MAC 143 1st Edition Lecture 2Industrial, Mass Culture and Hierarchies of Taste I. Quality Culture vs. Trash Culture a. class brainstorming b. what is hierarchy of taste ? c. what are criteria of evaluation? II. Rise of Industrialized Mass Culture a. definition - Industrialized mass culture refers to the process by which societies’ meanings and values are circulated via cultural products, practices, and rituals produced in the context of industrial capitalism, paid for by the mass marketing of consumer goods, and distributed by mass communication media. b. culture, inc? c. historical perspectives i. about 1880 to present ii. American Key concepts 1. industrial revolution 2. immigration 3. modification of industry - first was amusement parks 4. founding context a. anglo- saxon protestant social elites i. more industrialized ii. not same person were in control of the city iii. judge and evaluate culture b. social elites' fears/anxieties and their use of culture i. read "taste cultures" handout on Niihka I. Enduring Crituqes of INdustrial, Mass Culture: What don't "they" like about it? a. "Cultural conservative" version - industrial mass cultures undermines cultural and tradition i. anonymous/corporate 1. great works of art and artistic genious ii. derivative iii. formulaic iv. ephemeral v. follows rather than leads public taste 1. no mass challenge vi. drives out "fine" out 1. wants the market 2. rock ruins the mind of young people vii. the more sophisticated and timeless it is better it is 1. taste cultureb. "liberal" versions i. mass culture is bad 1. because intelligent convo and debate is overwhelmed by mass culture c. social justice versions i. a lot of advocates who argue mass culture is bad 1. radical social change is blocked II. the popular culture response: popular culture matters a. "popular" not the same as "mass" i. it is important ii. think about industrial mass culture as popular not mass culture iii. reflect the social balance of some people in society b. elite standards as form of social control i. the racial politics do play a role - criteria of person is not science but an idea of culture c. need for stories i. like to process reality through stories iii. Another approach to think about media and culture: asking "why" not "should" COMFORT • • CHALLENGE⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ - interesting mix familiar....……………………………..……strange conventional….……………………………..novel simple………………………………….........complex
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