The Birth of Mass Culture: The Rise of the Radio in the 1920's

All through United States history our country has encountered numerous prosperous time periods where our general public as a whole has changed in a positive way. One particular decade that gainfully effected our nation was the nineteen twenties, which can likewise be alluded to as the Roaring Twenties or Jazz Age. The Jazz Age Positively affected American life and society because people were into this new style of music, jazz. Numerous other innovations during this period also changed the minds of the U.S. individuals, which basically modified the nations norms and ethics. It will become obvious how jazz music impacted life during the economically bloated roaring twenties. This paper will also talk about how music, movies, literature, vehicles, fashion, crime and new ethics brought about the Jazz Age, which basically could be named the most prominent, socially successful decade in United States history.

Lawrence Levine’s “The Folklore of Industrial Society: Popular Culture and it Audience,” examines what popular culture is and how it relates, specifically, to the 1930s. He notes that popular culture is perceived as trash, something for a passive, mindless listener, but rejects this idea completely. Instead, Levine shows how radio, movies, plays, and television unite people, allowing them to feel certain things and relate to the characters. Communities were built around different forms of popular culture, giving individuals the chance to discuss what they heard or saw, take some ideas and reject others, mold the programs into their own lives, and form their own opinions about them. There was nothing passive about these forms popular culture

In the 1920’s, America was evolving into a fun, carefree, and entertaining country – or so many people thought. On the outside, many people observed Americans with prosperity, lavish lives, and new opportunities through new technology and inventions. However, although America seemed to be well off at the time and enjoying life, it was only a slight cover up. Inside the country, there was turmoil which included debt and war. For this reason, America earned the reputation of the 1920’s as the Roaring Twenties due to the positive outcomes of the economic conditions, developments in the arts, and developments in entertainment.

‘The 1920’s was a decade of reform in almost every aspect of society. Things were becoming modernized, and despite many objections to progression, Women’s rights to new music genres and to sports being better than ever, and new cars such as the model t being in production. The 1920s brought alot of high social and cultural trends. By the end of the decade there was almost one car per family in the united states.s and comportment, the new consumer’s society, the Harlem Renaissance and the new principles of this decade paved the road for Henry Ford’s new Model T, and a whole new America’(Weinberg). The 1920s was a good decade for people back then.with everthing to new music genre and to sports being

Considering the major financial crisis many American’s were faced with they turned to entertainment to escape their daily struggles. Americans began watching movies and other theatre shows that depicted the hard times in a comical entertaining manner. Many Americans who lived in rural areas would listen to shows on the radio for their entertainment. They were able to listen to music, soap operas and the

Many changes in the 1920s in day to day life happened. In the 1920s most of it was under President Woodrow Wilson. During this time many Americans challenged past traditions and created their own. Many people became interested in new popular culture. New traditions such as listening to the radio, and watching film brought new thrills about news, sports, and made party’s better.

The 1920s was a decade filled with prosperity, chaos, and excitement. During the 1920s, many ground breaking inventions were introduced, such as the Model T Ford, the radio, and the television. The discoveries and cultural developments of the 1920s would go on to shape America for decades to come. The 1920s was arguably one of the most important decades in American history, in regards to the impact it had on American culture and way of life. Such an important decade should have a nickname, thus the 1920s were called the “Roaring 20s.” The decade of the 1920s is referred to as “roaring” because it was a time of dramatic social change, as demonstrated by the birth of a consumer society, the rise of a party culture, and the abandonment of long standing morals.

