Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Communication 330
Professor Bui
2/10/09
Critical Response Paper 1
The inclusion of media in our society and lives is something that has become an
continual occurrence in the 21st century. Today it is not uncommon for people to be
connected to the world in many ways. This is facilitated by the existence of portable and
powerful computers, smart phones with internet capabilities and the ubiquity of the
internet. This has allowed people to become more mobile and connected. Technological
advancements not only help people remain connected and able to communicate with
others, but also the ability to consume mass media in mediums beyond the one they were
originally intended for. For example, with a single device, such as an iPhone a person can
make calls and send text messages, access the internet to check news updates, log-on to a
gossip website, watch a movie or listen to music. However the ubiquity of mass media
and popular culture in our everyday lives is somewhat problematic in that its very
commonplace existence also means that people become more accustomed to it, and thus
not question it or examine it on a deeper level. Therefore, the question arises as to how
we should foster understanding and criticism of the mass media that surrounds us. Social
and cultural theory helps us become media literate and critical in that they provide points
of view that help us understand our society, our selves and how the media applies relates
Because of its ubiquity it is easy to forget that the content of mass media does not
just happen, it is manufactured and created by sources and distributed with intent beyond
just entertainment. A way to help us become more understanding and critical of the mass
media around us is through previously established social and cultural theory. Although
many of these theories may be old, the fact remains that they are strong and veritable
Pop culture is something that is present in every country, society and every
culture. The fact that it is so popular is represented by being something that many people
enjoy. Like mass media, the prevalence of pop culture in our society has been marked by
about pop culture that have helped scholars in identifying and characterizing it.
According to John Storey (1998), pop culture is something that is defined by something
that is: “’well liked by many people’; ‘inferior kinds of work’; ‘work deliberately setting
out to win favour with the people’; “culture actually made by the people for
themselves’”. These broad characteristics of what is considered pop culture are applicable
to many forms of mass media on our world today. Anything from the television show
American Idol to popular music groups like Coldplay, to books; which as of recently
have re-emerged as relevant aspects of our popular culture. For example the Harry Potter
series would relate to John Storey’s definition of popular culture in that they are well
liked and produced for mass consumption, this is shown by the increasingly high number
of books that were printed with every sequel. It can also be said that they are stories that
“originated from the people” as evidenced by the author’s story of being a single mother,
living on welfare, who strived on to get the first book published. In essence it is a human
interest story that many people can relate to, or at the very least they find compelling. A
point of contention to the books being part of pop culture, is that it can be said that the
books are popular because they are mass produced. However it stands to reason that
when the first book was published, the only reason that it became so popular was because
people found artistic and entertainment merit within in, thus fostering the book’s
increasing popularity. These characteristics show how the Harry Potter books are part of
our popular culture today. On a broader level scholarly theory like what Storey presented
when he characterized pop culture is also essential in fostering our understanding of mass
media phenomena. Not only does it aid in being able to recognize the components of
popular culture today, but applying theories from other scholars also help in
understanding how to relate those concepts to mass media and their popular culture
products.
Another important point to consider is the fact that majority of the media products
that abound in our society are created for us by entities whose main interests are profit
and financial gain. Specifically in the world there are five major media conglomerates
that control most and produce the media texts that people consume every single day. This
is also a concept that can be applied to the theories of social and cultural scholars. In fact
the notion of people understanding, questioning and resisting the ruling class is
something that goes back to the theories of Karl Marx. Along with Friedrich Engels,
Marx devised a theory of how the ruling classes create products for the masses and what
the effect of that is: “The (ruling) class which has the means of mental production, so that
the ideas of those who lack the means of metal production are on the whole subject to it”
(Marx and Engels 2001). A way to contextualize this concept for something that is
applicable for both media and popular culture criticism is to look at the phenomenon of
Fox News. As one of the biggest subsidiaries of the 20th Century Fox Company, the Fox
News Network is well-known for being a source of biased stories and one-sided
reporting. In other words their viewers are subjected to view that is decided by the ruling
class; in this case it would be the network and Rupert Murdoch’s beliefs. Applying Marx
and Engel’s theory to Fox News is a useful way to help understand it as a phenomenon,
understand how it happened and its possible effects and consequences. Although the
theory originated decades ago it is still a practical concept because it outlines the main
concept of the ruling class and the masses, which is very much applicable in our current
information age. For the Fox News example this had led their viewers to become
supportive of political agendas that tend to support the Republican Party. Although Fox
News label themselves as providing fair and accurate reporting, looking at any of their
segments will show the way in which the media they provide is in favor of the ruling
class.
The very fact that media and cultural studies exist is another aspect of social and
cultural theory. Research and scholarly studies in this area have advanced the way in
which we understand media as art. In the same way that the mass production of printed
books helped foster literacy to the majority of people, the mass production of visual
works of arts has also helped people in becoming more understanding and critical of the
media that they are exposed to. Scholar Walter Benjamin explained this concept by
saying that: “For the entire spectrum of optical, and now also acoustical, perception the
film has brought about a similar deepening of apperception…As compared with painting,
filmed behavior lends itself more readily to analysis because of its incomparably more
precise statements of the situation” (2001). In other words the capability of exact
reproduction and repetition that occurs with technological advancements in mass media
allows more people to be exposed to these texts and products. This in turn will help
people become more literate and critical of media. An example of this happens everyday
in universities all across the world. Media classes much like our own strive to teach
students how to synthesize and analyze all of the media that exists around them. We live
in an age dominated by mass media and information. The only way that people will
continue to go beyond simply consuming the media is if they understand all of the
components and pieces that constitute the media forms they experience and the media
industries themselves. In many ways what these emerging media scholars are doing is
carrying the decade-old teachings of social and cultural scholars and applying to current
societal trends. The only way that these theories will continue to be valuable and viable
sources of understanding is if people continue to study and apply them to our society. The
result of this will be more responsible and informed media students who will eventually
work within the media industries, or they will become scholars who will go on to educate
the next generations on these topics, or citizens who will be well-informed and able be
In essence social and cultural media help in creating more informed citizens.
Given the exponential increase in the presence of media in society, being critical of mass
media and pop culture is more important than ever. Although people may be hesitant to
use these theories in our modern times the fact remains that they explain our human
experience, which despite changes in technology and societal trends, has for the most part
remained the same. Our ability to question our surroundings and what is presented to us
is essential in allowing people to be free from societal restraints that are imposed on them
exercise their freedom and get from the culture industries exactly what they want.