From The Perspective Of Trickle-down Theory: A Qualitative Research On The Knock-off Culture

Prevalent from 2008 to this year, the knock-off culture, as a kind of popular culture, has spread like wildfire all over China, which made a strong influence. The unofficial version of Spring Festival Gala is one of the representatives that are typical of the knock-off culture. Different from other popular culture, this pop culture exists in a form of imitation. It is the imitation that helps the knock-off culture gain much support from many people in the society, and the argument the same time. A new climax was made by the knock-off culture when it was reported by CCTV News. What is the knock-off culture after all? Focusing on the unofficial version of Spring Festival Gala, this paper is trying to explore the mechanism and find the root cause of the whole knock-off culture objectively and practically, ignoring the existing judgment no matter positive or negative.The trickle-down theory from the common study of popular culture will be used to explore this particular popular culture in this paper, making an attempt to get the mechanism of this culture represented by the unofficial version of Spring Festival Gala comparing with the prototype culture. Based on the research method such as literature and interview, we get some academic achievement. The so-called knock-off culture is such a culture phenomenon that grass roots imitate the prototype culture with their subjective initiative and creativity from 2008 to nowadays. That is a common practice and a way of living. It is the result of the trickling down prototype, by means of the mass media and the imitation of the ordinary people. This trickling down would be owing to the existing of difference deeply. Difference in the culture and the power gives birth to the process of the trickling, creating this knock-off culture as a kind of particular pop culture. Actually, the knock-off culture is a way of showing their self-production of the ordinary people, which could be seen as an extension of the difference.The first chapter in this paper shows the reason and the value of this study, makes a literal review, and introduces the research methods. The second chapter summarizes the development of the unofficial version of Spring Festival Gala and concludes a conception of the knock-off culture. The third chapter discusses the way that prototype culture trickles down to the ordinary people by the help of mass media, and such trickling-down relies on the people's chase for fashion to carry out the imitation for the prototypes. The forth chapter explains the root cause of the trickle-down and the imitation for the upper culture which is regarded as the existing of difference. Difference in culture and power implies the deeper factor, which makes the knock-off culture become a kind of popular culture through the way of trickle-down. Finally there are some conclusion and follow-up thinking in chapter five.