Over the last few weeks, I’ve watched as my students in my creative writing club have bonded over pop culture – every form of storytelling one can imagine.  They bonded over books, movies, video games, and above all, music.  Several left ecstatic having met other students who share similar tastes in TV, movies, music, and more.  What is it about pop culture that binds us together?

I just finished The Women by Kristin Hannah, which dives deep into the experiences of field nurses in Vietnam.  Throughout the book, particularly in chapters set in Vietnam, certain songs by a myriad of artists set the scenes without mentioning one lyric.  The names of the songs and artists was enough.  Then there were the clothes.  Set roughly from 1967 to 1982, author Kristin Hannah used descriptions of hair and clothing to add realism and depth to her setting and characters.  As one of the finest pieces of historical fiction I’ve ever read, I will be reviewing the book at a later date.  It is that good.

Up until fairly recently, I would have told you that we used to bond more closely over pop culture in the past.  Growing up in the 80s and 90s, we only had three TV channels for a large chunk of my childhood.  Most hit TV shows were shown on either NBC, ABC, or CBS.  That’s only changed over the past two or three decades.  Shows such as M*A*S*H set ratings records that will probably stand the test of time.  Today, with dozens of streaming services and an endless variety of cable channels, TV viewers have more choices than ever.

Music changed, too.  As a child, I watched MTV and VH1 come into their own.  With shows like Unplugged, Behind the Music, and Pop Up Video shown among a solid stream of increasingly intricate music videos, they were all about the music.  In fact, I recently came across a conversation in which my contemporaries argued that it can be difficult for people of our generation to separate certain songs from their music videos. 

Indeed.  I have a difficult time imagining TLC’s Waterfalls, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, or Jamiroquai’s Virtual Insanity without their iconic videos.  I could name a dozen others.  Today, we have it all at our fingertips.  We can pre-order albums in our medium of choice or subscribe to an all-inclusive music service for a fraction of the price of one traditional CD.  That simple fact made my Xennial heart incredibly happy and angry at the same time.

Personally, when it comes to music, I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience the transition from vinyl to tapes to CDs to MP3s to streaming services … and all the way back to vinyl for collectors.  I watched as a wide-eyed little girl as Madonna and Michael Jackson exploded onto the scene, respectively becoming the Queen and King of Pop, ushering in a new era of great music.  Thanks to my Gen X elders, I developed a deeper appreciation for 80s music, expanding beyond pop rock.

Today, there are infinitely more choices out there.  Yet, it is easier than ever to connect to other fans of your favorite TV shows, movies, music, books, and so much more.  No more annoying dial up, parents or siblings waiting not so patiently to use the phone.  Things might be a bit fragmented, but when you find your tribe, there is no doubt.