History Main / PopculturalOsmosisFailure

* This frequently happens on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', between Robin (who is from [[CanadaEh Canada, eh]]) and the rest of the gang. Robin calls [[Music/BruceSpringsteen Springsteen]]! "like the American Music/BryanAdams". Springsteen had his break ten years earlier and is ''much'' more famous around the world, and particularly in the US.

# "Oh, X! He was in Y, right!" -- The person from Group B ''gets it wrong'' because of a failure of PopCulturalOsmosis (and he's guessing).

* ''Film/TheFunhouseMassacre'': While two park workers are discussing the tastefulness (or lack there-of) of basing a haunted house attraction on the real-life crimes of InUniverse [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]], the other states that [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity that's only making people talk about it more]], and says a hashtag about the attraction is blowing up on [[Website/{{Twitter}} Tweezer]].

[[folder:Web Comic]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

[[folder:Music]]
* From the comments on Website/YouTube, it appears that many think that "The Devil Went Down to Jamaica" is the original and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is the parody.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Work]]

Note that A–F can go both ways (for example, someone too old to know Music/BritneySpears or The Music/BackstreetBoys may have fond memories of ''Series/ILoveLucy'' or Music/HermansHermits), and G is the natural conclusion of PopCulturalOsmosis, when even the SignatureScene is forgotten.

* ''Literature/{{Tempest}}'': In ''Tempest Rising'', Tempest references "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" from ''Film/TopGun'', but Kona has never heard of the movie and thinks Tempest is being dramatic. Later, she sees his movie collection, which is nothing but horror films.

* In the ''Series/CobraKai'' spin-off comic series, Johnny makes a reference to [[Franchise/{{Rocky}} Rocky Balboa]], whom his teenage students only know as "the old guy from ''Film/{{Creed}}''".

* One that's PlayedForDrama in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/118060936?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_718779061 Making Rainbows Bloom]]''. During a jogging exercise, [[Anime/LoveLiveNijigasakiHighSchoolIdolClub Kanata Konoe]] hears the line [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration "There are only four lights"]] repeating in her head. Though due to [[ExhaustionInducedIdiocy exhaustion from all the responsibilities in her life]] and trying to review her studies in her head while jogging, Kanata confused Picard's line for a reading from her English class right before [[HeroicRROD she collapses from exhaustion]].

Compare SeinfeldIsUnfunny, AdaptationDisplacement, ForgottenTrope, ItsBeenDone, FleetingDemographicRule, RecognitionFailure, PopCultureIsolation, LampshadedTheObscureReference, BeforeMyTime, and TechnologicallyBlindElders.

* ''Series/{{Soap}}'': Jodie counters his Aunt Jessica's claim that there were no homosexuals when she was growing up by noting that many people throughout history were gay, including Plato. Jessica is stunned to learn that Mickey Mouse's dog was gay.

* A running gag in ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' is that whenever the group puts on a HalloweenCosplay, Homestar misidentifies some of them. This varies from understandable (mistaking VideoGame/CarmenSandiego for [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus the Spanish Inquisition]]) to weird (mistaking Mac Tonight for Creator/JayLeno) to bizarre (mistaking [[VideoGame/SpaceAce Commander Borf]] for "the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' Genie dressed as Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano"). This often doubles as LampshadedTheObscureReference.

* Played with in ''Film/{{Aquaman}}.'' Arthur and Mera hide in a whale's mouth to evade Atlantis's army, with Arthur stating he got the idea from ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}''. Later, a little girl repays Mera's kindness by giving her a copy of a ''Literature/{{Pinocchio}}'' storybook. Mera is aghast that Arthur risked their lives on an idea he got from a book, to which he replies "It was a book?"