0:00:17.607,0:00:19.996
Thank you very much,[br]that was a very grand intro,

0:00:19.996,0:00:22.677
and no, I don't play the piano[br]and surf at the same time,

0:00:22.677,0:00:24.194
I don't think that would work.

0:00:24.194,0:00:27.371
But it's a great morning, this morning,[br]you're having a good time?

0:00:27.371,0:00:28.840
Audience: Yeah.[br]PM: Right. That's good.

0:00:28.840,0:00:31.354
Because I'm going to need your help.

0:00:31.354,0:00:34.260
I'm going to start with an experiment.[br]What I want you to do,

0:00:34.260,0:00:36.559
is to take out your mobile phones, please.

0:00:37.341,0:00:39.356
I'll give you a second to do that.

0:00:39.356,0:00:41.044
If you have them on you, of course.

0:00:41.489,0:00:43.536
Hopefully it'll be camera phones.

0:00:43.684,0:00:45.930
What I'm going to ask you to do

0:00:45.930,0:00:48.135
is to take a funny picture.

0:00:48.135,0:00:49.181
Can be of anything.

0:00:49.181,0:00:50.364
Can be of me, but

0:00:50.364,0:00:52.168
it would be so conceited to say that,

0:00:52.168,0:00:54.400
but a funny picture. A selfie, whatever.

0:00:54.400,0:00:55.700
The person next to you...

0:00:55.700,0:00:58.214
We're going to ask you to do that[br]right now, please.

0:01:00.788,0:01:01.945
Okay, here's one I took

0:01:01.945,0:01:04.863
of my prospective audience earlier.

0:01:07.129,0:01:07.941
Brilliant.

0:01:11.277,0:01:12.581
Ok.

0:01:13.351,0:01:14.905
We're all there? Brilliant.

0:01:15.350,0:01:16.662
What I'd like you to do now

0:01:16.662,0:01:18.875
is to show that picture to[br]the person on your left.

0:01:18.875,0:01:20.612
Some of you already are.

0:01:20.941,0:01:23.571
Ok? If you're in an aisle, [br]just show it across.

0:01:25.224,0:01:27.152
Now I want you to also show that picture

0:01:27.152,0:01:29.085
to the person on your right.

0:01:29.475,0:01:31.910
In fact, why not show it to

0:01:31.910,0:01:34.364
everyone around you?

0:01:34.364,0:01:36.230
(Laughter)

0:01:37.687,0:01:38.619
Great.

0:01:39.469,0:01:42.461
This is like real-life [br]social media in action.

0:01:43.081,0:01:45.503
Ok. Now bring it back now.

0:01:48.530,0:01:50.698
Ok. I need the front two rows now.

0:01:50.698,0:01:52.811
Can I ask the front two rows to stand up,

0:01:52.811,0:01:55.337
Including the people [br]in the wings, thank you?

0:01:56.217,0:01:58.884
Now it's a bold experiment [br]we're going to do

0:01:59.454,0:02:02.087
but I want the front two rows to decide

0:02:03.007,0:02:05.234
decide whose picture is the funniest.

0:02:05.673,0:02:08.116
Ok, whose picture is the funniest?

0:02:08.116,0:02:10.807
And I'm going to give you just 20 seconds.

0:02:10.807,0:02:12.641
So you might need to move around.

0:02:12.641,0:02:14.721
Work it out.[br]I'm gonna give you 20 seconds.

0:02:14.721,0:02:16.474
So, off you go, now.

0:02:16.474,0:02:17.919
20,

0:02:17.919,0:02:19.171
19,

0:02:19.171,0:02:20.223
18,

0:02:20.223,0:02:22.001
17,

0:02:22.001,0:02:23.564
16,

0:02:23.564,0:02:24.946
15,

0:02:24.946,0:02:26.372
14,

0:02:26.372,0:02:28.064
13... Have we got a short list yet?

0:02:28.335,0:02:29.418
12,

0:02:29.678,0:02:30.914
11,

0:02:30.914,0:02:32.380
10,

0:02:32.380,0:02:33.535
9,

0:02:33.535,0:02:34.656
8,

0:02:34.656,0:02:35.804
7,

0:02:35.804,0:02:37.380
6,

0:02:37.380,0:02:39.334
5,

0:02:39.334,0:02:41.018
4,

0:02:41.018,0:02:42.244
3,

0:02:42.244,0:02:43.234
2,

0:02:43.234,0:02:44.082
1...

0:02:44.082,0:02:45.577
And they're still going.

