Need help developing a better understanding of historical grounds of popular cul

Question

Need help developing a better understanding of historical grounds of popular culture, specifically the role that The Frankfurt School and Marxism have played into how we think about media and culture.

- Ross, A. (2014). The Naysayers. The New Yorker. Online at: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/15/naysayers

- Horkheimer, M. and Adorno, T. (2001). The culture industry: Enlightenment as mass deception. In D. Kellner and M. Durham (Eds.), Media and Cultural Studies: KeyWorks (pp. 41-72). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

-Marx, K. and Engels, F. (2001). The ruling class and the ruling ideas. In D. Kellner and M. Durham (Eds.), Media and Cultural Studies: KeyWorks, 2nd ed. (pp. 9-12). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

-Fiske, J. (1992). The cultural economy of fandom. In L. A. Lewis (Ed.) The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media (pp. 30-49).

Explanation / Answer

The Frankfurt School comprises of intellectuals who advocate the Marxist policies against the capitalistic approach. They believe that the popular cultures such as TV, media and radio are all part of the capitalistic cultures but disguised as friendly to common people. These popular cultures set the stage for a more consumeristic society by attracting people through their ads and propagations thus making the common man believe that it’s alright to spend on things that brings them some special status in the society. Frankfurt School just pinpointed this deception and works hard in the capitalistic countries in controlling this effect by spreading Marxism. They wanted to make sure that they create a culture which is applicable to the ordinary people and not the elite but it was hardly achieved in the capitalistic countries as they promote the individual freedom and do not build a collective culture.

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