Pop culture is a set of practices, beliefs and objects that are dominant in a society at a given point of time. It encompasses the feelings and activities produced as a result of interaction with these dominant objects. Often, heavily influenced by mass media and a collection of ideas that permeates the everyday life of a society.
Yesterday, I learned that many Italians still watch American movies. Back during World War II, Italy was the fourth largest film industry, while the United States was the tenth largest film industry. Now I feel like the United States is one of the leading countries producing movies. I think America is “known” for its movie industry and Hollywood-centered culture. Some of the highest grossing Italian movies are: La Vita e Bella, Ultimo tango a Parigi, and Il Positano. I have never heard of these movies, since I cannot speak Italian, but I know that they must be of great quality. Some of the United States’ highest grossing movies have been: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Avatar. I found it interesting how many Italians watch American television shows. Some genres that are popular are: cartoons, comedies, drama, talk show, reality show and award shows. I personally do not watch that many cartoons nowadays, but I learned that Italians love The Simpsons as well as South Park, Family Guy and the Muppets. As for comedies, Italians enjoy watching Happy Days, Friends, the Cosby Show and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. These genres really surprised me because the majority of these shows originally came out during the 90s. Some popular American television shows that I enjoy watching are: The Office, Gossip Girl, New Girl and Gilmore Girls. I am not sure how popular these shows are here in Italy, but I did discover that Netflix does not provide The Office. As for music, I believe it truly is universal. I have noticed so many young Italians walking the streets of Arezzo with headphones in their ears, just like me. However, what we listen to is slightly different. Popular American artists in Italy consist of Drake, Sean Paul and Sia. Drake is definitely popular in America, as well as Sia. I honestly do not know that many Sean Paul songs, besides Temperature and No Lie, so I cannot really speak to his popularity here in Italy. Broadly speaking, I think Americans enjoy a wider range of music, like Alterntive, Rock, Techno and Country. I personally listen to Alternative, Pop, Hip-Hop and a little bit of Country. It is really cool sharing our love for movies, television shows and music with people across the world. I think that many people coming to Europe have a pre-conceived idea that Europeans are extremely different than Americans, but in reality, many of us “young” people enjoy hanging out with friends, shopping, playing sports and listening to music. I do not think that my friends and I are that different compared to Italians. Different yes, but definitely sharing common interests with one another.
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Kristin GilesMy thoughts and experiences while interning in Arezzo, Italy Archives
April 2018
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