The Effects Of Cultural Products On The Culture Industry

Born in 1903, Theodore Adorno is one of the most prominent figures in the Frankfurt school of communications, a school of social theory and philosophy which studied the effects and structure of the media. In 1945, Adorno published one of his most famous articles, “A Social Critique of Radio Music”. In his somehow controversial essay, Adorno claims that the music played on the radio reflects broader social behavior patterns, that benefits the power elite and numbs the masses. Adorno goes on and state four axioms he believed to be true regarding the existing capitalist society, including how we live in a society of commodities. The main problem he dissects in his article, is that now music is being treated as a commodity as well. Further,

The culture industry affects everything in today’s society. Adorno states, “The whole world is passed through the filter of the culture industry” (99). Everywhere people go, there are billboards, commercials, and advertisements that demand their attention. Before seeing a movie, one must sit through previews of other movies that may interest them, as the theater hopes that the moviegoer returns to watch another movie. In the culture industry, people no longer exist as individuals. They only exist as objects that increase the wealth of the big business owners that control this capitalistic society. Because no one contests the existence of the culture industry, the culture industry can continue to exist. About the film and radio industries, Adorno states, “They call themselves industries, and the published figures for their directors’ incomes quell any doubts about the social necessity of their finished products” (95). Creating unique and groundbreaking films in today’s world is considered “risky,” and filmmakers would rather create sequels to films that were successful in the box office. People excitedly consume these sequels and the directors make huge profits, thereby ensuring yet another sequel to be made. Adorno also points out that the film and radio

In Robert Scholes essay, “On Reading a Video Text” Scholes asserts that modern visual media or “video texts” provide a powerful vehicle for “cultural literacy.” By making use of “visual fascination” in mass media and in particular, commercials, these “video texts” use this part to bring viewers out of boredom and pique their interest. Following this, “narrativity” comes into play not only giving viewers the story but providing them with the ignition for their on context using their own cultural knowledge and experience on the commercial. The final step in the process is the ideological confirmation that is “cultural reinforcement,” the securing of one’s place in a body or group. With “video texts” more widely seen than traditional forms of

Furthermore, Dorothy Smith argues that social theory offers little female perspective, especially seen in large concepts such as media. This application can be seen in Adorno’s argument of culture industry, in which mass media is used as a mechanism to hinder people’s ability to

According to Adorno, the culture industry presents a huge danger to the people. The culture industry ideally looks at the culture to be based on the things which are already recognized form the past (Adorno 114). Adorno looks at how the culture industry has led to the collapse of reason in the society. It reduces the ability of the society to

“The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception” by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer is a pivotal article in history that changed the way in which many communications scholars viewed media. Both authors were members of the Frankfurt School, a school of thought which looked further into Karl Marx’s theories about capitalism and the issues of mass production. Published in 1944, Adorno and Horkheimer revealed their beliefs that the media, much like the economy, is becoming mass produced, and is therefore turning people in society into media-consuming robots. Industrialization created work lives for people in which they would work on only one part of a larger machine. As a result, they felt less involved in the completion of the project as a whole, and therefore felt less pride in their jobs and their lives in general. Instead, these people turned to media and pop culture so that they would feel more fulfillment within their lives. Adorno and Horkheimer believed that these people had a reduced capacity for original thought because media is now force feeding them the ideas of what they can think and feel. This essay will prove that although Adorno and Horkeimer’s points were justified through the eyes of authors George Lipsitz, Lev Manovich, and Susan J. Douglas, there are still exceptions to their theories that they do not account for.

One would argue that one of the benefits of mass media is that we can access whatever information we want with the press of a button. While we think that we have agency, we have “‘freedom to choose what is always the same’” (Ross). We are fed what is popular, limiting us from seeing what we need. Pop hegemony is able to dominate “through a structure of consent” (Culler). This consent is possible due to the exchange of deception for momentary gratification (Adorno). The creation of music, literature, art was meant to fuel our well being. Then somewhere along the way, it was turned into something enabling the corruption of the self. The industry is so successful with telling us what we should want because while doing so, they incorporate what