0:02:45.577,0:02:48.110
Ok. Can you sit down[br]if you've been discounted?

0:02:48.110,0:02:49.493
Sorry very much.

0:02:50.603,0:02:52.476
Do we have a winner?

0:02:52.966,0:02:55.031
Do we have a winner?

0:02:55.961,0:02:57.268
Over here?

0:02:57.678,0:02:59.694
Is it... Sally!

0:03:00.076,0:03:03.170
Ok, fantastic. Can we have [br]a round of applause for Sally, please?

0:03:03.170,0:03:06.466
(Applause)

0:03:06.656,0:03:07.823
Brilliant.

0:03:08.880,0:03:11.196
OK. So, Sally will probably sit down now

0:03:11.196,0:03:12.834
and probably what she will do,

0:03:12.834,0:03:14.520
she will go on to twitter and say,

0:03:14.520,0:03:20.469
"ha ha, just won TEDxWoking[br]photo competition, aren't I cool? #irock"

0:03:22.089,0:03:25.063
But that was an experiment[br]in the formation of popular culture.

0:03:25.063,0:03:28.210
A group of people bound by [br]the same common rows

0:03:28.210,0:03:30.771
that they were sitting in,[br]decided on something,

0:03:30.771,0:03:33.259
and that's how popular culture is formed.

0:03:33.679,0:03:35.886
Now if Sally does tweet it,

0:03:35.886,0:03:37.862
which she might do, [br]-- go ahead! --

0:03:37.862,0:03:40.401
and you might now go along and retweet it,

0:03:40.401,0:03:43.041
and the image will spread,[br]you might put it on facebook,

0:03:43.041,0:03:46.071
and it will spread even further.[br]She's not doing it, by the way.

0:03:46.071,0:03:48.441
(Laughter)[br]You should do it, it's a good picture.

0:03:48.441,0:03:50.377
Sally: It's a picture of him.[br](Chuckles)

0:03:50.388,0:03:54.326
But you'll probably say, "Phil, that's [br]really interesting, it's just a picture."

0:03:54.326,0:03:56.735
What about if the picture said this?

0:03:57.542,0:03:58.743
[TEDxWoking]

0:03:58.743,0:04:00.714
Suddenly it's no longer a picture.

0:04:00.714,0:04:02.044
It's an idea.

0:04:02.044,0:04:04.407
And that idea spreads.

0:04:04.407,0:04:06.355
And what about if the picture said this?

0:04:06.355,0:04:07.874
[TEDxSUX!]

0:04:07.874,0:04:10.450
(Laughter)

0:04:10.450,0:04:11.275
It's an idea.

0:04:11.275,0:04:13.506
And when a group of people come together

0:04:13.506,0:04:15.481
with a common idea,

0:04:15.481,0:04:18.343
that's how popular culture is formed.

0:04:19.735,0:04:21.088
Now historically,

0:04:21.088,0:04:23.547
art and culture define popular culture.

0:04:24.593,0:04:26.281
And a mechanism was always needed.

0:04:26.281,0:04:28.767
Be it art, painting, or sculpture.

0:04:28.767,0:04:31.008
Modern technologies changed all that now.

0:04:31.908,0:04:36.551
Now a dad, in his Christmas jammies,[br]on Youtube,

0:04:36.551,0:04:40.601
or even the way that you chose to[br]support your local charities

0:04:41.255,0:04:43.254
is all available to us.

0:04:43.881,0:04:47.339
And instead of just voting with[br]your sword or with your feet,

0:04:47.895,0:04:50.754
all you have to do now to agree

0:04:51.514,0:04:53.074
is Like.

0:04:53.074,0:04:54.465
[Like]

0:04:54.835,0:04:57.571
When certain ideas, interests or choices

0:04:57.571,0:04:59.718
reach a critical mass within a society,

0:04:59.718,0:05:01.750
they become widespread

0:05:01.750,0:05:03.902
and proliferate throughout that society.

0:05:03.902,0:05:06.167
A definition of popular culture.

0:05:07.717,0:05:08.971
[Google/to google]

0:05:08.971,0:05:10.934
But what happens when the mechanism

0:05:10.934,0:05:13.285
for the spread of popular culture

0:05:13.285,0:05:16.178
becomes part of popular culture itself?

0:05:16.740,0:05:18.067
Take Google.

0:05:18.067,0:05:19.781
It's a proper noun.

0:05:19.781,0:05:21.367
But it's also a verb.

