission of folk culture is
generally technologically simple (e.g., face-to-face, oral
communication), mass culture depends on electronic (or
mechanical) media to convey its message to the largest
possible audience in order to secure maximum profit,
which is its ultimate goal.
• Rap music, now a multi billion dollar industry,
emerged relatively recently from the African
American street culture of the South Bronx. In
each of these cases, it is difficult to identify the
precise moment when folk culture metamorphosed
into mass culture. The attempt to maintain a strict
division is not just tricky in a practical sense but
also, arguably, somewhat suspect ideologically.
• —a moment when authenticity and commercial
value are increasingly impossible to disentangle,
when there’s a sense in which, as one critic puts it,
“all culture is mass culture” (Denning 258,
emphasis added).
 The Culture of Everyday Life
• (1) it signals the inclusion of mass media alongside, and even within,
the practices of everyday life, without determining in advance what
relationship it has to those practices; (2) it emphasizes the
meaningful nature of popular culture—meaningful in the sense that
it is important, as well as in the sense that it is concerned with the
production of sense and social value; and (3) it highlights the issue
of power that always and overtly dogs the production of culture in
general and popular culture in particular.
 The Culture of Everyday Life
• As “the sphere of meaning which unifies the spheres of
production (economics) and social relations (politics)”
(O’Sullivan et al. 68), culture is concerned not just with
individual tastes and desires, but also with the
fundamental organization of society—with the
distribution of material and symbolic power.
• Culture both reflects and influences social organization
and the distribution of power. In the early 21st century,
in most parts of the world, the dominant economic
system is capitalism (for more on capitalism, see Close-
Up 1.1). This means that the key characteristics of
capitalism, including both its wealth-generating capacity
and the patterns of inequitable distribution on which
that capacity depends, help to determine the shape of
culture.
 Capitalism
• is an economic system based on private ownership of the
means of production and distribution, and geared toward
the generation of profit. It is the dominant economic
system in the world today. It is not the only economic
system that has ever been in place, nor is it likely to be the
last way in which human beings organize their economies,
despite some claims to the contrary.
 Postmodern
• —also referred to as postindustrial or late—capitalism is
distinguished by the fact that by comparison to earlier
eras of capitalism there is now a far greater emphasis on
the exchange of information and services (e.g., software
and banking) as opposed to hard goods (e.g., steel and
cars) in an economy that has become globally integrated.
• In fact, one could argue that capitalism doesn’t just
inform particular versions of popular culture, in the
sense of sustaining some dominant narratives (e.g., the
story of success through hard work) and disabling
others (e.g., the triumph of the group over the
individual) or by enabling certain kinds of technological
innovation. Capitalism enables the production of
popular culture, period.
 File Sharing
• The recording industry fought back on two fronts, launching a
series of lawsuits in a bid to recoup lost profits and creating
programs that would enable users to download individual songs,
albums, movies, television episodes, and series for (relatively) low
fees. Meanwhile, determined file sharers—“pirates,” in industry
parlance—continue to find new ways to use the technology and
the decentralized structure of the Internet to outmanoeuvre their
relatively cumbersome, slow-moving corporate opponents.
• The story of the changing dynamics of music and film
distribution is a complicated one, with seemingly clear
battle lines between “the people” and “corporations”
blurred by such issues as the rights of musicians and
filmmakers to get paid for their work, the accessibility of
technology, and its implications for the construction of
the community. Moreover, it isn’t clear what effects the
trend toward increasingly individualized, privatized
music and film might have on our shared public culture
 Suggested Activity 1.2
• What are your feelings about file sharing?
• Does it constitute theft, as the film and music industries claim and the
law increasingly confirms?
• Or is it a legitimate, even a virtuous form of genuinely popular
culture?
• Do you see this shift in the way consumers access cultural products
as empowering to producers, or does it threaten their livelihoods?
 Technicalities-

• Create a 2- page position paper about the questions,

• Arial, 12 (Content), 14 (Title)
• Long bond paper
• Normal Margin
• Spacing 1.5
• Popular culture in this example is not simply an arena
in which the disempowered fight back, defining
themselves out from under corporate power. Neither
does it work simply to maintain those structures by
reining in resistance, bringing it back under the umbrella
of the dominant ideology of consumer capitalism.
Rather it is subject to a constant struggle over pleasure,
profit, and, ultimately, over the distribution of social and
economic power in the world.
 Power Relationships

