THE  CULTURE  INDUSTRY  :  ENLIGHTENMENT  AS  MASS  DECEPTION  THEODOR  ADORNO  AND  MAX  HORKHEIMER  (1944)  

A  Project  By  –    

Adi?  Jajal  Ja?n  Mehta  Jaishree  Bansal    Shru?  Dua  

THE  THINKERS  

  MAX  HORKEHIEMER  (1895  –  1973)  

PHILOSOPHER-­‐SOCIALOGIST  

MEMBER  OF  FRANKFURT  SCHOOL  OF  SOCIAL  RESEARCH  

1  NOTED  IMPORTANT  WORK  –  ECLIPSE  OF  REASON  (1947)    

  THEODOR  ADORNO  (1903  –  1969)  

SOCILOGOIST,  PHILOSOPHER,  MUSICOLOGIST  

MEMBER  OF  FRANKFURT  SCHOOL  OF  SOCIAL  RESEARCH  

1  NOTED  IMPORTANT  WORK  –  MINIMA  MORALIA  (1951)  

COLLABORATIVE  WORK  :    THE  DIALECTIC  OF  ENLIGHTENMENT  

(1947)  

THE  CULTURE  INDUSTRY  –  THE  CRUX  

  A  CRITICAL  CONCEPT  THAT  STATES  THAT  THE  ENTERTAINMENT  BUSINESS  PRODUCES  PRODUCTS  THAT  ARE  MEANINGLESS,  MASS-­‐PRODUCED  AND  ARE  AIMED  AT  DECEIVING  THE  MASSES  AT  SEVERAL  PSYCHOLOGICAL  LEVELS  –  BY  CREATING  ILLUSIONS  AND  STEREOTYPES,  BY  MANUFACTURING  DESIRE  FOR  COMMODITIES  THAT  ARE  PRODUCTS  OF  CAPITALISM.  

  PRE-­‐DETERMINED  NORMS  OF  WHAT  “SHOULD  BE”  

  MAJOR  CONCEPTS  UNDER  THE  THEORY  –    

1.  STYLE  OVER  CONTENT  

2.  PSEUDO-­‐INDIVIDUALITY  

3.  PASSIVE  CONSUMERISM  

4.  ADVERTISING  AND  THE  CULTURE  INDUSTRY  

STYLE  OVER  CONTENT  

  REPETITION  EVERYWHERE  

  PACKAGING  DIFFERS    

  “READY  MADE  CLICHES”  

  CONFORMISM  OF  THE  BUYERS  

  EFFRONTORY  OF  THE  PRODUCERS  

RESULT  :  THE  SAME  THING  

PSEUDO-­‐INDIVIDUALITY  

 YOU  WANT  THAT  VERY  UNIQUE  PHONE?    

PSEUDO-­‐INDIVIDUALITY  

  A  CONSUMER  SAYS  :  BECAUSE  IT’S  VERY    “ME”    

  ILLUSION?  YES.  IT’S  NEVER  ONLY  YOU.  IT’S  THE  MILLION  OTHERS  THAT  THINK  IT’S  VERY  “ME”      

“PSEUDO  INDIVIDUALITY  IS  THE  PREREQUISITE  FOR  COMPREHENDING  TRAGEDY  AND  REMOVING  ITS  POISON:  ONLY  BECAUSE  INDIVIDUALS  HAVE  CEASED  TO  BE  THEMSELVES  AND  ARE  NOW  MERELY  CENTERS  WHERE  THE  

GENERAL  TENDENCIES  MEET”  (HORKHEIMER  &  ADORNO,  1976).  THE  INDIVIDUAL,  LIKE  A  PRODUCT,  IS  MASS-­‐PRODUCED.”    

PASSIVE  CONSUMERISM  

“THERE  IS  NOTHING  LEFT  FOR  THE  CONSUMER  TO  CLASSIFY.  PRODUCERS  HAVE  DONE  IT  

FOR  HIM”  

“LANGUAGE  IN  COMMUNICATION  SIMPLY  BECOMES  A  MEANS  TO  

TRIGGER  CONDITIONED  RESPONSES”  

ADVERTISING  AND  THE  CULTURE  INDUSTRY  

  TECHNICAL  AND  ECONOMICAL  MERGER  BETWEEN  THE  TWO  

  BOTH  SEEN  EVERYWHERE  

  BOTH  MECHANICAL  REPETITIONS  TIME  AND  TIME  AGAIN  

  BOTH  VIEWED  AS  MANIPULATIVE  

  “IN  BOTH  CASES,  STANDARDS  ARE  THE  STRIKING  YET  FAMILIAR,  THE  EASY  YET  CATCHY,  THE  SKILLFUL,  YET  SIMPLE”  

OBJECTIVE  OF  BOTH  :    

OVER  POWER  THE  CUSTOMER,  WHO  IS  CONCIEVED  AS  ABESNT  MINDED  OR  RESISTANT      

SOME  MODERN  CRITICISMS  OF    THE  CULTURE  INDUSTRY  THEORY  

 WHAT  ABOUT  CURRENT  DIVERSITY  AND  MARKET  SEGMENTATION?    

 WHAT  ABOUT  NICHE  PRODUCTS?    

 WHAT  ABOUT  THE  FACT  THAT  CONSUMERS  ARE  NOT  TOTALLY  PASSIVE?    

  ILLUSION  OF  REALITY  –  WHO  DEFINES  REALITY?    

  “…  BEAR  WITNESS  TO  MAN’S  ATTEMPT  TO  MAKE  HIMSELF  A  PROFICIENT  APPARATUS,  SIMILAR  (EVEN  IN  EMOTIONS)  TO  THE  MODEL  SERVED  UP  BY  THE  CULTURE  INDUSTRY.”  

THANK  YOU