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1940s - 1970s

ideological control over the masses

the culture industry

Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer

& Walter Benjamin

neo-marxist

they saw a link between Nazi Propaganda & Post War American Capitalism

the culture industry is a form of mass deception

cultural products are commodities produced

by a capitalist economy

they are also empty & mind-numbing

choice and diversity are illusions

- in fact for Adorno, cultural commodities are standardized, uniform and ultimately 'authoritarian'

lowest common denominator

commodity fetishism

passive acceptance of capitalist values

- even working classes have a vested interest in preserving it

(links to Gramsci's ideas on hegemonic consensus)

working class no longer have a desire to overthrow capitalism

industrialization of culture

Hollywood Studio & star system, TV, pop music

illusion of individualism

dominant ideology / dominant reading- no scope for oppositional reading in mainstream culture

celebrity culture is standardization and manufacturing of myths, masquerading as a celebration of individuality

The Frankfurt School

commodification of labour & social interaction

Adorno condemns the uniformity and conformity of mass popular culture

Adorno: "conformity has replaced consciousness"

?

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low vs high culture- the criticism is that this is an extremely elitist view of culture

popular music is "catharsis for the masses";

it breeds dependence & conformity

Adorno - analysis of pop music - talks about exchange value as more important than use value

false needs - lead to false hopes & aspirations

but the Frankfurt School was primarily interested in the concept of popular culture from a neo-Marxist perspective

Marcuse:

The pre-conditioning is subjected to additional indoctrination by a standardized media. The media teaches " to behave and consume in accordance with the advertisements, to love and hate what others love and hate... "Social interests impose "false" needs. The "false" needs can gratify the individual but they "perpetuate toil, aggressiveness, misery and injustice." The endless drives for these endless "false" needs require additional efforts, and brings frustration and despair that create hostility.

Walter Benjamin took a more charitable view of

popular culture. For him, industrialisation (film, photography etc) meant that culture became more democratic and accessible

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