The cultural industry is described by Adorno and Horkheimer (1977) as the standardisation of culture and cultural goods, attained through the manipulation of consumers, pseudo-individualism and commercial marketing in order to accomplish an economic and social status.
Within Adorno and Horkheimer’s theory, there are three major concepts that have increased the development of the cultural industry and the behaviour of consumers, this involves discussing the transformation of use value to exchange value, reification and commodification, and whether these three key concepts are harmful and a disadvantage towards the behavior of consumers.
Individuals in Western countries from the early twentieth century depended on mass communication for information …show more content…
This has assisted with the result of consumers focussing on the exchange value for their economic or social status, rather than focussing on the use value of cultural goods. To help depict these cultural meanings to the consumer, entertainment was being used in a way to amuse the consumers, intending that cultural messages shown through mass media were about what the consumer would gain from the purchase of these goods, for example social status, it was not about the use value (Adorno & Horkeimer, 1977).
These factors of standardisation of cultural goods affect our society today because consumers believe that they have the freedom of choice, but the realism of this is false, as a result consumers are incapable of making their own decisions for themselves, creating conflict with how democratic societies should accurately function (Caslin, …show more content…
This process manipulates consumers into buying different products, as they cannot see through the manipulation that there is a variety of choice as standardisation has disguised the sovereignty of cultural products (Cook, 1996).
These views are seen as narcissistic, impacting the society through the cultural industry as consumers are more focused on perceiving a wealthy image and purchasing certain products for their money value, to increase their economic and social wealth.
In summary, from the discussion above it is obvious that there have been numerous negative effects on society, through the cultural industry. These negative effects are shown through the reification and standardisation of cultural goods, causing the society to be less individualized, instigated from narcissistic opinions, damaging cultural aesthetics and escaping from reality.
Adorno and Hokheimer believe that these issues force consumers to purchase and remain within a particular buying habit, even though all consumers should have their own choice, in the cultural industry this is absent as consumers have been manipulated to think
Within Adorno and Horkheimer’s theory, there are three major concepts that have increased the development of the cultural industry and the behaviour of consumers, this involves discussing the transformation of use value to exchange value, reification and commodification, and whether these three key concepts are harmful and a disadvantage towards the behavior of consumers.
Individuals in Western countries from the early twentieth century depended on mass communication for information …show more content…
This has assisted with the result of consumers focussing on the exchange value for their economic or social status, rather than focussing on the use value of cultural goods. To help depict these cultural meanings to the consumer, entertainment was being used in a way to amuse the consumers, intending that cultural messages shown through mass media were about what the consumer would gain from the purchase of these goods, for example social status, it was not about the use value (Adorno & Horkeimer, 1977).
These factors of standardisation of cultural goods affect our society today because consumers believe that they have the freedom of choice, but the realism of this is false, as a result consumers are incapable of making their own decisions for themselves, creating conflict with how democratic societies should accurately function (Caslin, …show more content…
This process manipulates consumers into buying different products, as they cannot see through the manipulation that there is a variety of choice as standardisation has disguised the sovereignty of cultural products (Cook, 1996).
These views are seen as narcissistic, impacting the society through the cultural industry as consumers are more focused on perceiving a wealthy image and purchasing certain products for their money value, to increase their economic and social wealth.
In summary, from the discussion above it is obvious that there have been numerous negative effects on society, through the cultural industry. These negative effects are shown through the reification and standardisation of cultural goods, causing the society to be less individualized, instigated from narcissistic opinions, damaging cultural aesthetics and escaping from reality.
Adorno and Hokheimer believe that these issues force consumers to purchase and remain within a particular buying habit, even though all consumers should have their own choice, in the cultural industry this is absent as consumers have been manipulated to think