Frankfurt School is group of German-American theorists, 1920s-30s -- first neo-Marxiann theorists to examine the effects of mass culture/consumerism on working classes: they consist primarily of Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Leo Lowenthal and Erich Fromm
Devised theory of "culture industry" -- mass communication, media production -- the industrialization and commercialization of culture under capitalist relations of production: Hollywood, basically
The School noted the social and ideological effects of mass media in the U.S.
Mass-media productions exhibited same features as other mass-produced consumer items: commodification, standardization, massification
Popular media/culture resulted in populace control
Dialectic of Enlightenment (1948) (by Horkheimer and Adorno): film, radio, news -- all controlled by advertising and commercial imperatives, and served to make consumers slaves of consumer capitalism
The School generally makes sharp distinctions between high and low culture
Ideology forms the basis of media culture
Adorno stressed the need to examine television's effects on many layers
Marcuse viewed broadcasting as "part of an apparatus of administration and domination in a one-dimensional society" (p. 10). One-Dimensional Man (1964)
The "culture industry" is ruthlessly unified
"Real life is becoming indistinguishable from the movies" (p. 3) ... there is no room for imagination/reflection ... sound-film has killed it
The movie industry is as regimented and obsessed-over as any medieval architectural school: "everything down to the last detail is shaped accordingly" (p. 4)
"The unity of style [of every historical era] ... expresses in each case the different structure of social power" (p. 5).
The culture industry is all style, no…
Industry Analysis Automobile and Motorcycle Manufacturers A select few companies throughout the history of American capitalism have become iconic figures that are synonymous with the products they sell, and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company has successfully accomplished this rare feat, engraining the moniker "Harley" in the global lexicon as the emblem of premium motorcycles. While today's generation may consider Harley-Davidson to be a monolith without legitimate competition from domestic motorcycle manufacturers, a
Consumption, Society and Culture Cultural Industry There are two social processes which are linked with each other and provide the basis of popular culture in modern capitalist societies. These two processes are related with production and consumption of cultural goods. In the first step, the commodities are produced in the light of customers' desirable features and packaged in culturally acceptable methods. In the second step, the products are used by their respective
Fashion in Relation to Commodity Culture of 1980s Fashion Fashion during 1980s seems to be glitzy and bold. Fashion trends were no longer dictated by teenagers; as the baby boom generation continued to become richer and older, they demanded more glamorous, upmarket fashion. Contrary to what inspired 1970s fashion, fashion of 1980s did not allow these non-materialist "hippie" values. Some of the nations such as Australia during the decade focused more on
Trade Theory Intra-Industry International Trade Standard trade theory and its deviations The classical theory of international trade can be traced back to the founding father of capitalism Adam Smith: Smith's 1776 Wealth of Nations theorized that free trade would be beneficial to all nations. Smith stated that much like merchants, nations should specialize in the particular goods and services which they could produce most efficiently and trade with other nations who could produce
Adorno's theories on mass culture and commoditization were one of the fundamentals of postmodernism as it appeared in the 20th century. Even if rejected by many, nevertheless, his theories help explain some of the cultural phenomenon, such as the success of the American type culture, with its Hollywood movies and McDonald culture, against the traditional European one. The tango dance is one of the most representative forms of manifestation of the
Sociology of Popular Culture Popular Culture A popular culture is a complex term defined by a number of already existing definitions which explore the different spectrums associated with the term. The initial understanding of this culture was based on the lifestyle adopted by the masses; the subordinate, lower class, which made them separate from the elite class. However, today, it is considered to be a lifestyle which includes different cultural practices, artifacts
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now