Task 2 model answer 21: The difference between popular culture and traditional culture

The modern and the traditional are often seen, if not as exact opposites, then at least as areas of contrast, and many people hold this to be true of culture. Although there are clear points to support this opinion, there are also a significant number of points that argue against it, as will now be discussed.

The culture of today revolves heavily around changes in technology. Mobile phones, for instance, have become an almost essential part of younger people's lives, and in this regard it can be said to be an example of the difference. Yet under the surface, it can be seen that this modern trend is actually little more than another method of communication, albeit less personal than speaking face-to-face. In a similar way, home computers and the Internet, a clear part of modern culture, can be considered to be simply an extension of reading. Using a monitor and mouse rather than a book does not make the two incompatible.

There are some who claim technology is making people less sociable, that culturally communities are isolating themselves with modern appliances. Yet it must be understood that the world can now be seen as a global village, a world wide web which allows people to interact globally.

In conclusion, it is not that the cultures of the past and today are so different, it is simply the methods used to express those cultures which have changed. A culture should be flexible, adapting itself to each new generation; if not, then its worth is limited only to historians.