Marcel Danesi and Stuart Hall’s research provides critical views on popular culture, emphasizing its role as a commercialized, cultural institution and product. Stuart Hall in his essay "Notes on Deconstructing the Popular" asserts that popular culture is used to deceive and manipulate the masses, where the masses are regarded as passive receivers of the messages of the wealthy elite (Hall 231-5, 237-9). The prevalence of popular culture in shaping the public’s perceptions and beliefs can be traced to its power to portray a twisted view of reality. As Hall states, popular culture usually provides illusions that are good for the dominant group and hurt other people's worldviews (Hall 231-5). This alteration is most apparent in politics during …show more content…
Among these candidates, Trump, the former star of reality shows, used his popularity to attract voters by claiming that as a successful businessperson, he could carry out the changes. Trump’s use of Twitter created an opportunity to explore classical and modern rhetoric on a digital platform where every user is a stakeholder (Flores 11). He focused on social media platforms, including Twitter, to bypass traditional media outlets and communicate directly with his voters. However, Clinton also appealed to the youth vote by submerging her image in contemporary cultural trends. She participated in different well-known talk shows, like "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and took part in viral social media challenges such as "Mannequin Challenge". These attempts were made to show her as “trendy” and up-to-date with popular culture. Consequently, critics argued that both candidates used their popular culture with a false motive. The usage of Twitter made Trump capable of spreading lies and fake news without being challenged, while Clinton's being on talk shows and the trending memes were seen as superficial efforts to relate to the