[post two] Now that my AP Research project is complete, it can help the outside world by bringing to attention some of the negative topics that commonly appear in popular music. Several studies have observed that people youth who experience harmful or less than savory content through media, especially including music, they are more likely to replicate those ideas in their lives. For example, increases in underage drinking instances throughout the years have some correlation with the increase in popular songs that reference alcohol. Additionally, observing lyrical trends in music generally consumed by the American population can reveal issues that are collectively experienced. Mentions of depression, alienation, and suicide increased drastically in popular music last year. This makes sense considering the climbing amount of depressed youth and adults as a result of isolation during the recent pandemic.

There aren’t necessarily groups that are directly impacted by my research, but the data that I collected could be used to make new conclusions when paired with previous studies. It may can be used to make observations and assessments about American youth based on the lyrics they choose to listen to. The data could also be used to explore correlations between popular music media and the behaviors of Americans in general.