No one knows exactly when the idea that people’s pastimes have shifted from “outdoor activities” to “electronic activities” first appeared on the Internet. It seems that people have lost the desire to work: instead of fighting back against unfair treatment in the company, they choose to go home, watch a film, spend the night on Twitter, and get drunk. They try to forget their troubles in such ways, believing that they will get over it if they put up with it, but this approach doesn’t solve the problem. When did this entertainment-first attitude emerge?
Actually, this concept was introduced as early as 1947 by Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer. They made a related point in their book Dialectic of Enlightenment, “The consumption of the easy pleasures of popular culture provided by the mass communication media makes people docile and contented, no matter how difficult their economic situation.”
Horkheimer is front left, Adorno front right.
Whether people admit it or not, this phenomenon is indeed affecting the world. There is a dizzying array of entertainment software; Instagram, WhatsApp, Tiktok, Facebook etc.. These software are entertaining their audience while at the same time exercising an economic monopoly like never before.
Adorno and Horkheimer argue that media and other entertainment commodities are produced using a formula. This formulaic approach, used to stifle imagination and transgressive or revolutionary ideas, appears at every level of the culture industry.
The culture industry is now either under the control of the media or under the control of the government. It is not only the entertainment industry (TV programmes, films, social media, etc.) that is characterised by advertising. The authoritarian nature of advertising is evident not only in broadcasting, but also in magazines: this social power is reflected in the ability of the cultural industries to direct consumption, to tell people what to buy, when to buy it, what entertainment to consume, and what fashions to follow. Whilst the culture industry offers choices to the public, these choices are illusory as every product under capitalism becomes the same due to the formulaic nature of mass-produced products. Although some may argue that one work of art is very different from another, Adorno and Horkheimer argue that due to the normalisation of products, we are only exposed to a limited number of choices. There is no freedom of consumption; this is how the culture industry ensures that society remains pacified: by controlling the leisure time of the oppressed majority.
Entertainment is a part of people’s lives when it comes to entertainment. Yes, we can’t live without entertainment or people will eventually become walking zombies under the great pressure, but the real psychological need is for “freedom, creativity, and true happiness as opposed to watching film after film of the same thing or being addicted to a video game that is being updated every day.”
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_industry Culture industry
https://www.perlego.com/knowledge/study-guides/what-is-the-culture-industry/ What is the Culture Industry?
Baugh, B. (1990). Left-wing elitism: Adorno on popular culture. Philosophy and Literature, 14(1), 65-78. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/417192/summary
Horkheimer, M and Adorno, T. (2002) Dialectic of Enlightenment. Stanford. https://www.perlego.com/book/745055/dialectic-of-enlightenment-pdf
very straight forward points revealing that we are living in a capitalism world under the control of the governments and media groups. the example is very intuitive. mcd telling you to buy a big mac when ordering salad is indeed a way of leading fashion, but i think the ad is more for meme purpose to make people a knowing smile.
Cutting into the subject with a questioning perspective, it is very objective and introduces us to the different perspectives from which the culture industry has influenced the mass media. Taking the McDonald’s advertisement as an example, it shows us that capital guides and shapes people’s consumption concepts affecting the development of the culture industry.
The article succinctly and clearly points out the impact of cultural industries on mass media. I think the example of McDonald’s advertising is very good and can directly tell readers how advertising and other means are used to guide consumption and expand popularity in the capitalist world. But this triggered a question in me. It seems that advertising can give consumers more recommendations and guidance, but does it also reduce consumers’ opportunities for free choice to some extent?
This article is very clear about the impact of the culture industry on the mass media from different perspectives. I think you are very right in saying that people cannot live without entertainment.