A Summary of Strinati’s ‘Mass culture and popular

culture’

Firstly, some definitions:

• Mass culture – the culture that is widely disseminated via the mass media.

• Mass media – any means of communication which reaches a large number of people.

• Popular culture – cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to or aimed at the general masses of the people.

Popular culture

There are 3 main themes which are central to popular culture:

• Where does popular culture come from?• The influences of commercialisation and

industrialisation on popular culture• What is the ideological role of popular

culture?

Williams

Popular culture is a culture made by people for themselves, as popular culture has led to ATOMISATION

Atomisation is where people lack meaningful/morally coherent relationships, which wasn’t evident in the previous ‘high’ or ‘folk’ culture

Commercialisation & Industrialisation effects popular culture.

MASS culture began in the late 1920’s and is very important when looking at popular culture. Due to the coming about of CINEMA and RADIO, which was mass consumption and production, this became a problem as..

This couldn’t be ‘folk culture’ as it was not from the people or ‘High Art’ as it was not authentic

Mass Society Theory

•Consequence of industrialisation/urbanisation•Destabilised societies/values•Less land based work •Development of large cities = absence of moral integration = ATOMISATION

Individual left more to own devices, fewer communities to find identity/values

Mass Culture

• Refers to popular culture which is produced by the industrial techniques pf mass production•Mass produced for a mass market•Standardised, formulaic, repetitive and superficial culture•Silences opposing voices such as ‘high culture’ and the Elite

Americanisation

•Mass culture and popular culture is often seen in a negative light.• America embodies all that is wrong with mass culture•“Americanisation was often seen as the epitome of what was most dangerous in the development of the modern industrial society” •We are all being Americanised due to Mass media and popular culture

Critique of Mass Culture Theory

•Ignores that popular culture is diverse, because it is open to different uses and interpretations•Theory over estimates the past and under estimates the present•Lacks an adequate understanding of social and cultural change•Tends to see the audience as passive, exploitable and vulnerable ignoring they may be active consumers