0:05:21.367,0:05:24.334
And an intrinsic part [br]of our popular culture.

0:05:26.513,0:05:28.064
Historically,

0:05:28.064,0:05:32.135
access to high culture, [br]popular culture, was limited.

0:05:32.874,0:05:34.460
Access to painting was limited,

0:05:34.460,0:05:35.451
access to sculpture,

0:05:35.451,0:05:37.440
theatre audiences, by their very nature,

0:05:37.440,0:05:39.503
were limited.

0:05:39.853,0:05:41.747
But fast forward to

0:05:41.747,0:05:43.100
the invention of cinema,

0:05:43.100,0:05:44.582
the wireless,

0:05:44.582,0:05:45.324
TV.

0:05:45.324,0:05:46.501
Suddenly popular culture

0:05:46.501,0:05:48.367
is being beamed into our homes

0:05:48.367,0:05:50.411
every single day.

0:05:52.940,0:05:54.581
There's still the pop music.

0:05:54.851,0:05:57.746
[Elvis vs Cliff]

0:05:57.746,0:06:00.354
In 1956,

0:06:00.354,0:06:02.477
when Elvis Presley [br]first entered the charts

0:06:02.477,0:06:04.682
and began his long-running battle[br]with Cliff Richard,

0:06:04.690,0:06:07.093
you were either for Elvis,[br]or you were for Cliff.

0:06:07.093,0:06:10.084
Some people may remember, not sure.

0:06:10.234,0:06:12.121
It affected the way that you spoke.

0:06:12.121,0:06:14.368
It affected the way you wore your hair.

0:06:14.368,0:06:16.871
It affected the way the clothes you wore.

0:06:16.871,0:06:19.192
I'm looking at it right here.

0:06:19.192,0:06:20.327
Audience: Yeah.

0:06:20.327,0:06:22.126
Elvis or Cliff?

0:06:22.126,0:06:24.282
(Answer inaudible)

0:06:26.253,0:06:28.171
But what happened was

0:06:28.191,0:06:29.780
fast forward through the charts.

0:06:29.780,0:06:31.613
Through the Beatles versus the Stones,

0:06:31.613,0:06:32.733
New Romantics.

0:06:33.373,0:06:34.728
Punk Rock.

0:06:34.728,0:06:36.591
Mods versus Rockers.

0:06:37.091,0:06:39.222
Pop culture became sub-culture.

0:06:39.222,0:06:40.499
And increasingly,

0:06:40.499,0:06:43.280
big businesses took over [br]and became involved.

0:06:44.020,0:06:47.049
We listen to what they let us listen to.

0:06:47.049,0:06:49.280
We just have to look [br]at the Christmas Charts

0:06:49.280,0:06:52.667
of the last nine or ten years[br]to see that control.

0:06:53.853,0:06:58.343
But then along came services[br]like Spotify and iTunes.

0:06:58.594,0:07:01.200
You could listen to what [br]you wanted to listen to,

0:07:01.200,0:07:02.763
when you wanted to listen to it

0:07:02.763,0:07:05.266
and wherever you wanted to listen to it.

0:07:05.835,0:07:08.862
It's great. And music was free.

0:07:08.862,0:07:12.272
But it became less of a group experience.

0:07:12.780,0:07:14.278
It was no longer about

0:07:14.278,0:07:16.306
sitting around the radio[br]on a Sunday evening

0:07:16.306,0:07:18.127
listening to the Chart Show.

0:07:18.127,0:07:21.113
And watching TV on a Thursday night.

0:07:21.113,0:07:22.885
Watching Top of the Pops.

0:07:22.885,0:07:25.051
Showing my age!

0:07:25.596,0:07:27.125
Ok, talking of TV,

0:07:27.125,0:07:28.985
who here watches EastEnders?

0:07:28.985,0:07:30.874
Come on, don't be shy.

0:07:31.027,0:07:33.030
Really? No one?[br](Laughter)

0:07:33.030,0:07:34.264
Is that Sam?

0:07:34.264,0:07:36.237
Audience: Yes.[br]PM: OK.

0:07:36.240,0:07:39.834
In the 2014 Christmas episode[br]of Eastenders,

0:07:40.002,0:07:42.179
spoiler alert, close your ears now,

0:07:42.179,0:07:44.133
when Lucy Beale died,

0:07:47.053,0:07:49.761
8.39 million viewers.

0:07:50.151,0:07:52.331
Backtrack to 1986.

0:07:52.331,0:07:53.388
Christmas day.

