Why are Americans so caught up with petty personal pop-culture related problems?

I hear people complain about going to work, having Internet lag, when their favorite team loses a game, (I've even seen people people cry over sports before btw) and also things like complaining about a rude comment someone posted on their Facebook profile pic which was supposed to make all the guys thing she was hot, and things like not finding a parking space, gas prices being to high. When in other places people are being raped, killed, and robbed.