• We need to understand it, as cultural theorist Stuart Hall

puts it, not as “a mere descriptive inventory—which may
have the negative effect of freezing popular culture into
some timeless descriptive mould—but [as] the relations
of power which are constantly punctuating and dividing
the domain of culture into its preferred and its residual
categories” (“Notes” 234).
• In the absence of the certainty of clear categories, we are
left with the less comfortable but more expansive
framework of a series of open-ended questions. In
evaluating the significance of popular culture, we always
need to ask, “Who says what, how, to whom, with what
effect and for what purpose?” (Williams, qtd. in Burke
218)
 Cultural Studies
• “a term of convenience for a fairly dispersed array of
theoretical and political positions which, however widely
divergent they might be in other respects, share a
commitment to examining cultural practices from the
point of view of their intrication with, and within,
relations of power”
• This broad definition of culture obviously contains a
complex mix of elements— social, linguistic, political,
economic; indeed, the study of popular culture might be
described in one sense as the study of the
interrelationships among what were once seen as discrete
fields of existence.
 COFFEE AS POPULAR CULTURE
• —while alcohol and marijuana are more conducive to
relaxation explains in part why coffee is tolerated in most
workplaces while booze and pot (even the names connote
sin!) are not. While the different physiological states
induced by these different drugs, and even their social
effects, might be indisputable, what is less easily explained
is why our society places a higher value on productivity
and stimulation than on relaxation.
 The Production of Coffee
• Clearly, the mythologies surrounding coffee, alcohol, and
marijuana—mythologies that influence, as they are influenced
by, their legal status—do not exist in a vacuum. Rather, they
are generated out of real, material processes: social, political,
and economic. This becomes clear when we think about the
differences in how coffee operates symbolically (i.e., what it
represents) in the cultures of the North, where coffee is
consumed in such large volumes, in comparison to the cultures
of the South, where it is produced.
In North America, coffee is entangled in the lifestyle of postindustrial
society: it is fuel, pleasure, instant gratification, relaxation. In many parts
of the South, coffee is an equally integral part of life, associated not (or
not only) with pleasure but more substantially with labour and the basic
conditions of life. Those social rituals surrounding coffee that do exist in
the South are shaped by an awareness of its economic as well as its
cultural significance. For example, among some coffee-growing cultures in
Tanzania, coffee has an almost religious significance associated with the
amagdala, or the “life force,” of the coffee grower, such that the death of
a coffee tree was traditionally taken as an omen of its owner’s death
(Hyden, qtd. in Weiss 96).
• The History of Coffee in Western Culture In the
North, by contrast, coffee’s role in the global
economy is something that most of us, unless
we’re involved in the stock market or even more
directly in coffee sales, are only dimly aware of. Yet
its popular cultural significance is profoundly
shaped by the history of its production, in
conjunction with European colonialism in the 17th
century as well as with more contemporary
processes of globalization
 The History of Coffee in Western Culture
In the North
• by contrast, coffee’s role in the global economy is something that
most of us, unless we’re involved in the stock market or even
more directly in coffee sales, are only dimly aware of. Yet its
popular cultural significance is profoundly shaped by the history
of its production, in conjunction with European colonialism in
the 17th century as well as with more contemporary processes of
globalization
• Coffee entered European popular culture via the 18th-century
institution of the coffeehouse, a new meeting place described
by one historian as “the site for the public life of the
eighteenth-century middle class, a place where the bourgeoisie
developed new forms of commerce and culture” (Schivelbusch
59). Patronized mostly by commercial agents such as merchants
and insurance brokers, coffeehouses were places for both
socialization and the transaction of business. Both functions
came together in the establishment of a connection between
coffeehouses and newspapers.
• Coffeehouses became sites for the development of capitalist
society in more direct ways, as Brad Weiss points out, through
the drinking of coffee itself. As both a consumer good and a
drink that promoted sobriety, coffee could be enlisted in the
encouragement of good middle-class values—values such as
“clear-headed rationality, alertness and restraint”— values not
associated with the “rude” pleasures of ale. In short, coffee,
“through the short, sudden burst of energy and concentration
it supplies is the original therapy for the micro management of
bourgeois personality” (Weiss 101).
 Coffee and Colonialism
• If it is no exaggeration to say that coffee contributed to the
growth of European and North American economies over the
past 200 years, it can also be connected to the underdevelopment
of many Southern nations. While colonialism has now formally
ended (in most places, in the middle of the 20th century), trade
regulations preferential to the economies of dominant nations
force developing countries to adopt agricultural practices that
consign them to continued poverty.
 The effects of fluctuating coffee prices, so
critical for producers, are barely felt at the retail
end.
• A 2004 report states: For every pound of coffee that sells in
the U.S. for between US$2.69–8.49 (depending on quality) a
Guatemalan farmer receives less than 35 cents and the coffee
picker less than 14 cents. Put another way, an entire crop of
Guatemalan coffee earned one producer US$8,500 which sold
(notionally) for three quarters of a million dollars retail in the
U.S. (Simons 85–86).
• The principal reason for the growing discrepancy between the
wealth of primary pro ducers and retailers is the growing
concentration of power in the coffee industry, which is now
dominated by just four companies—Nestlé, Kraft (owned by
tobacco company Philip Morris, which has been rechristened as
Altria Group, Inc.), Sara Lee, and Procter & Gamble—who are
able to exercise disproportionate control over the wages received
by growers and the prices paid by consumers.
• Karl Marx employed the term commodity fetishism to describe
what happens under a capitalist system in which material objects
are bought and sold: commodities come to stand in for
relationships between people as symbols of meaning and value,
while people and social relationships themselves become
objectified (they are turned symbolically into objects).
 Starbucks

