David Harris Blog Entry on Raymond Williams' Selective Tradition

Selective tradition is explained by Raymond Williams as being a process in which we get information from the past to explain and justify actions in the present. That is why selective tradition complements the current trends of boy bands in pop music. Over the years, famous boy bands have come out such as New Kids on the Block, One Direction, Backstreet Boys, Jackson 5, etc. These boy bands have become so popular over the years that more keep arising every year and doing sort of a viral moment across social media, this has caused boy bands like BTS to have listened all across the seven continents. This movement of boy bands dates back to the 1900s due to that when Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block arose and people couldn't get enough of them. That is why Raymond Williams is the right even in this century when talking about selective tradition because the legacy from the past like Backstreet Boys, Jackson 5, and New Kids on the Block are the so-called founders of the current movement regarding the current trends of boy bands in pop music. Boy bands this year are one of the most streamed songs across platforms such as Youtube, Spotify, or even Apple Music, and that is why they are so desired across the world. BTS is one of the most popular boy bands in 2021, and even though they sing in Korean, people still listen to them and are a fan of them in continents such as Europe and America where people don't speak Korean, but still tune in to listen to BTS even though they are barely understood. We have to keep into account that boy bands are not just popular because of their songs, but also because of their looks. Their looks have earned boy bands like One Direction things such as sponsorships for clothing brands and roles in movies like Dunkirk. The current movement is here to stay whether people like it or not and they are going to have more influence due to mass culture. Mass culture is one of the reasons these boy bands are recognized and influential and because of that, their popularity will never really come to die down. Because of the past popularity of boy bands shows as American Idol, The X Factor, and The Voice have even taken advantage to show the world the future due to that some boy bands have come developed out of those tv shows. So due to mass culture, and Raymond Williams's selective tradition, boy bands are just going to keep influencing the world and rising in popularity across social media platforms.