Pop Culture Pathology - The Botto Experiment

The Botto Experiment

The most common way to test theories in pop culture pathology is to attempt to simulate situations of complete cultural ignorance. For example, a test done in 2005 at University of California, Berkeley, is referred to as the "Botto Experiment". A young student named Nicholas Botto was given a CD on its release date that had received no radio play and which he had no exposure to. He listened to only this album for two months and was readmitted to society. He was told to return in a year's time with 5 albums that he found he enjoyed in light of the album he had been assigned. In the experiment the album that was famously used was In An Aeroplane Over The Sea by the indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel. The style of music was known as "Lo-Fi" which was uncommon at the time. A year later Botto returned with five similar albums. His choices perfectly predicted a generation of music in the Lo-Fi genre, opening the door for pop culture pathology to be known as a legitimate subject.