• For a company like Starbucks, the mythological

value of individualism is paramount, and it is
represented not just through the diversity of
blends available, but also through the careful
structuring of the whole consumer experience.
While there is no escaping the consumerist aspect of coffee
drinking, this practice— more, perhaps, than many other
aspects of commercial culture—highlights the possibilities for
different kinds of consumption. For example, at a time when
people are increasingly diverted by home entertainment, cafés
can, at least in theory, serve as public spaces for the promotion
of community, much as they did in the 18th century. It’s easy to
exaggerate this function: with its comfy chairs, free newspapers,
and generally artsy aura, the image of the contemporary
coffeehouse is as much a product of slick marketing
as genuine community. However, it is possible to recall some of
the positive aspects of public culture in private space, not by
“seeing through” the lifestyle concept of places like Starbucks
but by taking it at its word. In other words, it’s possible to sit in
a Starbucks reading for hours with an empty cup in front of
you, and the culture of the café (a culture Starbucks itself has
actively nurtured) is such that no one’s likely to ask you to leave.
“Going for a coffee” need not mean actually going for a
coffee—a concept places like Starbucks have successfully
promoted, sometimes at the cost of their own profits.
• Mythology, then, works not just to contain, but also to spark and
activate new forms of resistance, not all of which are constrained by
the harness of corporate culture. Popular culture isn’t just would-be
poets sipping mocha lattés or commuters grabbing a box of Timbits
at the drive-through; it’s also the bricks through the window at
Starbucks and Niketown, the creators of ads raising consumer
awareness about the “real” price of coffee, and the customers who
happily imbibe the “lifestyle” of the café, sitting around in animated
conversation for hours without actually buying anything. The
relationship between these different faces of popular culture is part
of what this book will examine.
 By the same token, culture and
communication have come to dominate the
economy, with the result that, as Fredric
Jameson observes, “No society has ever
been saturated with signs and messages like
this one” (Grossberg et al. 53).
• Many contemporary cultural critics see this shift as a wholly
depressing situation, representing the end of collective culture and
its replacement with a society of atomized individuals who are
consumed by the drive toward self-gratification at the same time as
they are entirely colonized by consumerist ideology. They despair
over what they see as the erosion of people’s ability to think critically,
to produce and create things for them selves in a context where
everything is supplied for them, subject to their ability to pay for it.
• A less bleak view, and one that we share, is that while
commercial culture’s grand promise to provide fulfillment
and liberate individual and social potential is essentially an
empty one, there are, within its intricate networks of
power, all kinds of opportunities for creativity and even
resistance.
 FUNDAMENTAL TERMS IN
POPULAR CULTURE

NOTE: Strangely enough, definitions are seldom definitive. Rather,

almost any important word has multiple, often conflicting
definitions. These keywords will, along with the “Glossaries” in our
course texts represent “working definitions” to give us a common
vocabulary for discussion.
Cultural Geography – Popular
Culture As Global Culture
 Globalization

• Popular customs are found in large, heterogeneous societies that

share certain habits despite differences in personal characteristics.
Popular customs are based on global interaction and modern
technology, and are most often a product of economically developed
countries. As the world family draws ever closer through instant
communications and rapid transportation, popular culture increasingly
welds itself into an evolving global culture.
68
Hong Kong (China)
hongkong

• Pac-man in Hong Kong.

69
 baseball

South Korea

• Baseball has become more popular in Korea than in

the United States, where the game originated.
70
 chinesecheck

China

• Playing "Chinese checkers" in...China (how do you think

the game got its name?). 71
 amex

China

• You can use your American Express card for an acupuncture session
in China.
72
atm

Hong Kong (China)

• An automatic teller machine

(ATM) disbursing cash in
Kowloon, Hong Kong. Are
there glazed pigs hanging
next to your local ATM?
73
buddhist

South Korea
• A Korean Buddhist monk walking in
the comfort of Reebok shoes. This is
clearly non-traditional monk-wear,
but Reeboks are manufactured in
South Korea and quite inexpensive
there. Notice that he wears a
traditional coat. 74
 img16

Armenia

• Increasingly throughout the developing world, folk dress has given way to a western-
inspired form of homogenized global dress. These young women in Armenia are
typical of the younger generation around the world who dress in the same fashion as
their North America and European peers (preferably with English writing visibly
displayed). 75
• The desire to preserve a folk culture safe from the
corrupting influence of commerce is often
inflected by a nostalgic desire to return to a
(mythical) moment of history in which cultural and
social identities were secure and cultural boundaries
were clear. When this desire is extended to a
socially and economically disadvantaged group, as
in the two examples above, the situation becomes
even more complicated.
 doghouse

South Korea

• Stylish doghouses in Kyongju, South Korea, with roofs

patterned after local Buddhist architecture. 77
 img17

Israel

• A contemporary store in Jerusalem, capitalizing on this central

location of religious activity and pilgrimage; in the birthplace
of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 78
 telephone

Morocco

• A familiar feature on the landscape of any urban area (telephone

booth), though the "telephone" script may vary (Tangier,
Morocco). 79
 dish

Mexico

• The satellite dish -- both cause and consequence of a merging global

culture -- may be found in any urban or remote rural area of the world.
This one is tuned into American programs coming across the border from
Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico.
80
 microsoft

Jordan

• "Microsoft...working for the Arab world," and ANY world that is

computer literate (Amman, Jordan).
81
chinesefood

Israel

• An odd combination of food

culture, unless you live in
Tiberias, Israel and enjoy Chinese
food.

82
 toys

Honduras

• Forget generic animals and geometric shapes; Barney and Pocahontas are now
among the most popular piñata figures in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (Bart Simpson
reigns supreme in Mexico!).
83
 Guatemala
mickey

• Garfield and Mickey Mouse adorn an exterior wall of this store in 84

San Pedro village, Guatemala.

 safeway

Jordan

• Giant Safeway store, Amman, Jordan.

85
 southkorea

South Korea

• Del Monte logo, Chinhae, South Korea. Many brands and products
found in American supermarkets are also found all over the world.
86
 kodak

China

• Kodak billboard in Guangzhou, China.

