Pop Culture vs. EJ
If you’ve worked with me as your editor for and your project features a contemporary setting, you might know my dirty little secret.
I don’t like pop culture references in fiction.
There, I said it. I know that not everyone feels this way so let’s get into the why!
Pop culture references date your work.
This can be a good or bad thing depending on who you ask. If you read a book set in the ‘80s or ‘90s, you might find references to beepers, pagers, dial-up internet, and landline phones. References to popular celebrities of the time including Harrison Ford, Michael Jackson, and Madonna might also come into play. Some readers may find these references nostalgic while others may find them unrelatable. Either way, pop culture references (particularly ones relating to technology, celebrities, or current events) will tie your story to a specific time in history, rather than giving your manuscript a timeless quality.
Pop culture references may be regional.
Celebrities, technology, and current events are all specific to regions (cities, states, or countries). If your manuscript reaches readers in other countries (or if it’s translated into languages other than English), your pop culture references may hold no meaning to foreign readers.
Pop culture references can exclude readers.
It sucks not being in the know. It can feel like everyone is part of a cool club you weren’t invited to join. Since readers can come from all regions and demographics, some readers who don’t “get the joke” may feel left out.
Trends change quickly.
In many cases, conventional wisdom is true: By the time you jump on a social media or pop culture trend, it’s already stale.
Trends rise and fall so quickly that by the time you include a reference in your manuscript, finish writing, edit, revise, proofread, format, and release, that trend has disappeared and everyone has forgotten all about it.
Now for the counterargument!
Pop culture references can unite strangers.
If readers from different backgrounds and regions bond over pop culture references in a book, it can make them feel connected to both each other and the reader. Creating bonds over shared interests is part of Making Friends 101.
Pop culture references ease comparisons.
Rather than detailing complex comparisons, authors may use pop culture references for comparisons. For example, saying something is a red pill vs. blue pill problem rather than framing a decision as the choice between blissful ignorance and harsh reality.
Elements of pop culture add realism.
The reality of 2024 living is that social media, technology, and current events play a role in the average person’s life. To create a third-dimensional and relatable fictional character that stands entirely independent from their world would be unrealistic.
Readers may love pop culture references.
Readers may love the nostalgia or hype of pop culture references and they may enjoy reading them in fiction.
So, what’s my overall advice as an editor (and voracious reader)?
You can have some pop culture references but try not to inundate readers.
Choose references that will stand the test of time.
If you anticipate translations of your work or foreign readers, choose well-known pop culture references that may transcend geography.
And always: Do what’s right for you! It’s not my book, it’s yours!
