Armond Harold
Soc385
Blog 7
The culture industry is a concept created under two critical theorists, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. Their concept suggests that popular culture, such as television, books, movies, music, and other forms of mass media have become standardized. So much, that it has created a large, passive society devoid of choice for consumers. Adorno and Horkheimer also infer that this standardized culture has other implications, including the elimination of consumer choice, the loss of innovation, easily manipulated consumers, and effortless mass production. On a more personal level, I feel the effects of Adorno and Horkheimer’s concept almost every day when I see myself being sucked into the culture industry even though I recognize what is going on.
I often see myself buying products that I don’t need, even when I know that I have no need for them. I buy a cell phone every year, even though all of the previous phones have done more or less the same thing (maybe a second or two faster though). The only phones that I buy are Google’s “Nexus” phones. According to Adorno and Horkheimer, I have been manipulated by the culture industry into having a false need for this phone.
Just last week, I was thinking about how much I love my Galaxy Nexus, (Google’s current version of the Nexus phone). I was so impressed at how quickly it completes every task that I need it to perform. This week, Google announced the “Nexus 4” which will be the company’s newer version of the Nexus phone. After hearing about this, I immediately knew that I didn’t need it. I already owned an awesome phone the Galaxy Nexus. My phone was not broken, and the Nexus 4 has no new functions that mine can’t perform. Still, I put my phone up for sale on ebay in order to make money to purchase the new Nexus 4.
My motivation for buying this new phone relates back to Weber and status. Having a cutting edge device gives me the feeling that I am somehow a prestigious phone user (whatever that is). The phone is advertised as a sophisticated, simple device. Thus, having the newest version of the device obviously makes me a sophisticated, yet simple person.
If there is a way combat behavior like mine, it would be to not tie personal traits to non-human objects. I shouldn’t define myself by the products I use to text my friends and check my email. I shouldn’t feel defined by an object that I have to define first. We should look into ourselves and at one another to place ourselves in the world. As noble as this idea is, it may not even be possible in today’s society. We always use symbols to define ourselves. Whether it is our library of books on the shelf in the living room that we’ve read or our educational background we use to show our intellectual prowess, or even using musical tastes and Art Institute receipts to convey our artistic side, we use these common objects to help define ourselves. Non-human symbols are what drive the definition of human in this society. Some (or maybe even all) of these symbols are exploited by the culture industry for profit. Maybe instead of changing the way we think, the culture industry shouldn’t prey on our means of definition for profit, and let me text and use Google Maps in peace.
Soc385
Blog 7
The culture industry is a concept created under two critical theorists, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. Their concept suggests that popular culture, such as television, books, movies, music, and other forms of mass media have become standardized. So much, that it has created a large, passive society devoid of choice for consumers. Adorno and Horkheimer also infer that this standardized culture has other implications, including the elimination of consumer choice, the loss of innovation, easily manipulated consumers, and effortless mass production. On a more personal level, I feel the effects of Adorno and Horkheimer’s concept almost every day when I see myself being sucked into the culture industry even though I recognize what is going on.
I often see myself buying products that I don’t need, even when I know that I have no need for them. I buy a cell phone every year, even though all of the previous phones have done more or less the same thing (maybe a second or two faster though). The only phones that I buy are Google’s “Nexus” phones. According to Adorno and Horkheimer, I have been manipulated by the culture industry into having a false need for this phone.
Just last week, I was thinking about how much I love my Galaxy Nexus, (Google’s current version of the Nexus phone). I was so impressed at how quickly it completes every task that I need it to perform. This week, Google announced the “Nexus 4” which will be the company’s newer version of the Nexus phone. After hearing about this, I immediately knew that I didn’t need it. I already owned an awesome phone the Galaxy Nexus. My phone was not broken, and the Nexus 4 has no new functions that mine can’t perform. Still, I put my phone up for sale on ebay in order to make money to purchase the new Nexus 4.
My motivation for buying this new phone relates back to Weber and status. Having a cutting edge device gives me the feeling that I am somehow a prestigious phone user (whatever that is). The phone is advertised as a sophisticated, simple device. Thus, having the newest version of the device obviously makes me a sophisticated, yet simple person.
If there is a way combat behavior like mine, it would be to not tie personal traits to non-human objects. I shouldn’t define myself by the products I use to text my friends and check my email. I shouldn’t feel defined by an object that I have to define first. We should look into ourselves and at one another to place ourselves in the world. As noble as this idea is, it may not even be possible in today’s society. We always use symbols to define ourselves. Whether it is our library of books on the shelf in the living room that we’ve read or our educational background we use to show our intellectual prowess, or even using musical tastes and Art Institute receipts to convey our artistic side, we use these common objects to help define ourselves. Non-human symbols are what drive the definition of human in this society. Some (or maybe even all) of these symbols are exploited by the culture industry for profit. Maybe instead of changing the way we think, the culture industry shouldn’t prey on our means of definition for profit, and let me text and use Google Maps in peace.