87
 marlboro

Egypt

• A Marlboro billboard provides shady relief from the sun for gellabiya-
clad men waiting for a bus along the Red Sea coastal highway, Egypt. 88
 Russia
img20

• Basken Robins "31 flavors" ice cream store, Moscow, Russia. 89

 pizzahut

Guatemala

• Judging by the various products being advertised, this scene could have come
from a typical American city. This is actually the main shopping district of
downtown Guatemala City, Guatemala.
90
 img21

Germany

• "Our world in not for sale". Not everyone is happy with the homogenization of
world culture and the influence of global companies and capital. This anti-
globalization rally in Berlin, Germany is one of many such protests held around the
world in recent years.
91
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the class
discussion the students
should be able to;
a. Define "popular"
"culture"and
"popular culture"
b. Value the importance of
different pop culture in
the Philippines; and
c. Role play the different
popular culture in the
Philippines
A A A
R R R
T T T
S S S
 ARTS
● REFERS TO THE WORKS OF ART THAT HAVE
EVOLVED AND ACCUMULATED IN THE
PHILIPPINES FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE
COUNTRY’S CIVILIZATION.
● IT REFLECTS A RANGE OF ARTISTIC
INFLUENCES IN THE COUNTRY’S CULTURE.
● THE ART OF THE PHILIPPINES IS DIVIDED
INTO TWO DISTINCT BRANCHES: TRADITIONAL
ARTS AND NON-TRADITIONAL ARTS.
 1. TRADITIONAL ARTS
● IT IS A “DO IT YOURSELF ARTS”.
ITS INTENTION IS TO EXPRESS
CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS IDEAS.
IT SHOWCASES SKILLS AND
KNOWLEDGE.
● IT CAN BE EXPRESS THROUGH
WEAVING, CARVING, AND FOLK
LITERATURE.
T’NALAK WEAVING
A.WEAVING- IS AN
ANCIENT ART FORM. THE
WEAVING CULTURE IN
THE PHILIPPINES DATES
BACK TO THE 13TH
CENTURY. IT MAKES USE
OF RAW MATERIALS LIKE
ABACA, COTTON, AND
PINEAPPLE.
ANGONO-PETROGLYPHS

B.CARVING- IS A
TRADITION DATING BACK
TO PRE-COLONIAL TIMES.
NATIVE FILIPINOS CARVED
BOATS, SPEARS AND
OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS
FOR THE USE OF THEIR
TRIBES.
JUAN TAMAD

C.FOLK LITERATURE- IS
ALSO CALLED
FOLKLORE OR ORAL
TRADITION. IT CAN BE
IN THE FORM OF
FABLES, FOLK TALES
AND MYTHS.
2. NON-TRADITIONAL ARTS

CAN BE MADE OF ANY

MATERIALS NOT
TRADITIONALLY USED. IT
ENCOMPASSES DANCE,
MUSIC, AND THEATER.
TINIKLING
A.DANCE- IS AN INTEGRAL
PART OF FILIPINO CULTURE
THAT DATES TO THE PERIOD
BEFORE THE SPANIARDS
STEPPED FOOT IN THE
PHILIPPINES. DANCES FOR
THANKSGIVING, WORSHIP,
AND PRAYERS FOR
BOUNTIFUL HARVEST THAT
IS HANDED DOWN THROUGH
THE GENERATIONS.
HARANA

B.MUSIC- MUSIC OF THE

PHILIPPINES INCLUDES
THE MUSICAL
PERFORMANCE ARTS IN
THE FILIPINOS COMPOSED
IN VARIOUS LOCAL AND
INTERNATIONAL GENRES
AND STYLES.
BODABIL

