Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
The influence of popular culture and news media: the social impact of…
Full specification wording
Society and culture in change, 1917–80: The influence of popular culture and news media: the social impact of cinema, popular music and radio, 1917–50; the social impact of television from the 1950s; the influence of broadcast news, 1920–80.
This topic examines how popular culture and news media shaped American society from 1917 to 1980.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 3
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
This topic examines how popular culture and news media shaped American society from 1917 to 1980. Cinema, popular music and radio created shared national experiences in the 1920s–40s, spreading fashion, slang and values while sometimes provoking moral panics. From the 1950s, television transformed leisure, family life and political communication, helping to nationalise consumer culture and later to broadcast civil rights and Vietnam. Broadcast news, from early radio bulletins to televised events, increasingly influenced public opinion and political accountability.
What earns the marks
- Explains how cinema, popular music and radio created shared cultural references and national identities in the period 1917–50, using examples such as jazz, Hollywood and network radio.
- Analyses the social impact of television from the 1950s, including changes to family leisure, consumer behaviour and the public sphere.
- Assesses the influence of broadcast news from 1920 to 1980, including radio news, televised political events and the reporting of social conflict.
- Evaluates the extent of media influence, recognising limits such as regional differences, censorship, economic constraints and audience interpretation.
- Draws supported judgements about change over time, comparing the relative significance of different media in different decades.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating media influence as uniform across the whole period.
Put it right: Distinguish between the 1920s–40s dominance of cinema and radio and the post-1950s rise of television.
Assuming broadcast news was always objective or equally trusted.
Put it right: Consider partisan radio commentary, censorship and the growth of televised critique.
Listing media developments without linking them to social change.
Put it right: Explain how a specific medium altered behaviour, values or political awareness.
Exam tips
- Use precise examples with dates, such as the first commercial radio broadcasts in the early 1920s or the televised Kennedy–Nixon debates in 1960.
- Address both the unifying and divisive social effects of popular culture and news media.
- Plan answers around change over time, comparing the 1920s–40s with the 1950s–80s.
Try the lesson
The start of the Society and culture in change, 1917–80: The influence of popular culture and news media: the social impact of cinema, popular music and radio, 1917–50; the social impact of television from the 1950s; the influence of broadcast news, 1920–80. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which medium became the most widespread source of shared home entertainment for families in the United States during the 1930s?
Listen
This topic examines how popular culture and news media shaped American society from 1917 to 1980. Cinema, popular music and radio created shared national experiences in the 1920s–40s, spreading fashion, slang and values while sometimes provoking moral panics. From the 1950s, television transformed leisure, family life and political communication, helping to nationalise consumer culture and later to broadcast civil rights and Vietnam. Broadcast news, from early radio bulletins to televised events, increasingly influenced public opinion and political accountability. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains how cinema, popular music and radio created shared cultural references and national identities in the period 1917–50, using examples such as jazz, Hollywood and network radio. Analyses the social impact of television from the 1950s, including changes to family leisure, consumer behaviour and the public sphere. Assesses the influence of broadcast news from 1920 to 1980, including radio news, televised political events and the reporting of social conflict. Evaluates the extent of media influence, recognising limits such as regional differences, censorship, economic constraints and audience interpretation. A common slip: Treating media influence as uniform across the whole period. Instead, distinguish between the 1920s–40s dominance of cinema and radio and the post-1950s rise of television. Exam tip: Use precise examples with dates, such as the first commercial radio broadcasts in the early 1920s or the televised Kennedy–Nixon debates in 1960.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Cinema, popular music and radio
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Television
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Broadcast news
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Limits of media influence
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Cinema, popular music and radio
- These created shared national experiences in the 1920s–40s, spreading fashion, slang and values while sometimes provoking moral panics.
- Television
- From the 1950s it transformed leisure, family life and political communication, helping to nationalise consumer culture and later to broadcast civil rights and Vietnam.
- Broadcast news
- From early radio bulletins to televised events, it increasingly influenced public opinion and political accountability.
- Limits of media influence
- These include regional variation, censorship, economic constraints and audience interpretation, so media influence should not be treated as uniform.
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