Analyzing the Influence of Pop-Culture on Social Psychology and Norms

This essay delves into the intricate relationship between social psychology and pop-culture, exploring how popular trends shape societal norms and individual behavior. It examines the evolution of cultures, from subcultures to mainstream phenomena, highlighting the role of cognitive processes and the impact of marketing strategies. The essay references the historical context of the Second World War and its aftermath, where propaganda and cultural shifts were prevalent. Furthermore, it discusses the influence of empirical research and the rise of big data in understanding consumer behavior and the dynamics of social psychology. The essay concludes by emphasizing the potential for social psychology to evolve further, drawing parallels with the development of empirical research programs and the integration of evidence-based theories.

Social psychology and influence of the Pop-culture over the existing norms of the culture
Introduction
During the days of the Second World War and its aftermath, many experts and aspirants of social
psychology studied the behavior patterns of the society, these societies were in a transition. It
was an era of changes and the elements of the popular culture were changing drastically. Many
sovereigns of that era utilized the theories associated with social psychology and Pop-culture to
design social messages and propaganda machinery to set certain issues in order (Pillemar, 2013).
Social psychology is intertwined with the elements of the popular culture
The frameworks of social psychology identify pop-culture as a traditional phase in the evolution
of mainstream culture. The general procedure of this transformation can be explained with the
help of some steps. A radical thought process or the way of life emerges in a small section of
society. In the second step many fractions of the society adapt it as a subculture. In the third step
this culture becomes the mainstream culture. The evolution of Hippy culture in the ’80s is a
poignant example of this. Hippie culture didn’t survive for long because of the involvement of
drugs and free will crimes (Radey, 2013).
The stories behind the evolution of various religions also give us a hint that culture emerged to
change the existing practices and norms of any given society. Likeminded people formed small
groups and finally a new sect of society emerged. Many experts believe that a popular culture
becomes a mainstream culture after progression of time. Then another popular culture emerges to
break the frigidity of the previous culture. Longest surviving cultures of the world are surviving

because they are accommodating the popular culture into the mainstream culture and killing the
redundancy of mainstream culture (Radey, 2013).
Social psychology can be defined in terms of cognitive knowledge gained by a person. Cognitive
senses of a human being often search for easy stimulations or pleasurable experiences. It is a
choice of the human being to find pleasure in an existing society or in a subculture which is
brewing up on the surface of existing society. The correlation between social psychology and
popular culture can be established with the term called “contemporary.” During the days of the
Second World War many newly emerged sovereigns promoted new cultures as the contemporary
and progressive cultures. They created a propaganda machinery to establish previous cultures as
the regressive culture (Pillemar, 2013).
The empirical studies done on society during that transitional phase gave rise to many theories
related to social psychology. Most of these theories have relevance in present world where the
forces associated with the marketing and selling of the products are utilizing them to understand
consumer behavior. The arrival of big data and the constant observation of the subjects are
adding a new accuracy in these findings.
Conclusion
Almost two centuries ago, as a subject, psychology was dependent on the accounts of popular
literature; the introduction of empirical research programs added a new flair into the subject and
converted it into a science. With the arrival of big data facility and stronger platforms to
advertise products and concept, social psychology can also repeat the same history because it
will gain coherence with the popular culture and convert itself into a stream with the help of new
“evidence-based theories.”

Bibliography
Pillemar, J. (2013). Perspectives on the Social Psychology of Creativity. Journal of Creative
Behaviour , https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jocb.001.
Radey, M. (2013). The Social Psychology of Compassion. The Social Psychology of Compassion
, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10615-007-0087-3.