C.THEATER- THE
PHILIPPINE THEATER HAS
EVOLVED TO BECOME
ALMAGATION OF THE
VARIOUS INFLUENCES.
M M M
U U U
S S S
I I I
C C C
Filipino has a rich background in
terms of music due to the creativity
and initiative of different indigenous
tribes in the country, who used it as a
form of passing epics and stories
about gods and hereos, a way to
celebrate god harvest, festivals,
weddings and births, a way to mourn
the dead, to court women, and a way
to praise the Gods.
 The music was then enriched by
Western colonizer. The Spaniards
imparted the zarzuela (called
sarswela in the Philippines) and the
rondalla, adding more Spanish
touches to Filipino folk songs. The
Americans, on the other hand,
influenced the Philippine music scene
by introducing pop and rock,
eventually leading to the creation of
“Pinoy pop”, which included a wide
variety of forms like dance tunes,
ballads, rock n’ roll, disco, jazz, and
rap.
 Genres such as rock & roll and
country music attracted a younger
generation of popular Filipino
musicians from the 1950s to the
1960s. Conscious attempts to
cultivate that Filipino sound (Pinoy
Sound) started in the 1970s, with the
emergence of Filipino rock music,
nicknamed Pinoy Rock, Filipino Jazz
or Pinoy Jazz, and Filipino pop ballad,
labeled the Manila Sound.
The 1980's and 1990's were
also regarded as the golden
era of Philippine ballads.
 Original Pinoy Music (OPM)
-a term denoting music written
and performed by Filipinos,
even if the lyrics were
eventually in English.
 Manila Sound
-is a kind of song using a
colloquial language called
Taglish, a combination of
Tagalog and English. It is a
popular musical genre that
flourished from the mid to late
1970s until the present.
 Philippine Jazz
-Jazz is defined as “a kind of music
in which improvisation is typically an
important part. Introduced by
American soldiers, jazz music set as
an inspiration to Philipine musicians.
But what makes “Philippine jazz”
distinct is the fusion of jazz with
Filipino folk songs and melodies.
Philippine Alternative Rock
- This new form combined
ethnic instrumentation with
electronic accompaniment,
while presenting themes or
issues of society and
environment.
 Pinoy Rock
-Juan de la Cruz band
introduced "Pinoy Rock" (with
their song Ang Himig Natin)
which successfully merged
the rock beat with Filipino
lyrics in 1973.
 Pinoy Rap
-In the Philippines, rap was also
made popular by such composers
and performers as Francis Magalona
(Mga Kababayan ko and Watawat)
and Andrew E. (Humanap ka ng
Panget). Stylistically, rap occupies a
gray area between speech, prose,
poetry, and singing.
 Pop Music
-Pop Music in the Philippines
started as an adaptation or
translation of Western hits.
These immediately clicked with
the youth and eventually gained
wide acceptance even among
burgis (bourgeois) or elite
crowd.
LITERATURE
LITERATURE
LITERATURE
 The term "Philippine literature" refers to
works of literature that have been
connected to the country throughout
prehistory through the colonial era and up
to the present. Literature is one way for
us to hear the voices of the past and work
with the present. It is a way for the
present to connect to the possible future.
Story telling is one way for humans to
reach out to other humans. It is therapy,
confession, entertainment, and
knowledge all in one. Literature
encompasses a wide range of written
expressions.
Whatever nationality you are , it
is always very important to
study the literature of your
country, in doing so you are not
only learning about the
historical aspect of your land,
but you are also keeping alive
the thoughts, beliefs and
cultural variation of your
ancestor that differentiate your
country from the rest of the
world
Studying literature it helps
them to develop their
imagination and creativity,
improves their language skills
and also enables them to
appreciate the arts
According to James Principe,
we need to study Philippine
literature in order for us to
promote the richness of our
culture not only to our own
language but in the other
languages as well. We need to
read and cultivate literary
works or piece to understand
the existence of Philippine
literature and it's importance.
 Below are some reasons why
literature is important.
1. Stress can be relieved by Literature

-Literature relieves stress and anxiety, and

that’s no secret to readers. Reading a good
book does wonder for a stressed mind. A
fast heartbeat can be slowed down by
reading, reducing anxiety, and taking the
reader’s sense off their racing
ideas.Literature keeps the brain active and
healthy
 2.Literature keeps the brain active
and healthy

-The benefits of reading to the brain

cannot be ignored. In addition to
improving concentration, reading can
also stretch the imagination. A
person can keep their brain healthy
and active by exercising it regularly.
 3.Literature enhances a person’s
writing skills
-Reading more will help an individual
improve their writing. In order to
improve, most successful authors
praise reading. In addition to fueling
imagination and expanding
vocabulary literature provides insight
into different literary styles, ideas
organization, character development,
and more
Some Example of Philippine
literature
1.Noli Me Tángere by Dr. José
Rizal.
2.Florante at Laura by
Francisco Balagtas.
3.Mga Ibong Mandaragit by
Amado V. Hernandez
TRADITION
TRADITION
TRADITION
 Popular culture is the set of
practices,beliefs and objects that
embody the most broadly shared
meanings of a social system. It includes
media objects, entertainment and
leisure,fashion and trends, and linguistic
convention, among other things.
 Here are the Popular Culture in the
Philippines:
1. Filipino Values/ Tradition --society norms
and values are of utmost importance in the
Philippines. Filipino values are primarily
rooted in the relationship and societal
obligations. Filipinos uphold
optimism,friendliness,kindness and
spirituality high in this regard. All these
values are centered around social harmony,
positive relationship and group acceptance
in Filipino society.
 A. Pagmamano
Pagmamano is an honoring gesture
that communicates warmth and
respect when the younger ones greet
or say goodbye to their elders. It is
done by by taking the elders hand and
touching it lightly on forehead- a
distinct way of showing respect and
receiving blessings from them.
 B. Using 'po' and 'opo'

Kumusta po? Aside from

pagmamano, po and opo are words
Filipinos used to show respect when
talking to elders or someone they
respect. These simple catchphrases
continue to win the hearts not just of
Filipino elders but also of foreign
guests.
 C. Bayanihan
There used to be a time when
bayanihan looks like neighbours
carrying a 'bahay kubo' to a new
location. Nowadays , people
describe bayanihan as an
outpouring of community spirit
as people give their all for the
common good.
 D. Filipino hospitality
They say the Filipinos are the
most hospitable people you
may find anywhere. Whether its
a long -lost relative visiting
from out of town or a foreign
guest, the Pinoys take the extra
mile to show how they care for
others.
 E. Love for God and Family
Having close family ties is also one
of Filipinos unique cultural values.
They give so much value to the
family that they labor so hard and
sacrifices so much for the ones they
love. Compassionate, courageous
and God-loving- a clear national
identity that is unmistakably
Filipino.
CULTURE
CULTURE
CULTURE
CULTURE

