Adorno & Horkheimer
Who and What-heimer?
Two critical Theorists
Coined the term 'Culture Industry'
You may not directly know of them, but you've definitely experienced culture industry in your life.
Argued that 'cultural items' such as music, books, tv, films, radio, are similar to other manufactured consumer goods, and produced with the aim of making profit
Their Three Main Points
1. Economic concentration of culture production in a capitalist industry results in a standardized commercial commodity
2. In contrast to the free and autonomous art, commodity consumer culture is repetitive and unchallenging
3. Drawing on Freud’s psychological theories, cultural consumption has become passive, leading to ‘obedient’ types of social behaviour
Source: Penelope Ironstone, Lecture, Oct 10th 2014
Their Three Main Points
So, what exactly does that mean?
Their Three Main Points
(Simplified)
1. Profit ($$$) driven production results in a generic and limited selection of things available to us
2. The things that are available to us are all very similar in an attempt to satisfy the masses, instead of being individually tailored
3. Buying in to this culture by listening to popular music, watching movies, and consuming goods brings us back to Step 1
Main Concept #1
(Paraphrased)
Standardization
All the products we see and experience are the same. Popular songs, movies, and books are created using a formula and a checklist, and are very similar in core content
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Example - Popular Music
What Makes Songs Catchy
- Here are four songs, from varying artists, genres and years
-
They all use two common chord progressions:
- the IV-V-I chord progression, and
- the bVI-bVII-I chord progression
- While the singers or lyrical content may vary, the underlying chords are very similar. This is standardization.
Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/owen-pallett-explains-pop-songs
Main Concept #2
(Paraphrased)
Pseudo-Individuality
Products have lost their differences and originality. Big changes have been phased out for minor modifications. We as consumers have less choices to make, but feel more original in our choices
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Example - Apple Web Store
Apple.com Online Store - March 2008
- 15 product images visible above the fold
- around 51 products and categories listed
(not including main menu)
Apple.com Online Store - Oct 2014
- 1 product image visible above the fold
- around 8 products and categories listed (not including main menu)
What Did We Notice?
- Drastic reduction in number of offerings
- A lot less products shown
- Less colours and choices shown
- Store home now has a main call-to-action (in this case, buy an iPhone), influencing your decision before you start your search
- Even though the new iPhone is available in three colours, only one is shown
- This is pseudo-individuality. You can have any colour iPhone you want - as long as it's one of the three we have available. But we'd recommend the Space Grey.
This is Regressive Consumption
Regressive consumption is where people become a mass and are easily manipulated by capitalist corporations and authoritarian governments.
Source: Penelope Ironstone, Lecture, Oct 10th 2014
"Through the combination of standardization and pseudo-individuality, Adorno and Horkheimer suggest that cultural products provide mere distraction and prevent people from reflecting on their own social and class position in the world."
Why do we watch movies, listen to music, and read about celebrity gossip? Because these things (or, 'cultural items') help us escape from our mundane and mediocre lives. We are sheep, and these things simply distract us with fantasies.
Source: Penelope Ironstone, Lecture, Oct 10th 2014
"You can have whatever you want... as long as it's on the menu."
Think About This
Source: Penelope Ironstone, Lecture, Oct 10th 2014
Next time you buy something, watch a movie or tv show, or listen to a song, consider Adorno & Horkheimer's ideologies.
Think about why you're picking the things you do, and how it makes you feel.
Adorno & Horkheimer
By shub
