“Culture today is infecting everything with sameness”
In “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception,” Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno critique popular culture due to its “sameness.” They argue that the sameness of the industry serves as a mechanism of control over our society. The products of the cultural industry appear to be art, but they are regulated by money and power. Therefore, all products are designed for profit. This commodification of culture controls our consciousness. For example, the “easy” entertainment we view in society serves as a distraction from the wrongs present in our day-to-day lives. Distraction is incredibly dangerous; we are constantly unconsciously conforming.
The cultural industry maintains its power through style and form. “Something is provided for everyone so that no one can escape; differences are hammered home and propagated.” Horkheimer and Adorno explain this concept through the example of cars. There are different types of cars on the market and endless gadgets you can add to cars to make them “unique.” However, in reality, all cars are just variations of the same thing. They are all simply road vehicles used for the same purpose. The industry creates variations for us to pick and choose from so that we feel in control. This sense of control is in fact an illusion.
Horkheimer and Adorno also use the example of movies with recycled plots, but different actors. We get excited when we see a “new” movie come out with eye-catching stars. What we fail to recognize is that the new actors just serve as a distraction from the fact that there is nothing really “new” here. This may be the easiest genre to pick on, but how many Romantic Comedies have you seen where the two main characters meet, part ways due to some obstacle, then realize their true love for one another and end up happily ever after? The culture industry is defined by sameness that we cannot escape.
Evie, your insights were truly eye-opening regarding Horkheimer and Adorno’s perspectives on pop culture and the far-reaching impact it has on those who partake in it. From what I have come to understand, it appears as though these theorists are at least insinuating that the distraction created by the culture industry’s sameness is indicative of the notion that the (public) masses are perhaps being conditioned to relinquish their critical thinking for simple entertainment. This actually reminds me of Barthes’ work where he discusses texts of pleasure (i.e. writerly text) and texts of bliss (i.e. readerly text), which ties in here because it seems like these two theorists are suggesting that the culture industry wants to ensnare us in the traps of consuming texts passively, without any questioning of the content that is found within them. This, in turn, makes it rather easy to control us, since the sameness of our culture leaves us with a craving for more. Your examples are certainly accurate and it is apparent that the formation of new projects (e.g. cars and films) with slight variations does foster this illusion of control because they dupe us into believing that a specific concept has not yet been established. Adding on to your examples to illustrate this point, you could also argue that technological inventions, such as gaming consoles (Xbox, PS4, Nintendo Switch, etc.) and cellphones (from Apple, Samsung, etc.), execute this same tactic as a means of reeling people in so that they buy the company’s new products, accessories, and features. If you think about it, all of these consoles and phones do the same thing as their competitors. Furthermore, it is honestly incredibly common to witness this type of marketing strategy where minor, yet adequately substantial changes are implemented with the release of new products in an effort to entice consumers into spending more money. Why else wouldn’t Apple release a foldable iPhone now? They want to gradually work their way up to that, even though they can likely produce it now, so that their sales and profits skyrocket.
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