0:07:53.388,0:07:56.370
When Dirty Den served [br]divorce papers to Angie,

0:07:57.949,0:08:01.284
30.15 million viewers.

0:08:01.624,0:08:04.800
Now is it that the program[br]EastEnders has gotten worse?

0:08:04.800,0:08:06.111
Possibly.

0:08:06.111,0:08:08.528
(Laughter)

0:08:08.528,0:08:10.540
Is it that just less people watching it,

0:08:10.540,0:08:13.730
it just doesn't relate to us anymore?[br]Possibly.

0:08:14.201,0:08:18.310
Or is it just that the way that[br]we view television has changed?

0:08:18.577,0:08:23.121
In fact, I can't remember the last time [br]that I watched serial broadcast television.

0:08:23.121,0:08:26.731
I want to watch what I want to watch[br]when I want to watch it.

0:08:27.653,0:08:30.926
And video on demand has provided me that.

0:08:31.116,0:08:33.659
[Netflix 4.5 million UK subscribers [br]61% binge watch]

0:08:33.659,0:08:35.602
Let's look at Netflix.

0:08:35.602,0:08:38.157
There are 4.5 million[br]UK subscribers in the UK.

0:08:38.184,0:08:42.063
4.5 million people who choose to watch[br]their television in a different way.

0:08:43.199,0:08:44.926
That doesn't include BBC iPlayer

0:08:44.926,0:08:46.030
4od,

0:08:46.030,0:08:46.821
iTV Player,

0:08:46.821,0:08:49.125
all the other video on demand services.

0:08:49.125,0:08:50.584
But the interesting thing

0:08:50.584,0:08:53.387
is the stat at the bottom.

0:08:53.387,0:08:56.200
People don't just want to tune in[br]to watch one program

0:08:56.200,0:08:58.843
when the broadcaster wants them to.

0:08:58.843,0:09:00.429
Actually, I mean, you know,

0:09:00.429,0:09:01.762
be it Breaking Bad, or

0:09:01.762,0:09:03.357
the Good Wife, at the moment

0:09:04.617,0:09:07.540
I want to watch more than [br]one episode every evening.

0:09:07.570,0:09:10.544
In fact, when House of Cards,[br]the last season, was released,

0:09:10.544,0:09:13.691
people literally watched it all day[br]with minutes breaks in between.

0:09:13.706,0:09:15.911
I don't know when they went to the toilet.

0:09:15.911,0:09:17.829
(Laughter)

0:09:19.689,0:09:22.751
The world of today is very different[br]to 40 years ago.

0:09:23.808,0:09:25.439
All these services.

0:09:25.759,0:09:28.727
In fact, if I had been stood up here[br]40 years ago,

0:09:28.727,0:09:30.842
I'd probably would have been wearing

0:09:30.842,0:09:33.288
a suit and tie, much like Ray!

0:09:33.860,0:09:36.403
In fact, probably everyone in this room[br]would have been dressed

0:09:36.403,0:09:38.658
exactly the same.

0:09:39.487,0:09:41.861
The services like ASOS and Amazon

0:09:41.861,0:09:43.544
provide us a choice.

0:09:44.294,0:09:46.489
I can buy what I want to buy

0:09:46.489,0:09:48.200
when I want to buy it.

0:09:48.200,0:09:50.748
In fact, I challenge anyone in this room

0:09:50.748,0:09:51.851
-- look around, now --

0:09:51.851,0:09:54.491
to find a discernible fashion,

0:09:54.491,0:09:56.088
beyond the odd beard.

0:09:56.088,0:09:58.087
(Laughter)

0:09:58.087,0:09:59.661
Because there isn't one.

0:09:59.661,0:10:00.972
Because we're not beholding

0:10:00.972,0:10:02.990
to the highstreet anymore.

0:10:02.990,0:10:04.847
We don't behold in to go and walk down

0:10:04.847,0:10:06.237
to the local Debenhams

0:10:06.237,0:10:08.475
and buy whatever it is [br]they're gonna sell you.

0:10:08.475,0:10:10.220
You can buy whatever you want now.

0:10:11.127,0:10:12.241
[10 Very Best Things]

0:10:12.241,0:10:14.183
Okay. Let's look at a survey.

0:10:14.183,0:10:16.338
So this is the top 10 Very Best Things

0:10:16.338,0:10:17.853
for under 10's.

0:10:17.853,0:10:20.252
It's from 2006[br]of the National Kids Day survey,

0:10:20.252,0:10:21.871
but it still rings true today.

