Pop culture–for some it’s a nuisance, for others it’s a guilty pleasure. According to my sister’s boyfriend and me, a knowledge of pop culture is a necessity in today’s world. Your probably asking how is it important to know for example, what the new Britney Spears music video is, or who John Mayer is currently dating? Well, for starters it’s important to know what is going on in the world.
The daily events that occur and make the news, whether celebrity gossip or not, are talked about by others. In the business world, “small talk” is ruled by current events. Thus, it is important to be “in the know”. I know it sounds lame, but I was always told knowing a little about a lot of things, can make anyone an excellent conversationalist. It’s all about relating to people.
My sister completely lacks any knowledge on pop culture. A couple of evenings ago, her boyfriend and I were quizzing her on football and basketball teams. The responses she came up with were hilarious. According to her, Brett Favre is a famous tennis player and the Washington Wizards are a baseball team. Obviously she has no knowledge of sports, which she argues doesn’t matter because she doesn’t care. I argue it does.
My point is, if someone in the business world brings up a current event about a famous football player and you say a comment assuming he is a tennis player, I feel credibility is lost. Call me crazy, but I feel a lack of pop culture in some cases can come off as ditziness.
