The 1920's was a time marked by social change in America. Although many different elements played a role in bringing about this change, the commercialization of popular culture was at the heart. The commercialization of popular culture dramatically changed society by bringing many Americans together while dividing others.
First, I will show you that the commercialization of popular culture changed society by bringing Americans together. Probably, the biggest commercialization that took place was that of music. In the 1920's, music became accessible to Americans from one coast to the other. This allowed for an extraordinary change in American society that hadn't been seen in years. The change I am referring to was the boom in popularity that music from various subgroups experienced. Music like Jazz from new Orleans or hillbilly music from the south shot up in popularity and was listened to by people all across the country. Prior to this change, subgroups all had their own type of music. Now a giant population of the United States was brought together through a common taste in music. .
Along with music, there was also a dramatic change in style during the 1920's. Prior to the 1920's various groups enjoyed various styles of clothing. As with music this was changed dramatically with the commercialization of pop culture. Through radios, advertisements, films and other methods mass communication became possible. Soon companies and actors were able to convey ideas to Americans of what was "popular." The effects of this mass communication can be seen through the image of the flapper. The flapper was the image of an independent woman. She wore a short skirt, had short hair, and often smoked. The fact that she smoked was primarily due to the cigarette marketing concept of "torches of freedom." This was basically the belief that women asserted their equality to men when they smoked.
