The Culture Industry: Enlightenment And Mass Deception Analysis
Adorno, originally from Germany, was exiled in 1933 and left the country looking for freedom from the dictatorship ruled by Adolf Hitler. However, instead he found himself surrounded by a new form of propaganda; the mass culture industry of America. Adorno and Horkheimer appeared to be quite critical of this mass culture industry and its impact on society and discuss the entertainment industry and how its shaped the world over time, for better and for worse. In their essay ‘The Culture Industry: Enlightenment and Mass Deception’ (Theodor, and Horkheimer, Max, 1999/1944) they challenge the audience to see mass media in a new light, to see it as ‘Mass Deception’ and a way of creating more sales for the industry than an outlet for creativity.
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He argued that this standardisation is ultimately the result of those in control attempting to formulate scientific measurements of people’s precise tastes and wants, in the hopes of increasing profit.In doing this, they are able to produce standard products that fit with our needs and demands. Adorno said ’Something is provided for all so that none may escape’, meaning that every taste and genre is covered, so every consumer is in interest. The problem with this is that consumers ‘appear as statistics on research organisation charts, and are divided by income groups into red, green and blue areas' but not only this, it essentially means that these large corporations are the ones producing our needs and desires. SO, when we begin to look at this whole idea in terms of statistics and formulas, we begin to understand how the media industry manipulates consumers in order to make a profit.
Subconsciously, we may not realise that each time we buy a new and trendy product, we are merely buying the new trendy ‘thing’ to add to our very own material product of a self. The truth is that we are buying this product because it is frequently publicised through media only to illustrate this materialised commodity of ‘cool’ that everyone desires. We are truthfully as much of a commodity as the product itself. Regardless, we have a situation where consumers are being victimised by the producers in that they know what we like and give us what we want; therefore, we no longer have genuine
He argued that this standardisation is ultimately the result of those in control attempting to formulate scientific measurements of people’s precise tastes and wants, in the hopes of increasing profit.In doing this, they are able to produce standard products that fit with our needs and demands. Adorno said ’Something is provided for all so that none may escape’, meaning that every taste and genre is covered, so every consumer is in interest. The problem with this is that consumers ‘appear as statistics on research organisation charts, and are divided by income groups into red, green and blue areas' but not only this, it essentially means that these large corporations are the ones producing our needs and desires. SO, when we begin to look at this whole idea in terms of statistics and formulas, we begin to understand how the media industry manipulates consumers in order to make a profit.
Subconsciously, we may not realise that each time we buy a new and trendy product, we are merely buying the new trendy ‘thing’ to add to our very own material product of a self. The truth is that we are buying this product because it is frequently publicised through media only to illustrate this materialised commodity of ‘cool’ that everyone desires. We are truthfully as much of a commodity as the product itself. Regardless, we have a situation where consumers are being victimised by the producers in that they know what we like and give us what we want; therefore, we no longer have genuine