Mass Culture in the United States: Technology and Time-Off
Mass culture can be defined as the collective culture created by exposure to the same news sources, music, literature, art and consumer advertising. The rise of mass culture is a relatively new phenomenon that has occurred largely because of the rise of a leisure class fueled by technological innovations, the surplus in production brought about by the industrial revolution and the time the average consumer had to dedicate to non-work pursuits brought about by the delineated work schedule favored by mass production and labor laws which defined the limits of the production schedule, and created a new space for workers and their families (Jacobs 13). Prior to the advent of mass
…show more content…
This consolidation of people into large pockets of receptive consumers allowed for the dissemination of information and entertainment that was previously not possible due to the restrictions in technology and the challenges of geography which served to isolate regions from each other and limited cultural interaction as a mass experience (Edlestein 100-101). The rise of mass culture, and the creation of a consumer class that would in turn define culture was the product of advances in technology (Information, transportation and manufacturing), the surplus in goods and services created by the explosion in manufacturing capacity, and the time that the predictable scheduling in production allowed the worker to explore leisure, culture and self-expression.
Technological advances in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries such as the mass electrification of entire regions in the United States, the creation of hydro-power stations to power this revolution, street cars which allowed the average person access to centers of cultural production, and communication devices such as radio and the phonograph allowed the mass dissemination of art, entertainment and news in a way that was previously the domain solely of the upper classes. Taken together, the technological revolutions in manufacturing, transportation and communication was instrumental in creating a “new man” as described in socialist literature. This form of “socialism”
At the same time, people are founders of popular culture, which includes music, films and cartoons, literature, media (including comic books and the Internet), fashion, cooking, advertising, sports, tourism, and many other elements. Strong demand generates new
Mass media has experienced many major developments over the past hundred years. As the manner in which media is communicated to the world evolves a definite shift to American culture has occurred in the process. Mass media has undergone numerous changes in the way it is distributed to the general public, going from newspapers, to radio, to television, and now to the World Wide Web. American culture is so ingrained in technology, that distributing mass media in this format seems like a natural step in the evolutionary process of distribution.
Popular culture is a little bit different from mass culture in that popular culture celebrates the common man, and mass culture wants to
New technologies facilitated an individual’s productivity of work and lifestyle (Industrialization, 3). Technology and science enabled the development of what came to be called "the suburbs". Street car, railroads, and
Mass media is communication that reaches a large audience. This includes television, advertisement, the Internet, newspapers, and so on. Mass media is a significant effect in modern culture in America. It creates ideas and sustained within society not only send ideological messages out to the public but to advertise this ideas which are tend to manipulate our mantalities.
What was the new mass culture that developed in the 1920's and what were the specific elements of it.
Mass culture by definition refers to the set of ideals and values that develop from a common exposure to the same media, news sources, music, and art (chegg). It conveys the idea that culture emerges spontaneously from the masses themselves, like popular art did before the 20th century. However, post WW1 American society had advancements in technology that aided certain ideals and values in spreading across the nation. And the term media culture gives reference to the current western capitalist society that emerged and developed from this 20th century time period under the influence of mass media. World War I, or the Great War, was one of the bloodiest wars of all time. It was a war sparked by militarism, alliance, imperialism, and
Shils suggests that the evolution of mass culture allows other classes to finally receive content they appreciate instead of being handed down content with practically no aesthetic expression and reception.(Shils 1978) The evolution of mass culture creates social
With actors dramatizing the reaction of frightening audience members after the “War of World’s” reinforces American’s being terrorized by the radio in 1938. After listening to both broadcasts NPR’s radio lab and the original 1938 broadcast of the “War of World’s” I heard fear in their screams, and concern for children who attended schools leaving me to believe listeners would panic. Contrary to that many disputed questions came to mind. For example, how could the mass media deceive people the way they did?
Mass culture is imposed from above, as Karl Marx recognised, onto the passive susceptibility of the ignorant masses, to which decisions lie between consumption or no consumption. It is therefore, the 'Lords of kitsch' that are the sole beneficiaries; mass culture integrates the masses in a form of debased high culture.
The culture industry demonstrates capitalism, the act of control of exchange value, where mass media production and entertainment such as films, television shows, radio and magazines are no longer genuine demands (Strinati, 1995). A conventional pattern can be seen in these productions which forms a uniform rhythm, a format to maximize viewership by satisfying the masses with identical contents (Adorno & Horkhermer, 1977). Strinati (1995) states that this industrial production also leads to the governing of the world 's top corporation over the production of mass media. This gives them the power to manipulate the trend of the market and slowly injecting a desire to seek for more. An example of the modern day desire is
Popular culture is generally believed to be comprised of a variety of elements. For example, popular culture covers the most contemporary and instant aspects of our lives. These aspects can often show the characteristics of rapid change, especially in today’s highly technological and informative world in which, people are highly influenced by the universal media. Certain standards of behaviour and common beliefs are reflected in pop culture. Because of its cohesion, pop culture both influences and reflects people’s daily life. Moreover, brands can reach iconic pop status. However, these aspects are not constant and may change rapidly. (Abbott and Sapsford, 1987).
Advertising is one of the most common types of social communication and an integral element of modern mass culture. It was the product of the development of market-oriented economic culture production methods, gradually, as the development of information technology in the process of historical evolution, becoming one of the most important social institutions of modern society.
(Strinati D.,2004) Hence mass culture is accused of being immoral, cheap and vulgar. Yet due to the limited and monotonous topics of mass culture, the cultural products can be produced under “Fordist Production” (i.e. to massively produce the standardized products with specialized streamline operation and division of labor). (Enda Brophy., 2008)
“Mass culture is imposed from above. It is fabricated by technicians hired by businessmen; its audience are passive consumers, their participation limited to the choice between buying and not buying.”