Besa Luci in conversation with Lindita Tahiri and Jovana Gligorijević.

Songs, movies, reality shows, video games, news — these products of popular culture shape our society. From the way we interact with others, how we view our own identities, how we dress — it's all influenced by popular culture and mass media.

In this episode, we will talk about popular culture and specific cases from the region.

Over the last few months, much of Kosovo became captivated with "Big Brother VIP Kosova," the first local edition of the international reality show series. The show, which featured contestants from across the dominant spheres of pop culture in Kosovo, reached unprecedented levels of popularity. It was due to this widespread popularity that some were particularly concerned about the misogyny and homophobia that was a prominent aspect of the show and the characters' conversation. How was this questionable celebrity culture shaping its viewers?

Other forms of popular culture have also come under scrutiny. For example, mainstream music in our region often perpetuates sexist, nationalist or homophobic ideas. The daily news cycle, particularly entertainment news, often centers on personalities and spectacle. Internet culture is driven by constant comparisons to unhealthy and unrealistic lifestyles, which exacerbates teenagers' body image and mental health issues.

These pop culture elements in our lives play a role in establishing common norms and social expectations — but many voices or groups are neglected or even oppressed in the dominant narratives.

That is why pop culture's significance is not just tied up in concerns about quality or that it's material produced for the lowest common denominator. Pop culture is shaped by and shapes the ideological, political and economic values of the world around us.

Academics have long discussed this aspect of pop culture. Is it merely the vulgar transformation of culture into a commodity? Or does pop culture have the potential to be a site of resistance — one where values and norms can be challenged and reimagined?

Two guests joined us in this episode to discuss such questions.

Lindita Tahiri teaches at the Department of English Language and at the Department of Journalism at the University of Prishtina. Her courses cover Literary Criticism, Mass Communication, Language and Culture, Language and Ideology. She has publications, including three books, in the field of literary criticism and critical discourse analysis, as well as two university textbooks in mass communication and media literacy.

Jovana Gligorijević is a journalist at the Belgrade-based magazine Vreme and co-founder of the group “Female journalists against gender based violence.” She co-authored guidelines for ethical reporting on gender-based violence and is the author of media literacy manuals for high school teachers.

Other Talking Points is produced by Besa Luci, Aulonë Kadriu and Gentiana Paçarizi. 

Music and sound mix by PUG musik.

This podcast is part of the Human Rightivism project, which is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina, implemented by the Community Development Fund through its Human Rightivism Program. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina.