Theme 2: Critical media studies

Enlightenment

For Adorno and Horkheimer (The Dialectic of Enlightenment, 1944, p. 1) Enlightenment is the advance of thought- in the widest sense. The authors defined it as the radicalization of the mythical fear (Ibid, p. 11). Before Enlightenment humans were under the power of nature, because they were afraid of the unknown. Through scientific knowledge, humans are able to understand nature and thus manage to overcome this fear. It is stated that “Humans believe themselves as free of fear when there is no longer anything unknown” (Ibid, p. 11). Once humans are liberated from myths, the can dominate nature and other human beings. Enlightenment, as I understand it, is the passage from myths to knowledge.

According to the authors Enlightenments’ first traces can be seen in Homer’s Odyssey (Ibid, p.  xvii).

Myth

Adorno and Horkheimer define “myth” as a false clarity (Ibid, xvii). So, according to them, myth is the knowledge that existed before Enlightenment. This knowledge is not to be confused with scientific knowledge. “Myth sought to report, to name, to tell of origins-but therefore also to narrate, record, explain” (Ibid, p. 5). This involved rituals, which were trying to represent how things happened through mimesis (Ibid). In this type of knowledge, truth and reality were not distinguished (Ibid, p. 7).

As I mentioned above, before Enlightenment humans were dominated by the fear of the unknown. So, according to my understanding of myths and their function, myths involve the exercise of power over humans through the fear of the unknown.

Old and new media

Film, radio and magazines are the old media discussed in “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception”. For the authors film, radio, magazines form a system (Ibid, p. 94) which provides the norms and makes sure that standardization and mass production is achieved in society (Ibid, p. 95).

If I interpret the authors right, television is the new medium. Adorno and Horkheimer (Ibid, p. 96) discuss that television aimed at a synthesis of radio and film, which was delayed since the interested parties could not reach an agreement (Ibid).

Culture industry and relationship between mass media and mass deception

Adorno and Horkheimer describe culture industry as the industry in which culture is treated as a commodity. Cultural products that are produced and diffused by different media, film, magazines, radio, are characterized by sameness (Ibid, p. 94). As I mentioned above, film, radio and magazines form a system, which produces cultural products. The system is characterized by mass production and standardization. Even though it is claimed that the standardized forms in the production processes come from the consumers’ needs, in the end they serve one goal: to manipulate humans in a more effective way. To be more specific, the cultural commodities are consumed by humans without critical evaluation. The cultural products are the same, so they provide a specific image on how the individual should behave, look, live etc. Since this image is consumed without critical evaluation, it becomes accepted by the individual and incorporated as a standard; and this standard is to be followed. Should the individual not conform in the circulated  image , it will be excluded from the society. And in the capitalistic society, exclusion is considered to be death. Thus, humans are turned into marionettes who can easily be controlled. 

So, the term cultural industry is used to describe the marketization of culture and how culture has become a business that conforms individuals and controls them in a deeper and more effective way.

Regarding the relationship of mass media and mass deception, it is clear that the mass media are used as an effective tool to deceive the individuals. What is important in this case is there is no use of force into making the individuals conform in one idea. The individuals are forcing themselves into conforming to this idea, while they under the impression that this is what they want.

Reflections

I find it really interesting that the individuals are under the impression that this is what they want, that it is their choice. According to the authors “the question “What do people want?” lies in the fact that it appeals to the very people as thinking subjects whose subjectivity seeks to annul”. The concept subjectivity intrigued me, so I started looking more deeply into this. My research led me to Foucault and his description of how discipline is articulated and how to regulation is reached into a society (Foucault, 1997), through self-regulating individuals (du Gay et al., 1986).

Lastly, taking into consideration the time and place when this book was written and published, it should be noted that the authors discuss how mass media like radio were used during the Second World War as a propaganda tool.  

REFERENCES

Adorno, T. and Horkheimer, M. (2002): The Dialectic of Enlightenment, Philosophical Fragments. Standford: Standford University Press.

du Gay, P., Salaman, G . and Rees B. (1986), The conduct of management and the management of conduct: contemporary managerial discourse and the constitution of the ‘competent’ manager, Journal of Management Studies, 33(3), pp. 263-282.

Foucault, M. (1997), Society Must Be Defended –Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975/76, Ewald, F. and Fontana, A. (Eds.), Chapter 11 (pp. 239-264).Penguin Books.