With such a broad range of effective advertising methods, Kanye West was able to create such a great hype for his shoes, everyone wanted to get their hands on a pair. Similarly, Horkheimer and Adorno recognize the importance of advertising in the culture industry, with its power to “turn all participants into listeners and authoritatively subjects them to broadcast programs which are all exactly the same” (1256). Therefore, with such influential power, the culture industry’s aspects of advertising, possesses the ability to compel the public in its intended manner, leading to the creation of a passive and homogenous

The several outlets that make accessible to us easily influence our understanding of societal norms and the world that we live in. This is often manipulated through the use of informational text such as the newspaper or entertainment like the cinema and reality television shows. In this essay I will be focusing on the culture industry of Hollywood film, particularly, how culture industry is presented as in The Truman Show along with the film’s portrayal of ‘reality’ that ultimately reflected social mores, conflicts, and ideologies (Miller & Stam, 2008, p. 207) of the audience. Associated with the Frankfurt School, critical theorists, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheim, coined the term culture industry in which I will explain by using existing

This essay will evaluate Adorno’s critical attack on popular music. The essay will briefly provide some context on Adorno. Adorno claims that “listeners are made not born”, thus listening is a cultural practice, in which modernity has transformed into a profit (Adorno, 2002:248). By this, the essay will begin by focusing on the broader idea of the culture industry, in terms of commodities and popular music as not being critical. Following on, particular focus will be given to three main areas which convey Adorno’s criticism of popular music. These being, the musical form under standardisation, pseudo-individualisation and regressive listening in terms of escapism. Standardisation will be evaluated in structural terms, and critiqued by Middleton (1990) and Witkin (2003). Adorno’s critique of popular music can only be understood in relation to his analysis of serious music, therefore, the essay will focus on both types of music. Adorno’s criticisms of popular music and critics of this criticism, will enable for a conclusion to be drawn on whether or not I agree with Adorno’s claims on popular music.

Adorno and Horkheimer suggest ideology as the reason dominant culture industries are able to sustain themselves. They argue that “The culture industry tends to make itself the embodiment of authoritative pronouncements, and thus the irrefutable prophet of the prevailing order” (Adorno and Horkheimer 17). Thus, we can think of these “authoritative pronouncements” as methods Hollywood employs to sustain its dominance. By proclaiming a certain set of ideas which convinces the public that no other authority or ideas exist otherwise, Hollywood mystifies and obfuscates all other traces of thought. It normalizes its manipulation of the public by ostracizing other values and ideas outside the predominant notions of standardization and mass production.

Every community has its own set of standards that the members adhere to and uphold. These ideologies are often unspoken ways of thinking, and while they reflect the society’s values, they are often represented in a distorted manner so that the social system stays in order. Interpellation, on the other hand, is what discreetly holds each person in their societal position, often based on ideologies. Whether we realize it or not, the culture industry plays up on our societal ideologies, especially in movies and television programs. Think of a typical children’s TV sitcom; most of these programs depict a white, middle-class, suburban family with two heterosexual parents, three children, a pet. Each element of this “average family” is ideological in assuming that the audiences expects and believes in, or are a part of, this familial structure. By endorsing these ways of thinking, the program is relating to the audience and validating their beliefs. For example, a young girl interpellates when she recognizes herself as a daughter, and thus, she gives her parents power.

Mass media plays an important role in the society by providing entertainment, information and acting as the government’s overseer. Several scholars have developed philosophies that help people understand how mass media fulfills its roles in the society. For example, Horkheimer and Adorno have constructed theories that explain the functions and impacts of mass media in the society across the globe (Mosco, 2008). The central theme in all mass communication models entails the meaning of media contents, which include the images and texts and their influence on the target audience. The perception of the target audience concerning the text and images in the media are what form the basis of these theories. This essay discusses two hypothetical frameworks: the political economy and cultural studies theories, including their similarities and differences, and how they help in understanding the relationship between the media and society.

Horckheimer & Adorno analyzed the culture industry in their article, “The Cultural Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception” written in 1944. Within this article Horckheimer and Adorno analyze the cultural industry and its consequences on the society and those that live within it. The main concept of the culture industry is something that came out of

Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin, 1965). A decline in popularity of this movement suggests that what Adorno is posing is in fact of great importance specifically when analysing media and entertainment trends.