The purpose of this assignment is to help you hone your critical thinking skills
ID: 3443375 • Letter: T
Question
The purpose of this assignment is to help you hone your critical thinking skills. You will provide exposition and criticism of a theory of pop culture. You may choose either Mass Cultural Theory or Critical Theory. For this assignment you will provide a detailed discussion of a theory of pop culture and provide critical discussion of this theory. Your essay should include some discussion of the following questions: 1. What or who determines popular culture? Where does popular culture come from? Does it emerge from the people themselves as an autonomous expression of their interests and modes of experience, or is it imposed from above by those in positions of power as a type of social control? 2. Describe how commercialization and industrialization influences popular culture. Does reducing culture to commodity mean that the criteria of profitability and marketability take precedence over quality, artistry, integrity and intellectual challenge? Or does it result in a universal market where what is popular actually correspond to what people want and think is valuable. Does marketability and profitability actually produce quality art or does it only benefit business interests. 3. Is popular culture used to control and indoctrinate the people? Is it used to get people to accept and adhere to ideas and values which will ensure the continued dominance of a particular elite and allow them to exercise power over them? Or is popular culture about rebellion and opposition to the prevailing social order? Is pop cultural a spontaneous genuine burst of creativity or is it just a means through which a dominate group exercises control of society. After you provide an accurate account of one of these theories of pop culture, you should then review the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. Can you identify some objections to the theory? You can research objections, but you need to consult reputable sources. (CLO#1) Create a logical written argument about values and popular culture which includes scholarly research.
Explanation / Answer
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the response based on your personal views if necessary. Furthermore, I have used Mass Cultural Theory to give direction to the response.
(Answer) During the time of the industrial revolution and the popularity of the printing press, newspaper circulation became the main medium for news and information. In the late 1920’s, the radio became popular and with the arrival of the 50’s the television gained popularity. All of these media became a common source of ideas. Just like a classroom would have several students gathered and one teacher imparting information on a common platform, so is pop-culture. The late 1800’s and the 1900’s saw how a medium or a platform could be used to influence large masses and continuously shape the dynamics of a culture.
This phenomenon is known as popular-culture which was affected by the Mass Culture Theory. Pop-culture is determined by the catchiest or most powerful idea of the moment and it is spread by the individual with the most valuable platform.
For the survival of entertainment or news media, it is important to subsidise advertisement space. Advertisements have found their space in cramped up corners of newspapers, hoardings, telly commercials and even online advertisements. With a cohort of products and services competing for attention through common platforms, it is only obvious that the most sensationalised and viral advertisement would occupy the memory of the viewer.
This one of the chief reasons why the viral culture is so easily capitalised. In the 80’s if an advertisement jingle would be the cause of an earworm, it was likelier that the product would be purchased. Similarly, if a video of a panda drinking coke was popular online, any association with the image of a panda would probably make the consumer want a bottle of coke.
Andy Warhol’s association with a can of tomato soup and Norma Rockwell’s coke advertisements for the Evening post were some of the most viral. We see companies indulging in similar tactics even today. Sometimes their actions are distasteful while on rare occasions, artists like Andy Warhol and Norman Rockwell with immense talent are brought to light.
A tool, platform or medium can be used as an initiator of a good or a bad action. In other words, a hammer can be used to build a strong edifice or a crumbling tower. Likewise, a television set can be used to watch a good or a poorly made film. Similarly, to completely vilify pop-culture and everything that is born of it would be rather judgemental and hasty. Saying that an idea is viable simply because it is popular is also just as premature and short-sighted.
When it comes to whether or not popular culture is used to indoctrinate people, the question is far from the one that needs to be asked. The real question is whether or not pop-culture has made individuals hasty enough to prematurely become either “absolutely yes” or “absolutely no” people without careful consideration of the origin of the issues.
For instance, the “pro-life” and “pro-choice” argument has taken a spotlight on social media and television shows these days. However, the very crux of the argument is ignored. There seems to be a lack of discourse about the issues that a single mother or even parents would usually face. Perhaps, the governments and media need to look into the price of a child’s education, healthcare and even support that single mother is entitled to from the biological father. There seems to be inadequate research done on the subject of what causes an individual to even make a “pro-life” or “pro-choice” decision.
With popular media, the audience tends to lose the value of a decision made with careful consideration of the details. The popular opinion is the one that is shorter and easy to remember. Or rather the opinion or discussion that makes the most impact is the one that is the catchiest. Theodore Adrono and Max Horkheimer together proposed the dynamics of Mass Culture theory and defined a new issue that was alien before the rise of popular media. (Sources: sociology index – Mass culture theory)
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