Adorno and Horkheimer both said that the culture industry is
similar and akin to the assembly line of a manufacturing company. This is
because the theory is similar to the assembly line of a factory, since the
artist will produce new things continuously and will always be" in
trend". The producers believe the more goods, songs etc they put out the
better. This is because they will earn more money at a quicker rate. The
reasoning behind this is that all of the artists produce new things, but none
of them are unique. This means if anything become popular or unpopular, the
band or artist will change to still become popular. However, the idea of being
unique and featuring the culture industry, means that things will change, this
is because things are believed to be in a standard state, which are then
changed and become unusual and then are turned into something new and
"unique" which means that in time, the item that was unique will then
become the "norm".
The highbrow people believe that many
things are alike nowadays and that nothing is unique. For example the x-fact
and the voice are great examples, since everything has been heard before
nothing is unique or original. This means that both of these shows are in fact
low-brow and the highbrow people believed that nothing is original.
The theory according to the Google page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_industry
The
essay is concerned with the production of cultural content in capitalist
societies. It critiques the supply-driven nature of cultural economies as well
as the apparently inferior products of the system.[1] Horkheimer
and Adorno argue that mass-produced entertainment aims, by its very nature, to
appeal to vast audiences and therefore both the intellectual stimulation of
high art and the basic release of low art.[2] The
essay does not suggest that all products of this system are inherently
inferior, simply that they have replaced other forms of entertainment without
properly fulfilling the important roles played by the now defunct sources of
culture.[3]
Horkheimer
and Adorno make consistent comparisons between Fascist Germany and the American film
industry. They highlight the presence of mass-produced culture, created and
disseminated by exclusive institutions and consumed by a passive, homogenised
audience in both systems.[4] This
illustrates the logic of domination in post-enlightenment modern society, by
monopoly capitalism or the nation state.[5]Horkheimer
and Adorno draw attention to the problems associated with a system that
‘integrates its consumers from above', arguing that in attempting to realise
enlightenment values of reason and order, the holistic power of the individual
is undermined.[6]
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