Response 23: "The Culture Industry"

I do agree that an increase in technology hasn’t led to a “loss of cultural cohesion” (329). We are even more aware of trends and popular events not only in the United States, but we are able to access similarities and differences in culture, values, politics, religion etcetera across the globe because of an increase in technology.  

However, I find myself in both agreement and disagreement with the statement that “Marked differentiations such as those of…films, or of stories in magazines in different price ranges, depend not so much on subject matter as on classifying, organizing, and labeling consumers” (331). It is true that “Consumers appear as statistics on research organization charts, and are divided by income groups into red, green, and blue areas; the technique is that used for any type of propaganda” but it is not entirely as simple as that (331).  There are films that are formulaic and rely on “’effects’ or technical details” for success because that is an almost foolproof formula for attracting audiences despite the questionable quality of the script (329). However, there are also films that have a great script and also rely on popular themes such as male masculinity or flashy effects; however, using technical effects or popular trends to appeal audiences doesn’t decrease the quality of the work. For example, movies and films such as The Incredibles, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Departed, Fight Club contain technical effects, a popular theme of competition between males, idea of defeating a villain etcetera—although response to the overall film is subjective and varies with each audience member, one can agree that incorporating popular themes or effects does not diminish the work as a whole.

In addition, while popular culture and increased technology may promote this conformity (which I will briefly address in the next paragraph), there are other films that are entirely original such as 12 Angry Men and Forest Gump. One could even argue that an increase in technology also contributes to original stories and works. For example, many indie films that do not have the backing of big studios can be popular or brought to the attention of a wider audience because of technology.

Technology and trends, on the other hand can also contribute to conformity. One kind of amusing example of this is the trend of the eyebrow. In the early 2000s, there was a very popular trend of thin female eyebrows and it got to such an extent that people started tweezing their brows so much that the hair never grew back. Now, the trend has changed and there is more emphasis on a bold/strong brow. This trend has become more popular, in part because of technology and so more people are aware of it and eager to conform to/use this new trend. The trend has become so popular that there are makeup products (such as brow powder and brushes) specifically designed for eyebrows.