Origins and Spread of Popular Culture

• Popular culture originates from the working class, where ideas and trends are selected based on their importance and consumer value.

Origins and Spread of Popular Culture

• The study of popular culture is heavily influenced by Western, particularly American, perspectives.
• Culture, sociologically, involves the formation of traditions and trends within a common group.
• Folk culture is an early form of popular culture that existed in ancient societies.
• Wedding ceremonies, music, and fashion are identified as key popular culture milestones.
• Music began to evolve during the Renaissance when Western composers started writing down their music, while Eastern music was passed down through practice and memory.
• Fashion boomed when aristocrats and royalty wore clothing beyond functionality, which the working class then emulated.
• William Shakespeare is considered a "superstar" of popular culture because his work appealed to many.
• Globalization doesn't require modern technology as it occurred during the Age of Exploration through trade and conquest.
• Popular culture aspects were exchanged between Westerners and other civilizations during the Age of Exploration.
• The opening of the Suez Canal introduced Western popular cultures to the Philippines.
• The introduction of opium by the British in China had negative consequences.
• Europe gained access to chocolate due to the conquest of the Americas, which led to the boom in the slave trade.
• Johannes Gutenberg's printing press allowed for the spread and accessibility of knowledge through mass-produced books.

The Industrial Age

• Technology advancements made cultural aesthetics more accessible, turning folk and high cultures into popular culture.
• Theater and music became accessible through plays and sheet music.
• The advent of film and television led to rapid consumption of cultural aesthetics.
• Filipino cinema began in 1897 and became accessible to the masses with the first original Filipino film, Dalagang Bukid, in 1919.
• José Nepomuceno is known as the Father of Philippine Cinema.

Popular Culture, Society, and Technology

• Improved technology led to higher living standards and the integration of folk and high cultures into popular culture, creating popular culture icons.
• The sewing machine enabled mass production of high-end clothes accessible to the working class.
• Technology increased the demand for the entertainment category, lifestyle category, sports/news/politics category and connection
• Entertainment evolved from printed media to radio, music, radio dramas, television, and films.
• Lifestyle improved with the sewing machine for fashion, cookbooks for food, and cameras for art.
• Sports, news, and politics boomed with mass communication through newspapers, radio, and televised events.
• Accessibility and function drove technological advancements from telegraphs to mobile phones and the Internet.

The Icons and Trends of Philippine Popular Culture

• The Philippines has its own popular icons and trends across different categories.

The Pre-Colonial Philippines and Their Myths

• Pre-colonial entertainment included kundiman, epics, poetry, legends, and mythologies specific to each tribe.
• Notable figures included Lam-ang, Urduja, Bathala, Talagbusao, Ibu, Bakunawa, Pilandok, Malakas, and Maganda.
• Legends of aswang and traditional instruments like kulintang, bansik, kudyapi, and kubing were also categorized as entertainment.
• Early Filipinos adapted to the tropical jungles using abaca, nipa, and other plant fibers for clothing.
• Native minerals, pearls, and tattoos were fashionable.
• Bartering with traders introduced silk, condiments, porcelain, and prized objects.
• Early Filipino architecture included nipa stilt houses and bamboo houses.
• Folk and tribal dances such as Tinikling, Singkil, and Maglalatik were practiced.
• Slave trade existed during this period, leading to the aliping namamahay and aliping saguiguilid classes.
• Famous sports included Sikaran, Yaw-yan, Daga y Latigo, Panantukan, Arnis de Mano, wrestling, archery, sipa, and sabong.
• Early Filipinos acquired skills in metal forging, pottery, weaving, and navigation through trade.
• Writing was valued, with examples including the Angono petroglyphs, baybayin, and the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

When Spain Came to Colonize

• The Spanish Occupation had both positive and negative impacts, resulting in a cultural blending.
• Spain introduced zarzuela, pasion, and cenaculo, which revolved around religious practices.
• Awit and corrido became dominant literary pieces, with Ibong Adarna, Bernardo Carpio, and Florante at Laura being prime examples.
• Novels like Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were integrated after the opening of the Suez Canal.
• Western music and musical instruments, such as the guitar, were integrated.
• Western fashion was adopted, with barong Tagalog and baro't saya being prime examples.
• Folk dances incorporated Spanish elements, and new dances such as pasodoble, fandango, curacha, rigodon, waltz, jota, polka, and lanceros were introduced.
• Local cuisine incorporated elements from different cultures, with examples including adobo, pancit, champorado, pineapples, and leche flan.
• Western fine arts and formal education became integral inclusions, such as the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Santo Tomas.
• The Spaniards introduced fencing and gun duels to few Filipinos.
• Football was introduced during their last stand.
• Events such as the Propaganda Movement and the GomBurZa Execution were famous news events.
• Revolts such as the Dagohoy Revolt, the Silang Revolt, and the Basi Revolt happened.
• Figures such as Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Emilio Aguinaldo, Teresa Magbanua, and Melchora Aquino rose and fell.
• Included also are the victory of Mindanao (with Sultan Kudarat) and the Igorots defending hte Cordilleras.
• Technologies introduced included electricity, light fixtures, materials from the Galleon Trade, piña fiber, firearms, and books.

The American Dream and the Filipinos

• The Americans conquered the Philippines after the staged Spanish-American War.
• The Americanization of the Filipinos occurred, and the American Dream was embraced.
• Events of the Second World War and Japanese occupation are included.
• The Americans seceded from the Philippines by the end of World War II through the signing of the Treaty of Manila.
• Radio technology was introduced, with the first radio station established in 1924, which allowed for more listeners of American music like jazz and Western swing.
• Theater was developed further, and vaudeville (bodabil) became a popular form of entertainment.
• Film was first introduced by Spain in 1897, but the masses took hold of filmmaking in 1919.
• Atang dela Rama, Paraluman, Fernando Poe, Sr., Sampaguita Pictures, and Carmen Rosales were prominent icons.
• Filipinos embraced Americana fashion for men and flapper dresses for women.