You fell asleep, say in the late 50s or early 60s. You just woke up. What facet of current pop culture surprises you the most? –
Would it be that Clint Eastwood (known to you, if at all, as Rowdy Yates) is a respected movie director; or
The general crudity of mass culture; or
The general acceptance of interracial dating/romance; or
?
The level of technology compared to my own era. Laptop computers, ubiquitous use of wireless portable telephones, and of course the internet.
President Reagan?
Who was his Vice-President? Jerry Lewis?
That much American popular music – meaning, these days, slick “R+B” and its ilk, plus nearly all of “today’s rock music” – is still stuck in the same short list of chord changes, time signatures, instrumentations, and feels. (Actually, the differences would be somewhat noticeable between 1955 and now, but hardly at all between, say, 1985 and now).
Luckily, this would be balanced by my surprise that so many more people are now aware of musical styles that are “from” distant places – “world” music and regional “folk” styles in the broadest senses of the words.
The general acceptance of intra-gender dating/romance.
The prevalence of young pop “songstresses” dressed like (and performing in emulation of) cheap hookers.
The kids’ new fad of refusing to get off my lawn.
Disposable arts, especially visual arts and music. Everything is created for mass consumtion and quickly forgotten. And a general amateurishness of everything.
Our ‘wired-ness’. The ability to communicate instantly (and inexpensively) with people from all over the world (even with many people at once), and to find tons of information on damn near anything at the touch of a button.
I’ve been awake (mostly) since 1962, and it still astounds me.
Technology. Thirty years ago the thought of the whole world being connected was impossible.
The strides made by “negroes” “girls” and “sissy boys.” In the 1950’s and early 60’s, white hetro males had all the power.
The sluttiness of many female singers. The prominence and popularity of gay and black entertainers. A lot of music that just seems to be noise (and that’s not just because I’m an old fart!). The omnipresence of color TV and the role of the Internet. The amazing convenience of gadgets like cellphones, CDs, DVDs and iPods.
Technology in terms of instant communication.
Revealing clothing for everyday on the street wear.
The all-encompassing vulgarity of arts, interpersonal communications, publicity, etc.
The celebration of violence and rudeness.
That’s exactly what an old fart would say. Seriously. Every generation thinks the new music sucks, and every generation thinks they’re not just saying that because they’re old farts. Here’s the thing: saying “the music the kids listen to these days is all just noise” is exactly what makes you an old fart! 
Oh, and HEY YOU KIDS, GET OFF MY LAWN!
Go to hell, old man! 
The general gore on TV in this thing you call “Prime time.” And the dizzying array of TV stations. Oh, and that the best thing on any one of them is still Leave it to Beaver.
Lack of social inhibition
Mobile phones
Globalisation & huge commercial super-power companies
But probably most of all:
Despite massive advances in technology & convenience in many areas of life, even fulfilling some of the utopian prognostications when I went to sleep, people don’t in general seem happier.
The prevalence of people deemed “famous” despite a lack of anything notworthy about them except that they’re “famous”.
I thought rap would have died out after the first recording was released.
Then I thought it would die out in a couple of weeks.
When it lasted a year I thought even the comics jokes about rap seemed stale.
Now it looks like a permanent scar in the time-space continuum.
If you mean people like Paris, she’s only the last in a long long line. Remember Pia Zadora? And Charo? And Zsa Zsa?