mass culture & mass society

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Mass culture & mass society

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Page 1: Mass culture & mass society
Page 2: Mass culture & mass society

MASS CULTURE&

MASS SOCIETY

PREPARED BY

UMAIR

Page 3: Mass culture & mass society

Mass Culture

Page 4: Mass culture & mass society

A common culture experienced by large number of people

the culture that is widely disseminated via the mass media

Page 5: Mass culture & mass society

It is the set of ideas

and values that

develop or arise from a

common exposure to

the same cultural

activities, media, news

sources, music, and

art

Page 6: Mass culture & mass society

It is transmitted or otherwise distributed to

individuals instead of arising from their day-

to-day interactions with each other. Thus,

mass culture generally lacks the unique

content of local communities and regional

cultures

Page 7: Mass culture & mass society

mass culture conveys the

idea that such culture

emerges spontaneously from the masses

themselves, like popular art

did before the 20th century

Page 8: Mass culture & mass society

it promotes the role of individuals as consumers.

Page 9: Mass culture & mass society

Emergence of mass culture in 19th century

With the rise of publishing and broadcasting in the 19th and 20th centuries, the scope of mass culture expanded dramatically

Page 10: Mass culture & mass society

Mass culture is made available to the masses either with the help of mass media like broadcast, print, internet or by word of mouth.

Page 11: Mass culture & mass society

the most important technology contributing to the development of mass culture in the 1920s was radio

Page 12: Mass culture & mass society

Mass culture emerged due to the development of Print and Broadcast which were strong enough to alter perception, convince people to follow ideas on a large scale

Page 13: Mass culture & mass society

The primary goal of a mass culture

Page 14: Mass culture & mass society

To entertain and to distract

Level of economic development of modern societies has made possible liberation of a free time with which it is necessary to occupy with something, and also has raised a standard of living. People have appeared capable to pay for getting them entertained

Page 15: Mass culture & mass society

The modern society

fast rate of social changes and their unpredictability

fragility of social communications an overabundance of the inconsistent

information

All it generates requirement from time to time to "be disconnected, “relax".And the mass culture allows satisfying both requirements: carrying out of leisure, entertainment and a relaxation

Page 16: Mass culture & mass society

The mass culture constantly is exposed to criticism both from researchers, and from the most exacting public.

The criticism is caused by• poor quality of production of "the cultural

industry

• frequently playing the most primitive requirements

• the instincts, not aspiring to spiritual development of consumers

Page 17: Mass culture & mass society

Other direction of criticism - commercial character of a mass culture, transformation of culture into the goods.

Besides all the negative sides of Mass Culture, it should not be coined as negative key, as it plays a important role in structural changes in any society and is responsible for particular functions in the society.

Page 18: Mass culture & mass society

Agatha Christie and George Simenon's detective novels - it is doubtless, samples of a mass culture.

Nevertheless, they are recognized by "genre classics" and possess doubtless art advantages. Music "Beatles" - a brightest example of mass art.

Page 19: Mass culture & mass society

E.Schilz marked cultural heterogeneity and cultural variety of a mass society, allocated the various "levels" of culture existing in it:

As one of displays of "disagreement" of a mass society division of its culture at least on three degrees of quality acts.

These are so-called "higher", or "found", "average" or "mediocre", and "lowest" or "vulgar", cultures.

Page 20: Mass culture & mass society

The "higher" culture is not connected in any way with the social status.

It means perfection degree in it is defined not by a social standing of founders or consumers of objects of culture, and only truthfulness and beauty of these objects

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The category of "average" culture includes products to which, irrespective of efforts of their founders, criteria of estimations of products of the "higher" culture are inapplicable.

The "mediocre" culture is less original, than "higher”, though operates with the same genres, as the "higher" culture

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At the third level there is the "lowest" culture which products are elementary.

Some of them have genre forms of “average” and even the “higher” culture (the fine arts, music, verses, novels, stories),but also games and shows (boxing, jumps), possessing direct expressiveness and the minimum internal maintenance.

At this level of culture depth of penetration is almost always insignificant and refinement is absent.

