My Three Icons.

The icons I have chosen for this week are Cedar Point, The Walking Dead, and Netflix. All of these icons have been around a while and will continue to be around for a long while more. People love to be entertained and have the thrilling adrenaline rush of being scared. CedarPoint, The Walking Dead, and Netflix all have this capability. I chose these three icons because they are something that my family and I enjoy. Family time is an important value to me and when there are popular icons that will allow everyone to participate and enjoy themselves I am all for it. 

Cedar Point is located in Sandusky, Ohio and this icon is home to some of the fastest roller coasters in the world. My family travels to this amusement park every summer it has become a tradition. I know this is a popular icon by the long lines and wait times it takes to get on each ride. Snoopy is a popular icon used by cedar point to attract little kids. On the way into the park, you can see bushes trimmed to look like characters from the peanuts gang. Last summer the baby of our family was big enough to ride her first big roller coaster. This summer we will get to experience the newest coaster Valravn. The history of Cedar Point began in 1892 with the introduction of the peninsula’s first roller coaster, the Switchback Railway. The 25-foot-tall, 10-mph scream machine is what started Cedar Point into the popular park they are now. The ultimate amusement park that more than 3 million guests trek to each and every summer.

                                                                                                       

The Walking Dead is one of the biggest television series hits of this decade. With the horror of zombies, the heroic acts of Rick, Darrel, and the crew, and the drama of who will hook up with who this is entertainment for the whole family. This television series is on AMC and first premiered in 2010 and is based on the comic books. This storyline tells what it would be like in the world after a zombie apocalypse. Rick Grims is one of the main characters. After the first season, Rick has a group he travels around with trying to find a safe place to live where zombies can't eat you. Viewers fall in love with the characters like they are family and vow to boycott the show if their favorite character gets eaten by a zombie. This show is a favorite in my home and brings everyone together one day a week to share and enjoy something together. 

Netflix is a company that started out in 1998 as a DVD by mail rental company. In 2007, Netflix upgraded to streaming TV series and movies directly to your television. Netflix has grown to have such a variety of options that they now have over 33 million customers worldwide. Netflix has a very low price and allows anyone in your household to have their own profile and watch a different show on Netflix from different rooms. This service is something we really enjoy in my home. We sit a binge watch television series to get caught up so we can watch the new episodes as they are played on television. I also like that if I miss out on a season because of my busy schedule, and extra studying I can catch up when it is released on Netflix. 

Written Analysis 1 Adam Levine

Adam Levine is the known of the face of Maroon five, a popular icon worldwide. He is a true pop star with fans watching his changing looks, new tattoos, and loving his new music. Maroon five has sold over 18 million records. Adam has always wrote his owns songs but decided to buy a song from a young writer in 2011. Adam changed some of the words and the band debuted their biggest hit Moves like Jagger.

Maroon Five’s popularity continues to grow with Adam Levine’s success as a judge on the hit show The Voice. On The Voice Adam Levine is joined by Black Shelton and two other musical star coaches, each coach builds a team of auditioned artists they want to work with in hopes to find Americas next big hit musician. Adam has captivated America with his appearance on The Voice with the fun competitive monolog with Blake Sheldon (Stein, 2014). American’s love all different genres of music which is what has drawn such a big audience to tune in and watch The Voice for the last eight seasons. Not only are fans getting to hear great music, they also get the competitive entertainment of watching their favorite coaches fighting it out.

According to People magazine, Adam Levine beat out 3.5 billion men when he won the award for sexiest man alive (Kedmey, 2013). Not only does Adam Levine have the look fans love, but Adam Levine has a background in the fashion industry, his father owns M. Fredric where Adam held his first job. This has helped Adam with his own clothing line that is out in Kmart stores nationwide. Adam also has the support of his wife, fashion Victoria Secret model Behati Prinsloo, to assist in his women’s appeal line (Adam Levine Touts Expanded Kmart Line, 2014).

Adam Levine gives hope to people that their dreams of being a star could come true. He lives a lifestyle that is the fantasy that American’s turn the TV on to experience. Adam Levine is an American pop icon. 

Popular Culture

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?

Popular culture is the way people act or react to everyday life on a daily basis. It's beliefs; political, religious or inherited morals, and our customs that define the people of any society.
Popular culture has influenced who I am as an individual, it helped formed my personality when I was young. It's what my ancestors have passed down from generation to generation. Popular culture is also much larger than me as an individual. It is family, community, state, and nation. It's the music we listen to the political party we believe in and the politically correct or incorrect way we view the world.  For me, it was watching the Cosby Show and Brady Bunch relating the dynamics of their family life to mine. I grew up in a house with 5 siblings and two parents. The Beatles and Beach Boys music made my parents very happy so we listened to them often. I grew up in Coshocton, Ohio which is only an hour from Cleveland so I was raised a believer of the Cleveland Browns. We would watch them lose most Sundays and know there is always next year to get to the super bowl.Going to church every Sunday morning and being raised Catholic was important for my mother. The invention of the internet and updated versions of cell phones are artifacts that have great popularity and influence with people. I use to live in a world that never had these things, but now I would be lost without them.

                                                       

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?
Popular culture is all around us. It is a big part of the medical field with constant new studies and medications hitting the market. Staying on top of advertisements for prescription allows me to be prepared for questions and concerns of patients as commercials come and go. It is also important to stay aware of cultural beliefs and practices of patients. The internet has made it easy for businesses to advertise. The office I work for has its own facebook page that brings in a lot of business as people like and share our page with all their friends.

What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?
The Internet came to be in 1990 which is a popular culture artifact used today.The development of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are all social media sites used by a big majority of people. These sites were all invented by people that wanted to allow everyone to stay connected always. Social media offers a new age way to communicate. The internet is also used for informational purposes. Seach engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo are a convenient solution to any question you would like an answer to. Just type it in the search box and you are on your way to an infinite amount wisdom.