Culture is the characteristics and

knowledge of a particular group of
people, encompassing language, religion,
cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
 CULTURE
The word "culture" was derived from a
French term, which in turn derives from
the Latin "colere," which means to tend
to the earth and grow, or cultivation and
nurture. The Philippines is a country
that has varied cultural influences.
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
SYMBOLS
A symbol is anything that is
used to stand for something
else. People who share a
culture often attach a specific
meaning to an object, gesture,
sound, or image.
 For example, a cross is a
significant symbol to
Christians. It is not simply
two pieces of wood attached
to each other, nor is it just
an old object of torture and
execution. To Christians, it
represents the basis of their
entire religion, and they
have great reverence for the
symbol. Another example is
Mano or Pagmamano.
 LANGUAGE
It is a system of words and
symbols used to communicate
with other people. This includes
full languages as we usually
think of them, such as English,
Tagalog, etc.
Examples are Lip Pointing, Nodding
and raising eyebrows with a smile,
Silent looks.
● There are 175 estimated languages
spoken in the Philippines. Almost all are
classified as Malayo-Polynesian
languages. Among those languages, there
are 13 indigenous languages with nearly 1
million speakers. In 1935 the Constitution
of the Philippines named English and
Spanish the official languages. In 1939 the
Tagalog language was named the national
language. The language was renamed
"Pilipino" in 1959 and finally "Filipino" in
1973. The present Constitution names
Filipino and English as joint official
languages.
VALUES

It is the culture's standard

for discerning what is good
and just in society.
The term bahala na, which can
be translated to whatever
happens, happens, is one of the
more familiar phrases used in
the country and is perhaps the
most representative of how
Filipinos value adaptability and
quick thinking.
 NORMS
Cultures differ widely in their
norms, or standards and
expectations for behaving.
Norms are often divided into
two types, formal norms, and
informal norms.
 FORMAL NORMS
Also called mores and laws, refer to the
standards of behavior considered the most
important in any society.

INFORMAL NORMS
Informal norms, also called folkways and
customs, refer to standards of behavior that
are considered less important but still
influence how we behave.
 ETHNOCENTRISM
vs.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
It is the idea that a person's beliefs,
values and practices should be
understood based on the person's own
culture, rather than be judged against
the criteria of another.

ETHNOCENTRISM
It is the belief or attitude that one's own
culture is better than all others, and
should therefore serve as the standard
frame for reference.
 SIMILARITIES

Ethnocentrism and cultural

relativism both evaluate culture,
which is the beliefs, attitudes,
social norms and characteristics of
a social group that people share
over place and time.
PHILIPPINE POP
CULTURE
Continuation
Let us go through some of the major areas of
Philippines popular culture

Komiks. ‘ Kenkoy’ was the first Filipino comic

strip. It’s first appearance was in 1929. It’s main
character was created by Antonio Velasquez. It
was only made with four frames and was used to
a filler for a weakly popular magazine Liwayway.
In 1931, Kenkoy was joined with other characters
and they are:
Kulafu. He roamed Dyesebel. She is a mermaid Valentina. She is the
the mountains of Luzon created by Mars Ravelo, the arch enemy of Darna.
similar with Tarzan who same legendary cartoonist who
did Africa. created Darna.
The content of the komiks reflects dreams, hopes,
values, vision of life, escape from reality, and problems
and solutions. All these make komiks definitely a
popular culture. Komiks is created who favor the public
voice and dreams. Komiks has an extensive reach and
grasp which makes them entirely “ of the people”.
Komiks are reading materials that are cheap and
accessible for Filipinos and are a substitute for literature.
Komiks is a “purveyor of entertainment and moral
lessons, disseminator of values and attitudes, and a
source of practical knowledge on farming, government
policies, medicine, and science.
 Film