After the economic turmoil the United States had been through for decades before the 1920’s, Americans were finally able to live not only for survival but for comfort. With the increased level of free time created by the five day work week and paid vacations, they finally had free time with which they had to fill. Sports and entertainment industries rose in popularity which included radio stations and motion picture films. The creation of radio stations left the companies with one major question- who would be fronting the cost for this free service? They began to turn

The radio went from being a novelty to the most demanded thing in stored between 1923 and 1930. The stores just can’t keep up with the amounts of demand from Canadians. “Every day after dinner we all gather around the fire place and listen to what’s on the radio,” states a father of two. “It is the best thing I own in the house.” Since the number of families with radios increases so does the number of radio station. Foster Hewitt is the most famous sportscaster and Canadians just love to hear him on the radio. About 6 percent of income Canadians get are being spent on

After the First World War, many people were looking forward to good times. The 1920’s presented people with this time of fast-paced fun and adventure. Entertainment was the foremost part of everyday life during the 1920’s. Radio introduced a whole new practice of entertainment to people’s everyday lives. Likewise, through the utilization of the radio, people were able to experience a new medium to entertain themselves. Furthermore, the radio changed the face of society’s culture through its widespread use. In addition, radios provided people with a new, effective and efficient means of communication. Radio was a fundamental aspect in people’s lives during the 1920’s as it provided many people with news and entertainment in their

The 1920s became known as an era memorable for being a time when new products, new ways of marketing and advertising, and standardization gave the country new ways to interact, enjoy themselves, and introduce them to new products. Although very common today, standardization of mass culture like magazines, radio, movies, music, and sports were exciting new innovations to the people of this time. Not only did they distract from the monotony and stresses of work but they created celebrities that people aspired to be like.

The "Roaring Twenties," the "Jazz Age," the "Golden Age"; what happened in this decade that made it so "roaring, jazzy, and golden?" What made up the twenties? Known for fun, style, and prosperity, the ‘20s were one of the most exciting, controversial, and productive periods in America. This paper will cover some (not all) of the significant events and inventions that happened in this revolutionary decade. Well-known parts of the "Jazz Age" include, jazz, flappers, fashion, and the radio. Also notorious for being a reckless, irresponsible, and materialistic era, the 1920s also had some infamous problems; Prohibition, gangsters, and the start of the great Depression. Many new things arose in this era. The new technologies that became

The Roaring Twenties was a time of change and innovation with the rise in new technology. Even though electricity was available to Americans before the 1920s only a small percentage of American household had electricity. By the height of the Roaring Twenties about two thirds of American households had electricity. With the rise of electricity came the popular household items such as the electric vacuum cleaner and the automatic washing machine. As the twenties proceeded the automobile because extremely popular. The young generation used the automobile to escape from the watchful eye of the older generations. Often, the automobile was used for scandalous meetings between lovers. Another innovation of the Roaring Twenties is film. Film became one of the main sources of entertainment for Americans during the 1920s. “By the mid-1920s movie theatres were selling 50 million tickets each week, a sum equal to roughly half the US population” (Zeitz). The movies theatre not only served as a source of entertainment, but the theaters also served as a classroom for the young generation. The young adults learned about love and sex is scandalous movies such as Flaming Youth. Movie theatres also served as a source of news and a place for propaganda and advertisements. Radio also experienced a vast expansion during the 1920s. Radio sparked a radical change the country’s awareness. News such as election results could be broadcasted live across the nation so that citizens could be more aware of what was going on in the country. Radio also provided a source of entertainment by broadcasting sporting events like the World Series. Radio contributed to liberalism by broadcasting “‘race music’, ‘hillbilly’ sounds, and ethnic recordings” into

At the beginning of the decade the nation was still groggy from waking up to a new decade after fighting in World War I. In 1921 President Harding took office and set the course for economic prosperity and a self-propelling nation. The decade of 1920 presented many national shifts of aspects in economy and culture that would include outrageous activity in the stock markets, the use of the radio as a mass media tool, the artistic movement known as the Harlem Renaissance and the age of prohibition. With such changes occurring on a national level the decade became known as the Roaring 20’s.

Following the end of World War II, the American economy found its way out of depression. Wartime production aided the economy and spiked the country’s spending power. From the late 1940s, people have been accustomed to spending the money they have on everything they want and need. People then started to figure out and believe that this type of spending, consumerism, improved the economy. The items that were being bought were also different than they were before. “At war's end, the items people most desired included televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners: the machines that would help