Is pop culture really discouraging students from completing their Academic Programme?
The way we think about school is only one area where pop culture has had an impact in recent years. Some students may use pop culture as an excuse not to study or even finish their degrees, despite the fact that many students find it to be a delightful distraction from the rigors of academics. In this paper, I want to investigate whether or not today’s popular culture is discouraging young people from completing their formal education.
It’s common knowledge that people’s outlooks and actions in daily life are shaped in some way by the media and popular culture. Advertisements and ads, for example, can sway people to buy a product, and Hollywood celebrities can influence how we see attractiveness and style. Similarly, popular culture has the potential to shape how we regard and value formal education.
Students’ decisions to drop out of school might be influenced by popular culture’s depiction of school as pointless and dull. A common stereotype in popular media is that students would rather spend their time socializing, partying, or following their hobbies than learning.
Some kids may come to believe, as a result of seeing these images, that school is not worthwhile. In addition, many young people regularly use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, among others, often publish content that makes education seem unimportant or unworthy of serious consideration. Young, impressionable minds may be profoundly influenced by the information created by influencers on these platforms, and many of those influencers place a greater emphasis on materialistic values than intellectual ones.
Further, the celebrity culture popular culture has spawned allows people to succeed in life without completing their formal schooling. Many artists, such as musicians, actresses, and social media influencers, have built successful careers without formal schooling or a four-year degree by capitalizing on their natural gifts and abilities. This might give young people a false feeling of optimism, leading them to assume they can succeed without putting in the necessary effort at school. On the other hand, popular culture may serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration for pupils. Education is often portrayed in media as a means to an end, which may serve as inspiration for readers and viewers. Films like “Good Will Hunting” and “Dead Poet’s Society” are motivational examples that show the audience the transformational potential of education and encourage them to continue their own.
In addition, the entertainment industry may encourage a love of education by producing engaging and entertaining materials for the classroom. Podcasts like “Stuff You Should Know” and “Criminal” provide engaging and instructive information that students may use to expand their knowledge while having fun.
Similarly, “Civilization” and “Assassin’s Creed” provide students with compelling and participatory educational experiences by incorporating history and culture into their tales. The subject of whether or not popular culture is discouraging students from completing their formal education has several facets. While popular culture has been linked to a decline in students’ interest in learning, it also has the potential to act as a positive influence.
Educators and parents also need to do their part to counteract the harmful effects of pop culture by emphasizing the significance of education and encouraging students to see it through to completion. In conclusion, popular culture has the potential to affect our perspectives on learning.
Though it has the potential to encourage educational trivialization and indifference, it also has the potential to inspire, motivate, and deliver entertaining and interesting instructional content. Educators, parents, and students alike have a responsibility to help their students find a happy medium between a love of popular culture and a commitment to learning. It is crucial to place a high value on education because it is one of the most important variables in determining one’s success.