Cinematografo are short-featured films

that were shown in the Philippines. The
first features films that were produced
locally were in 1909, featuring the life of
Jose Rizal. Jose Nepomuceno’s
“Dalagang Bukid” was the first full-length
feature film shown in 1919. “ Ang Aswang”
was the first talking picture made in 1932
by Musser.
There were a total of 214 movie houses in the Philippines
in 1924. In 1939, the Philippines movie industry become
fifth in world rank when it comes to the number of talkies
produced. Despite all the challenge, the Filipino film did
have an audience. The movie houses were fulfilled
especially with stars like Dolphy, Nora Aunor, Vilma
Santos, Sharon Cuneta, Fernando Poe, Jr, and a lot more.
Literature about Filipino films is limited. Some of it is mainly
film reviews, feature articles, commentaries in magazines or
newspapers. Academic studies are engrossed with film
history like the work of Nicanor Tiongson and Bienvenido
Lumbera.
Radio
Radio stations in the 20s were owned
and operated by an electrical supply
company organized by an American
named Henry Hermann. At the end of the
second World War, came the Philippine
radio. There were 30 operating in 1961.
It was the became the Alto Broadcasting
System, after the martial Law.
After the Second World War, programming in radio was
mostly American. However, DRZH launched the first local
shows. In those early times, a recipe for Philippine radio was
development based on satires, comedies, and variety shows.
It consisted as well soap operas, popular music program,
public service, “ advice-to-lovethorn”programs, and news.
Radio sets have become a common household item
especially in the urban centers.
Popular Magazine.
The Philippine magazine was the first magazine circulated
in the Philippines in 1905. However, it was not yet popular
because it was in English, since the teaching of English
begun in 1901 so it has not reached a majority just yet. On
the other hand, perhaps it was the Philippines Free
Press which should be named first magazine and printed
in a cheap newspaper and it was read by the English-
speaking Philippine public by the time its publication
ceased in 1972. There were also a women’s magazines in
the discipline of popular culturist. They are seen as
“escape literature” by housewives, clerks, office girls,
school girls, teachers, and other type of women.
Popular Music.
At the beginning of the 70s, Philippine pop music was a certainly American.
However, Philippine pop music was also present in the form of Kundimans,
love songs, zarzuelas, street songs, and children’s nonsense songs but
these were not sung on stages or even played in the airwaves. Philippine
pop culture was basically American, from pop, to rock, and even Broadway,
to variety shows in television. Pinoy rock emerged in 1973 through Joey
Smith. Radio station were required to play three Filipino songs every hour,
providing that the dominant music culture was certainly American.
Philippine Pop
Culture during
American Era
Religious Freedom
When the United States took over the Philippines, the people began to be
free to join whatever religion they wanted. (During the Spanish rule, the
Catholic church was established as the national religion and was strongly
enforced). Because of this new found religious freedom, there began to be
many different churches besides Catholicism. Today, it’s remarkable to see
how many different Christian churches there are the Philippines---this
religious diversity has become a big part of the culture.
Protestant denominations arrived in the Philippine in 1898, after the United
States took control of the Philippines from Spain, first with United States Army
chaplains and then within months civilians missionaries.
Free Education
Americans introduced the idea of free education in the
Philippine islands. The United States even sent
teachers to help establish schools where the Filipino
children could have a free education. A large group of
these teachers were called “ Thomasites”, named after
the boat that they came on, called Thomas .
English
During this time, Englis began to be taught in the
schools, and this is the language that the teachers
use. Even today, most of the Filipinos can’t help but
mix in English words when they speak. “Taglish” has
literally become part of the culture. In fact, English
become now the second national language. Lots of
English words have made their way into the Tagalog
language. Often, they are pronounced the same, but
the dictionary spelling is Filipino-ized.
Here are the few fun
examples:

Cake=Keyk
Cookie= Kukis
Bicuit=Biskwit
Ballpen=Bolpen
Interview=Interbyu
Computer=Kompyuter
X-Ray=Eksrey
Clothing and Food Here are the list of the food that
Americans introduced to the Philippines
Here are a few things that that have been widely adopted into their
America introduced to the lifestyle:
Filipino culture: • Hamburgers
• Belts • Sandwiches
• Suspenders • Oatmeal
• Polo shirts • ketchup
• Tennis shoes • Chewing gum
• shorts shirts/dresses • apple pie
• Bonnets/hats • Mayonnaise
• High heels • Hotdogs
• Pantyhose • Steak
• Make up • Ice cream
• Food • Corn flakes
Some American restaurants
that have become very
popular in the Philippines
are:
• Mc Donald's
• KFC
• Dunkin Donuts
Other American Influences:
• Jeepneys, swing Dance,
Democracy, etc.
 High Culture
In a society, high culture is the subculture that
encompasses the cultural objects of aesthetic value, which
a society collectively esteem as being exemplary works of
art, and the intellectual works of literature and music,
history and philosophy, which a society consider
representative of their culture.
 Ezekiel, from
Michelangelo's
Sistine Chapel ceiling;
very high culture
In popular usage, the term high culture identifies the culture
either of the upper class (an aristocracy) or of a status class
(the intelligentsia); high culture also identifies a society’s
common repository of broad-range knowledge and tradition
(folk culture) that transcends the social-class system of the
society. Sociologically, the term high culture is contrasted
with the term low culture, which comprises the forms of
popular culture characteristic of the less-educated social
classes, such as the barbarians, the Philistines, and hoi polloi
(the masses), though very often also enjoyed by the upper
classes.
 Low culture

Refers to the habits, tastes, hobbies, and interests

of the masses. It is contrasted to high culture which is
the culture of the upper-class elite.
 Examples of low culture come from
food,entertainment, sports, and shopping. They can
include fast food, football culture, cheap beverages,
fast fashion, and trashytelevision
1.Mass-Produced Lager
Common, mass-produced lagers tend to be associated
with lowbrow working-classpeople. This is even evident in
where thecommon lager brands advertise: sports for the
masses like Nascar and football.
2. Fast Food
Fast food culture is associated with anobese,
diabetes-ridden, working-class culture. It's often
consumed by the working class because it's a
more affordable optionthan eating in restaurants.
3.Country Music
Country music, which often contains imagery of the

working-class such as images ofpickup trucks, cheap lager,

and rednecks, is often associated with low culture. It is
musicthat is often derided as being lesssophisticated and
repeating themes andtropes about being a poor, working-
class, or blue-collar person.
4. Pop Music
Like country music, pop music is celebrated by
the working and lower-middle classes butnot the
elite. Pop music stands for "popularmusic" and is,
by definition, the music enjoyed by the masses.
5.Tattoos
Historically, tattoos have been seen as lowbrow. They
were associated, for example, with prisoners, criminals,
and delinquents who were to be feared by
theprofessional classes.
FILIPINO TRAITS
AND VALUES
1.PAKIKISAMA
The Filipino trait most taken up was Pakikisama. This
indicates that this is a typical Filipino trait. Pakikisama
redrs to the interpersonal relationship where people are
friendly with each other.