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The mass society is absorbed considerably by quantity of culture.

The greatest scope was got by distribution of "mediocre" and "lowest" cultures, and the proportional stock of the "higher" culture was sharply reduced.

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Most obvious of the reasons of the similar phenomenon

• the big availability• reduction of expenses of work • increase in time of leisure • a material prosperity of the majority of

people

As a result Consumption of the "higher" culture also has increased, though and to a lesser degree.

Page 25: Mass culture & mass society

MASS SOCIETY

Page 26: Mass culture & mass society

DEFINITIONS

Mass society is any society of the modern era that possesses a mass culture and large-scale impersonal social institutions.

A mass society is a society in which prosperity and bureaucracy have weakened traditional social ties."

OR

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Relationship between mass culture and mass society

Mass culture is the disruptive consequence of the emergence of the mass society.

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In mass society, culture becomes open to debasement and trivialization because the masses lack taste and discrimination.

Page 29: Mass culture & mass society

EMERGANCE OF MASS SOCIETY

Mass society was originated in 19th

century. It states media has strong

influence on people in term of

shaping:People’s mindPerceptionsSocial worldUrbanizationIndustrialization

Page 30: Mass culture & mass society

As the rise of mass society is resulted from urbanization and industrialization so there are some consequences 

The consequence of

size

The consequence of

density

The consequence of heterogeneity

The consequences

of industrializatio

n

Page 31: Mass culture & mass society

Advancement of science

Rise in mass democracy

Mass education and public communication in western societies

Page 32: Mass culture & mass society

ASSUMPTIONS:

The media are powerful force within society and can change norms and

values

There is a direct

influence of media on

people

Long term consequence

s

Average people are

vulnerable to media

Page 33: Mass culture & mass society

MASS SOCIETY THEORY

Page 34: Mass culture & mass society

Mass society theory is a complex, multifaceted perspective. As applied to social movements, however, the basic idea is that people who are socially isolated are especially vulnerable to the appeals of extremist movements. The theory resonated with fears of fascist and communist movements in the 1930s and 1940s and reached its climax in the late 1950s.

Page 35: Mass culture & mass society

Mass society is a social system

characterized by mindless uniformity

the decline of religion, a sense of

alienation and moral emptiness, weak

family and community ties, political

apathy, and the replacement of high

culture (such as art and literature) by

low culture catering to bland and

unsophisticated tastes

Page 36: Mass culture & mass society

SEVERAL KEY ASSUMPTIONS

Media are dangerous and powerful. In 1920s and 1930s there was concern that media had to be controlled or eliminated to protect the existing way of life.

Average people can be powerfully influenced by media. Ordinary people were not capable of defending themselves well against it

Page 37: Mass culture & mass society

Significant negative consequences for individuals and for society could predictably occur once people were corrupted by media messages.

Modern Mass societies isolated ordinary people from the strong social, cultural, and religious institutions which would offer defense against powerful media messages.

Social disorder will result from lack of social unity and order will ultimately be restored by totalitarian or autocratic leadership

Page 38: Mass culture & mass society

There are some modern Mass Society Theorists:

Michael Medved's popular book, Hollywood vs. America makes a very strong, common-sense case

which is well-supported with media examples. 

Page 39: Mass culture & mass society

Scruton who has written that people without culture cannot appreciate high culture or even understand what it is or why it is important.  He also believes we have replaced

important ideas and values with consumerism. It's easier to live in the make-believe world than the real one, and since we don't demand much of ourselves (no rites of passage,

high goals, etc.) superficial media fill the gap

Page 40: Mass culture & mass society

Ben Bagdikian has mass society concerns as he writes about the perils of media concentration, the reduced number of gatekeepers and the growing pressure to make sure content is "what's good for the corporation" and not what's good for individuals or for society

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The Problems of Mass Society Theory

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Mass culture theory is elitist

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It also ignores the diversity of popular culture.

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Mass culture theorists tend to romanticize the past in which folk and elite cultures solidly maintain

the social and moral order of communities.

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The audiences of the mass cultures are often portrayed as passive, foolish, lack of tastes.