Popshifter is run by volunteers. Our staff members do not get paid for their writing, although they will often receive free copies of items for review.

We are currently looking for enthusiastic and dependable TV, music, and film bloggers. Please check out the Submissions page for more details.

The Five Point Manifesto: Popshifter is about. . .

1. Reclaiming pop culture for those who lived it then or love it now:
Pop culture has just about been done to death by talking heads shows and clever magazine articles. Many of the elements in this culture we call pop are popular for a reason but oftentimes those reasons have been lost or forgotten. It’s not about marketing to the —something demographic; it’s about making people feel something. Popshifter aims to make people love, laugh, cry, and think.

2. Remembering that the term pop culture also contains the word “cult”:
Pop culture isn’t just about what’s popular with everyone. Although Wikipedia defines pop culture as “widespread cultural elements” and “moments” that comprise the “everyday lives of the mainstream,” there are plenty of amazing non-widespread, non-mainstream things that are begging for intelligent and witty discussion. Popshifter strives to take the pop culture road less traveled.

3. Putting the “fun” back in fandom:
How many fan communities do you belong to that have lost the plot, devolving into boring arguments about what’s canon, who is the bigger fan or worse, non sequitur flame wars? Fandom is all about the huge embarrassment mixed with love that being a fan can provide, and then being able to mock the very thing you love. If that’s not the joy of fandom, then what is? (Apart from slash fiction, natch.) Popshifter will take the “dumb” out of fandom and make it enjoyable again.

4. Seeking out the great without adding to the hate:
Sometimes it feels like yelling into a crowded room when you just want to provide a different perspective, especially when antagonism and negative click-bait fodder can make it seem like tearing something down is more important than building it up. It’s possible to think something is worthy of admiration even if it’s flawed or problematic. Popshifter seeks to critique pop culture with open minds and clear eyes.

5. The death of irony and the rebirth of sincerity:
Not that sarcasm should always be avoided, but watching a movie you love or listening to your favorite band should evoke joy, pathos, or the feeling that if only for a little while, the world is a better place. If a work of art, no matter how lowbrow, makes you feel this way, then you should share that feeling. Popshifter is for everyone who is tired of feeling guilty for caring about pop culture.

“Those That Bind,” © 2002 by Brandon Bird
Oil on canvas, 24″ x 20″

What Popshifter is NOT about:

Celebrity gossip: There are plenty of magazines, TV shows, and websites that provide ample coverage of Hollywood scandals. Therefore, Popshifter will refrain from doing so.

Politics: Although political issues can certainly be germane to a discussion of pop culture, Popshifter is not a political website.

Pretentious content masquerading as critical analysis: Popshifter is not the place for PhD dissertations. Popshifter is also not the place for bitter English grads to exact their vocabulary vengeance upon bands about whom they, frankly, know nothing.