I always hear people talk about how mass media is so terrible, and that buying the latest album/single/product/etc is just allowing media to continue to run our lives. However, I always think about how we can escape media at all. I mean, just because you bought a Lana Del Ray CD instead of a Drake CD just because Drake is considered as part of a popular culture, you’re still buying an album. I just feel like going out of your way so that you’re not conforming is still conforming, because you’re still letting media control what you do or do not do, you’re just actively going against it rather that going with it. Companies have created a market for all the “rebels” out there and are taking advantage of them as much as other companies are taking advantage of the people who follow the more popular culture.
All of this came to my mind when I read Chapter 2 of
Gauntlett, especially when Theodor Adorno is quoted, “Something is provided for
all so that none may escape,” (Gauntlett 24). This basically sums up what I
stated above—yes there is a wide range of options, however it is all giving
into the same industry. The book goes onto say that, “The consumer is not the
king, as the culture industry would have us to believe, not its subject but its
object,” (Gaunntlett 24). This is basically saying that mass media is aware
that people have different opinions and interests, so they give us a limited
amount of things to choose from that are still broad enough to satisfy people’s
need to be different or to fit in.
It’s crazy to really think about how much mass media is
influencing, and that even when you think you’re escaping it, you’re just being
tricked because they saw it coming and gave you another road to go down. Do you
think that there is an escape from mass media? Do you have any more thoughts on
this?
I don’ think it is possible for us to escape media, it surrounds us daily. Everywhere we go we are hit with advertisements and commercials telling us what is trendy and why we should buy it. We as people are so use to media that it hard to think of life without it. Chapter two suggests the culture industries which is also known as the media industry, really tells customers what to buy. We as customers are told what to buy from media industries because there are the ones that give us the advertisement through varies media outlets to ensure companies are making money.
ReplyDeleteIn today's society, I agree. There is no escape from mass media. If you were to succeed, hypothetically speaking, you would be completely disconnected from what is going on in the world. I think the trick is to educate yourself with as wide of a span in as many different areas as possible. I think this is the same idea as what we have discussed with gender identities. The more you participate in multiple venues of education, knowledge, and consumption the more well rounded you are, and the more you can truly sculpt your individuality.
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