0:10:21.871,0:10:24.126
Makes for interesting reading.

0:10:24.126,0:10:25.231
Number ten, Heaven God.

0:10:25.231,0:10:27.615
(Laughter)

0:10:27.615,0:10:30.146
Number nine, watching films.[br]I think we'll all agree with that.

0:10:30.146,0:10:31.487
Number eight, nice food.

0:10:31.487,0:10:33.370
Number seven, friends.

0:10:33.771,0:10:35.974
Number six, family.

0:10:35.974,0:10:37.533
Number five, pop music.

0:10:37.533,0:10:38.806
Number four, being healthy.

0:10:38.806,0:10:41.281
It's good to see it [br]in the top five, at least.

0:10:41.281,0:10:43.965
Oh, I can never get [br]my kids to eat their peas.

0:10:43.965,0:10:46.329
Let's see what happens in the top three.

0:10:46.329,0:10:49.253
Number three, being rich.

0:10:49.253,0:10:51.795
Number two, good looks.

0:10:51.795,0:10:54.686
Number one, being a celebrity.

0:10:55.332,0:10:57.281
Kids under ten.

0:10:58.758,0:11:00.671
Popular culture has become

0:11:00.671,0:11:02.573
"popular culture".

0:11:02.903,0:11:05.465
Our children and [br]by association, ourselves,

0:11:05.465,0:11:07.035
are obsessed with celebrities.

0:11:07.035,0:11:08.481
It's fed into our homes.

0:11:08.481,0:11:09.618
Endlessly, all day.

0:11:09.618,0:11:11.881
And this causes a problem.

0:11:12.511,0:11:14.354
This need for recognition.

0:11:14.354,0:11:16.121
This, 'See me!'

0:11:16.121,0:11:18.666
that social media plays directly into.

0:11:22.106,0:11:25.620
75% of parents think negative influences

0:11:25.620,0:11:28.141
from mass media are a serious problem.

0:11:28.141,0:11:30.925
75% think that the influences

0:11:30.925,0:11:32.911
from mass media are a serious problem

0:11:32.911,0:11:34.846
in raising their children.

0:11:34.846,0:11:37.525
Mass media like films, TV, music.

0:11:40.033,0:11:41.445
And the problem is

0:11:41.695,0:11:44.382
that now we've become voyeurs

0:11:44.382,0:11:47.209
into the lives of celebrities.

0:11:47.209,0:11:49.246
Of our friends, of our neighbors.

0:11:49.246,0:11:51.120
In fact of everyone.

0:11:51.120,0:11:53.253
Because cameras are everywhere.

0:11:53.253,0:11:55.605
This was our Christmas team photo.

0:11:55.605,0:11:58.235
Cameras are everywhere.[br]You can take a picture whenever you want,

0:11:58.235,0:12:00.846
like we did at the start of this talk.

0:12:02.014,0:12:04.790
But this allows us to do different things.

0:12:05.480,0:12:08.454
Social media movements [br]like Je suis CHARLIE,

0:12:08.454,0:12:10.615
like the Harlem Shake,

0:12:10.615,0:12:12.227
like the Icebucket Challenge,

0:12:12.227,0:12:15.438
are only possible because of[br]what we carry around in our pockets.

0:12:16.607,0:12:20.495
But these social media [br]movements are brief.

0:12:21.065,0:12:23.497
It's a wave that washes over society

0:12:23.497,0:12:25.489
and then withdraws quickly.

0:12:26.279,0:12:31.303
But it leaves a massive social media[br]legacy behind it.

0:12:31.913,0:12:33.299
[So...is pop culture dead?]

0:12:33.299,0:12:35.775
So, back to the original question.

0:12:35.775,0:12:38.847
Is pop culture dead?

0:12:38.847,0:12:41.159
Has it been hijacked by mass media?

0:12:41.159,0:12:43.256
Are we being told [br]what we should think now,

0:12:43.256,0:12:45.502
rather than developing it ourselves?

0:12:46.072,0:12:50.106
Or, are we actually [br]creating popular culture,

0:12:50.106,0:12:53.014
now, ourselves, through social media,

0:12:53.014,0:12:56.205
every single second of every single day?

0:12:56.855,0:12:59.167
Popular culture as we know it

0:12:59.167,0:13:01.015
is probably dead.

0:13:01.015,0:13:03.232
But long live popular culture.

0:13:03.602,0:13:04.491
Thank you.

0:13:04.491,0:13:06.383
(Applause)