Step 1:
According to Adorno, the culture industry is extremely dangerous and stifling in that the industry tells audiences what to want and, in doing so, “put[s] an end” to creativity and novel ideas. Because “under monopoly all mass culture is identical” (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1), audiences accept what is presented to them and thus adapt their needs to the needs portrayed in the images they are seeing or in the audio they are hearing; moreover, they do not know what else there may be to desire outside of what they have seen or heard. As Adorno and Horkheimer assert, the culture industry forces the consumer to believe that what is presented to him is what he wants and “that the deception it practices is satisfaction…. He must put up with what is offered” (12). Not only is the consumer bombarded with artificial needs that are created and must be satiated by capitalism, but he is also tricked into thinking that he has the free will and the freedom to choose what he wants because of the variety of goods available to him.
Another dangerous aspect of the culture industry is that the audience is so caught up in the technicalities of advertisements and entertainment that they become blinded from questioning the systems of homogenization and commodification of culture. They take everything at face value and do not stop to consider other existing economic, social, or political interests; furthermore, those who do choose not to conform are, as Adorno and Horkheimer state, “rendered powerless, economically, and therefore spiritually” (8). If a new market does not develop for this unusual need, then this deviant is thus seen as an outcast.
Step 2:
The culture industry has indeed continued to expand. Adorno and Horkheimer write that the interest of the consumers is now placed on the “technique” of the media rather than on the “content” (9). Recently, my aunt tuned the television to a soap opera and commented that it had the same story line as well as the same characters as it did a decade ago. The only thing that had changed was the quality of the picture and the lighting. We see today in the theatres many movies being remade: The Italian Job, King Kong, Pride and Prejudice, The Manchurian Candidate, and the list continues. These exemplify how the same story is being retold with advancements in movie-making technology.
Advances in technology have also made their way into television commercials. In this clip from a Keri Lotion ad, a classic work of art becomes the centerpiece for the promotion of the product. A live woman with cracks in her skin is placed in the “painting” and is seen being transformed and renewed into “a new woman.” This clip demonstrates how the same image from the past is being used in the present to endorse a product in the new millennium.
http://www.kerilotion.com/special_offers/video2.html
Despite the fact that some would argue that the culture industry has actually weakened because of the variety of preferences, the culture industry has expanded in that it has grown to accommodate out of the ordinary tastes; for example, the clothing store Hot Topic was established as a form of countercultural rebellion. In doing so, however, the store along with the punk clothing and accessories became part of the culture industry. Essentially, there are markets in existence that cater to anyone and everyone.
Step 3:
One main difference between formulaic culture industry products and freely created artworks that Adorno emphasizes is the fact that the former is mass produced and easy to get while the latter is more difficult to acquire because it is not mass produced. Adorno and Horkheimer argue that “everything can be obtained” in the culture industry (13), and because of this, the products’ value is decreased. Dr. Musgrave’s PowerPoint also furthers this argument in that it gives mass accessibility as an example of a formal constraint on the culture industry.
In addition to being easily available to the masses, culture industry products must be easily understandable to the general public. If a television show or an advertisement is too complex, the audience will most likely feel vexed at having to actually think and analyze the content with which they are being presented. Imaginatively created art, however, serves the purpose of permitting audiences to ponder the subject rather than the object of the work of art; for example, the reason for an object being present in the art becomes more significant than the object itself.
The actual Mona Lisa painting is an imaginative work of art, for there is only one true painting created by Da Vinci himself; however, reprints of the Mona Lisa on posters and in textbooks represent a culture industry product. In this case, the painting has been degraded to something mass produced and something easily accessible to the masses. This difference was so important to Adorno because it separated free thought and creativity from ordinary everyday thinking. Adorno also believed that a Mozart concerto being played by a symphony live in a concert hall constituted it to be a freely and imaginatively created work of art; however, hearing the same Mozart concerto on the radio turns the musical masterpiece into a product of culture industry.
additional sources:
http://www.rossettiarchive.org/img/op76.jpg
http://www.kerilotion.com/
3 comments:
I agree with Theresa's analysis that the culture industry presents us with artificial needs that turn into desires that fuel the capitalist system. This idea is illustrated in the late night food commercials that pervade the evening television programming. For example, before seeing the golden French fries or steaming taco in the commercial there is usually no craving or desire for the food. However, the stimulus provided by the culture industry is enough to make some viewers jump into their cars and head over to the nearest fast food restaurant. Adults will often be unwilling to admit that they are slave to the culture industry; however, children provide clear evidence of the culture industry’s effect. On children’s channels such as Nickelodeon and Disney most commercials are for toys and lunch snacks. Oftentimes seeing and hearing the advertised item sparks a child’s desire to attain the item. Thus, when the parent takes that child shopping the child will usually ask for the toy at the toy store or point to the snack food at the grocery store. In some cases, the child even throws temper tantrums to get what he or she wants. The child represents the effect of the culture industry on the person unaware of mass media control. However, one would like to think that the adults have increased awareness of the manipulative tactics of the culture industry and become more resistant to its effects.
I agree with Theresa, and with Amy's comment as well, however, I would like to point out something to make the argument seem less negative.
Until seeing an advertisement for something new, there is no desire for it; this is because prior to this advertisement, a consumer has no idea that there is a new product. Without knowing about something new, the consumer may miss out on something that they might greatly enjoy.
Theresa made an interesting point when she discussed how the public itself has expectations for media and art. When people go to see a movie, they do not want it to be too complex, too long, too short, too lacking in emotion, etc. The mass media's purpose is to appeal to the general public, which causes it to have many restrictions on what can or cannot be shown. However, these restrictions are established based on what the public wants and, most importantly, what the public needs. While people may complain about the homogenization of culture, it is indirectly occurring because of them.
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