2. UTANG NA LOOB
Utang na loob means inner debt of gratitude. This is a
tendency to feel grateful to a person who has extended a
kindness to them.
3.CLOSE FAMILY TIES
Filipinos are said to value and take good care about of
their family . Although there are times when family ties
are so strong that they lead to conflicts also paradoxically
represent the closeness of the Filipino family members.

4. HOSPITALITY
Filipino hospitality is a traits that refers to the warm
welcome that the Filipino gives to visitors who come to
his or her home, especially strangers and foreigners.
1.Bayanihan
Filipino culture

Bayanihan happens when

people unite to help individuals
and communities in need
without expecting anything in
return
 Respect for elders
Filipinos have high regard for
their elderly, including their
parents. Even young adults still
practice taking their elders’
hands and saying “mano po”
when they arrive at their homes
Industrious attitude

Another one of the great

characteristics of Filipinos is their
being resourceful and industrious.
Philippine Pop
Culture during
Japanesse Era
 Japanese era 1941 to 1945
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines accord
between 1941 and 1945 during world war II. The
Philippines was occupied by Japan for almost 3 years
during the world war Il in the 1940s.
The Philippines was liberated from Japanese controlled by
allied forces in 1944.
On October 14 1943 the Japanese - sponsored Republic
created the ministry of Education.
The teaching of Tagalog, Philippine history, and character
education was reserved for Filipinos under the Japanese
regime.
Did you countries have got a long way from the war time period when
at least 7,000 soldiers died in the Bata and death March alone and have
since a relationship based on cooperation and mutual trust.
During world war
. II, the Japanese took the Philippines from the control
of the United States. This happened between 1941 and 1945, when the
United States was able to take back possession of the country. After
we gaining possession, the United States relinquished it's controlled,
fulfilling it's promise of grunting full independence to the Philippines
Since the Japanese were there for such a short period,
they left no permanent mark on the Filipino way of life.
But they definitely did change the way things were done
during their time in the Philippines.
How things changed during the Japanese rule over the
Philippines:
• A strict curfew was enforced
• Japanese currency was introduced
• Barangays (neighborhood government system) were
cut in half
• A military government was implemented (as it It was
during a time of war)
Mass Media-
Generated
Culture in the
Philippines
Objectives;

At the end of the Reporting, the

students should be able to:

• Understand the Mass-Media Generated

Culture in the Philippines.

• Learn and Identify the different

electronic media in the Philippines.

• Answer the questions prepared by the

reporters.
The Electronic Media
• Electronic Media in the Philippines significantly shapes public
opinion and influences societal norms. It disseminates information
and entertainment through television shows and social media
platforms, reaching a wide audience and promoting the rapid spread
of ideas and trends. It also allows marginalized voices to be heard
and represented, fostering greater diversity in popular culture.
 a) Film

• The Film has significantly shaped the

Philippines' popular culture, from early classics
to modern blockbusters. Filipino films capture
audiences' hearts and reflect social, political,
and cultural issues. They serve as a powerful
medium for storytelling and connecting with
people, ranging from romantic, comedies, to
action-packed thrillers.
* Film Genres ACTION

INDIE-FILMS

ROMANCE
b) Radio
• Radio has significantly shaped the Philippines' entertainment
landscape, providing a platform for local artists to showcase their
talent and promote Filipino music and culture. It has also served as a
powerful medium for discussing social issues and raising awareness
about important topics in the country. From early radio dramas and
variety shows to FM stations, radio has been a constant companion
for Filipinos across generations.
b) Radio
• Radio Soap Opera • Popular Music

Radio dramas, or teleseryes, have been popular Radio significantly shapes the local music
in the Philippines for decades, providing unique industry in the Philippines, promoting
entertainment by allowing listeners to visualize traditional folk songs and launching new
stories through dialogue and sound effects. These artists and genres. It serves as platform
immersive experiences appeal to a diverse for aspiring musicians to showcase their
audience, keeping them engaged for years. The talents and gain recognition, contributing
absence of visual elements in radio dramas allows to the diverse music scene. Radio DJs
listeners to fully immerse themselves in the story. shape public opinion and trends through
commentary and interviews with artists.
b) Radio
• Popular Music

*Mindoro (ex. Hanunoo, Buhid, Alangan), *Mindanao (ex.

• Radio Soap Opera T’boli, Mansaka, Tiruray, Bagobo, *Manobo, Subanun), and
Palawan (ex. Batak, *Tagbanwa)
*Dear Manilyn (1988–1991)
*Agila (produced by TAPE Inc., 1987– • Modern Popular Music (OPM)
1989)
*Gulong ng Buhay (1981–1983) *Di Na (MuliItchyworms · 2018)
*Kathang (IsipBen&Ben · 2017)
*Gulong ng Palad (1979–1981)
*Sana (I Belong to the Zoo · 2021)
*Mabagal (Daniel Padilla · 2019)
*Tagpuan (Moira Dela Torre · 2018)
*Maybe The Night (Ben&Ben · 2017)
c) Television

• is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images

and sound.

• is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, news, and sports.

c) Television
d) Press

• All the media and agencies that print, broadcast, or

gather and transmit news, including newspapers, news
magazines, radio and television news bureaus, and
wire services.
d) Press
e) Magazines

• is a periodical publication, generally published on a

regular schedule (often weekly or monthly),
containing a variety of content.
e) Magazines
 f) Music
• is a form of art that uses sound organized in time. It is also a form of
entertainment that puts sounds together in a way that people like, find
interesting, or dance to.

• is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some

combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive
content.
f) Music