Popular culture strikes me as a very effective way of getting a message across to a lot of people, and in that regard, holds much power. In many ways, those who distribute pop culture have a fair amount of responsibility, as the material they provide can, and does, inform peoples behavior and beliefs. Advertisers and marketers know this, and will often try to use (or even invent) pop culture to sell their products. One example of this which I encounter on a fairly regular basis, particularly on websites like YouTube or Facebook, is the use of currently popular music, or the presence of current celebrities, in advertisements. Some advertisers manage to do this more elegantly than others, but it is a common tactic. While movies, books, art, and music are perhaps the most commonly cited harbingers of popular culture, I also think that one form of mass influence that should not be ignored is propaganda, government or otherwise. If we consider pop culture to be emblematic of the current most popular social “notions” (for lack of a better word) then there is no reason why what the general populous thinks cannot be change, one way or the other. Certainly an idea can be a persuasive thing! I think the point that I’m trying to make here is that we should be careful that in a society, we, as individuals, should be the ones who define popular culture, and not let it define us.