Overview

It can be said that American culture is unique in its generality, drawing from a pool of various ethnic and cultural influences to create innovative cultural phenomena. Given the rapid increase in global connectivity in the 2000s, American popular culture is no longer evolving in isolation. Whereas in past generations, cultural trends that originated in Europe might take several years to become popular in the United States, today the temporal gap is closing and America’s cultural landscape is rapidly shifting. In addition, the ethnic and sociological barriers that once divided cultures within America are beginning to lose their definition with the rise of a more generalized, media culture.

A brief survey of any cultural genre, from sports to visual art, reveals that Americans are engaged in a more diverse array of activities than at any other point in history. This trend partially reflects the freedom of information represented by the Internet. While American fitness experts are teaching ancient Chinese exercise techniques in Texas, people in China are listening to independent rock music from Minnesota. If there is one characteristic of American culture that has been exposed in the 2000s, it is that Americans are eager to explore any cultural development—whether foreign or domestic, ancient or modern—and to integrate these new phenomena into the mosaic of American culture.

The period since the year 2000 might generally be called the beginning of the digital age, as the development and popularization of Internet and digital technology has, more than any other phenomenon, defined the development of the period. Internet technology began in the 1980s and 1990s, but shortly after the turn of the century the Internet experienced a tremendous and exponential explosion in popularity and involvement. In the years that followed, Internet technology pervaded every facet of popular culture, redefining the way Americans work, live, play, and create. Given the rapid development of new technology, society is still struggling to keep up. It is only in the last half of the present decade, for instance, that politicians have learned to make efficient use of the Internet as a tool for campaigning and building support for governmental initiatives.

As a whole, the new millennium has been about diversification. The range of activities considered acceptable in mainstream American culture is expanding, while enhanced communication between cultures is helping to create a global social community.¹ And with the creation of sites for social networking (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, Friendster) and video sharing (e.g., YouTube, Google Video), pop culture can be rapidly disseminated and shared throughout that global community like never before.

Use the links on the top left and top right sides of the page to find out more about the news, films, movie stars, songs, books, Broadway shows, awards, fads, fashions, sports, and other elements of pop culture in the 2000s. Or, if you’d like, continue reading from Pop Culture in the 2000s by Micah Issitt.

Notes: