People assume that pop culture now isn’t as impactful as it was in the past. 

This concern was seemingly proven this past season, the annual discussion among Tiktok users about the “Song of the Summer,” a sound that could be associated with Summer 2025 when looking back, manifested itself once more, and a debate quickly ensued. It seemed the only thing people could agree on was that there was no “Song of the Summer”. This confusion exemplifies the growing concern that the sense of community that pop culture fostered in the past is being lost.

I believe that, even though traditional forms of pop culture have become less meaningful, newer mediums still have a lot of impact today.

For example, memes–one of the newer manifestations of Pop Culture–continues to be reflective of current trends and are a driver of change.

Two or three years ago, the word ‘sigma’ gained serious popularity. Even though it’s something you’d link with a preschool age kid or a math class, it started off as a response to the ‘Alpha/Sigma male’ concept, which pushed misogynistic views. By satirizing the word ‘sigma’, the values that were being pushed began to seem lame and goofy to the young and impressionable kids being targeted by proponents of the ‘Sigma Male’. The word lost its original meaning completely. To an individual isolated from internet culture, the meme seemingly has no significance because they lack context. 

Though there seems to be a growing concern about the impact of Pop Culture in its current state, I believe that Pop Culture still has a large impact among adolescents and young adults. This shows that newer types of media continue to unite us and drive change in the world around us.

Pop culture isn’t dead–It’s just taken a new form.