Ruth Ellen Day
Step 1:
Adorno saw the homogenization and commodification of culture as a threat to the individual and free thought. “It impedes the development of autonomous, independent individuals who judge and decide consciously for themselves,” (CI). Culture had once been a medium for free expression of an individual’s ideas. Now, because of inventions such as film, radio, and television, culture was becoming just another commodity. Its purpose was to sell itself to the masses, not express the ideas of the individual. Because of this switch in the role of culture, it became a tool with which to control the people. It divided the population into distinct groups. People within these groups were expected to have the same artistic likes and dislikes as others within their groups. People are no longer seen as individuals but instead as a part of their groups. They are expected to conform to a certain stereotype. The culture industry does an individual’s thinking for him, “…industry robs the individual of his function. Its prime service to the customer is to do his schematizing for him,” (The Culture Industry). People no longer think for themselves. Most simply look and what industry offers them through television, radio, and film and then decides which of the presented stereotypes they want to fit into. He sees things as he is told they should be seen. “There is nothing left for the consumer to classify. Producers have done it for him,” (CI). The danger in all this is the demise of individual thought and of true art. People who are out to create something rarely create something genuinely new. They must adhere to certain formulas so that their work will sell. That is all the culture industry in interested in: how well a work will sell. It does not care about individual thought and expression. A chief example of this is television, where many of today’s stereotypes come from, “Also, the technology of television production makes stereotype almost inevitable. The short time available for the preparation of scripts and the vast material continuously to be produced call for certain formulas,” (TV). Such formulas have made their way into literature and film as well. Authors are no longer allowed to create freely. Instead they must adhere to certain formulas and guidelines so that those in charge of the industry will feel confident that the work will sell. These producers are afraid to take risks. This aversion to risk-taking and wide adherence to formulas causes individual thought to be pushed to the side as uniformity to pulled forward. This is done with the public being none the wiser. Such inventions such as television, film, and radio give the guise of being mediums of free though but instead only further ideas of stereotypes and conformity. This is the danger that Adorno sees in the homogenization and commodification of culture.
Step 2:
Some argue that culture has become less uniform since the advent of the internet. Others argue that the culture industry has merely continued and expanded exponentially. There is much to be said for the second claim. First, nearly every American watches television and movies. These mediums further the idea of categorizing people into certain rigid stereotypes. These ideas are engraved even further into people’s minds through the internet. Users of the internet get their ideas of how the world works from television and the movies and then interact in what is portrayed as acceptable while on the internet and creating their own web pages. Such stereotypes are seen most often as high school students try to classify themselves and others. They are either preps, goths, jocks, nerds, etc. Such stereotypes originate from the culture industry. Television and movies portray high school students as being segregated into these distinct groups. Even those considered abnormal are given their own stereotype in which other weird people like them are supposed to fit into as well (such as goths and nerds). Second, while is school, people start to learn the formulas for creating “good” art from a young age. In English classes, one is taught a formula for creating a work of short fiction. It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It must have a climax and revolution. All works of fiction both past and present are somehow fit into this model, whether they were meant to or not. These formulas that young people learn become ingrained in their minds and when they create stories of their own, they will follow this pattern whether consciously or unconsciously. For this reason, all movies, television shows, and novels end up following this pattern. New ideas may be brought forward but always within the same formula. “The constant pressure to produce new effects (which must conform to the old pattern) serves merely as another rule to increase the power of the conventions when any single effect threatens to slip through the net,” (CI). The fact that stereotypes or even more widely used than during the time of Adorno and the fact the formulas for creating “creative” works are evidence that the culture industry has merely continued and expanded exponentially as opposed to the claim that culture has become less uniform since the advent of the internet.
Step 3
The difference Adorno saw between culture industry products built according to specs of some target audience and freely and imaginatively created art is that the former is made for a profit whereas the latter is made only for the personal enjoyment of the artist. Nowadays, artists have to create something that will make the expert or producer believe that it will make him money. They have to create for this person and not for themselves. Before the take over by the culture industry, artists were free to create what they wanted, not what everyone else wanted. They did not create for profit but for personal enjoyment and to express their individual ideas. Now, since everything is created with the hope that the vast majority of people will enjoy it, art has to be created to be politically correct and uncontroversial. An artist cannot touch on uncomfortable topics but must stick to those which the masses are comfortable. My example of art that is freely and imaginatively created is Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. This piece was created before the take over by the culture industry; therefore Van Gogh was not pressure to create something for a profit. His art came entirely from his own mind to make a statement that was completely his own and unique. His art was not realistic and did not adhere to any preconceived formulas. He didn’t care about pushing anyone’s buttons by touching on controversial subjects and creating fantastical worlds with his art. My example if a culture industry product built according to specs of some target audience is the television show “Two and a Half Men”. This show conforms to what the general public, especially men, is supposed to find entertainment. Most of the jokes in the sitcom have a crude and sexual nature, which is a way of conforming to the idea that sex sells. All of actors and actresses are relatively good looking and the show focuses on their romantic and sexual relationships with one another. This show conforms to the same formula as many television sitcoms and shows in general. This show was not made to express the views of any one individual but was instead created by a group of people to please the masses and make a profit. That is the central difference between culture industry products and art that is freely and imaginatively created. Free art is created by an individual for the individual. Culture industry products are made by a group of people for the masses in order to make a profit.
sources:
http://www.tesco.com/entertainment/product.aspx?R=648525
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