Theodore
Adorno must be turning in the grave–capitalism is alive and well! Materialism
dominates modern society, where the mass production of commodities is in
overdrive. Consumers have never had more choices, and the rich have never been
richer. In fact, recent reports reveal that last year marked the second-largest
annual increase in billionaire wealth on record, and predictions suggest the
world could have five trillionaires within a decade (NBC New York, 2025). The
global economy has reached dizzying heights, ones Adorno could scarcely have
imagined. Yet, despite this vast concentration of wealth, classism, oppression,
and poverty persist. According to Adorno’s theory of culture industry, this is
no accident.
The culture industry refers to the production, distribution and commercialization of creative content (art, music, entertainment, etc.), not for its cultural value, but solely for profit. With the rapid advancement of technology, we are constantly inundated and conditioned to consume. Gone are the days when conscious consumption required effort, when one had to physically go to a store to buy a product. Today, everything is at our fingertips, available with a simple click, and we never have to leave our homes. We’ve never had more choices, yet we’ve never been more socially controlled. In this sense, we are captive to technological consumerism and corporations that drive it. Everything we are exposed to is by design, from targeted advertising to social media algorithms that control our viewing and consumer habits.
As the French poet Paul Valery prophetically wrote in 1931, “Just as water, gas and electricity are brought into our houses from far off to satisfy our needs in response to minimal effort, so we shall be supplied with visual or auditory images, which will appear and disappear at a simple movement of the hand, hardly more than a sign.”
Valery’s predictions fall right in line with Adorno’s critique of the culture industry. Everything produced is for profit, diminishing the potential for genuine artistic experience and critical thought. In this world, it seems nothing is authentic. With the emergence of artificial intelligence, art is no longer a purely human creation, it is reproduced along with music, and even real people are being replicated through digital technologies. Are we headed toward a reality where nothing is truly real anymore?
Walter
Benjamin theorized that capitalism, in its pursuit of profit and mass
production, creates conditions that will ultimately undermine it. Yet, despite
these inherent contradictions, capitalism’s power has never been stronger. The
world still wants to be deceived, and the culture industry cunningly constructs
a reality that caters to this desire. How long will we remain “cultural dopes,”
passively consuming what is fed to us?
Lane, Thank you for faring your fantastic perspective and research. This was very well written and insightful. I agree that society has become passive consumers and we’re used to being spoon fed what to buy, what to think, what to believe, how to behave, what is normal, etc. I truly believe we’re headed towards a reality where we need to question what is truly real and what it means to be “real” and authentic. In many aspects the Frankfurt School of thought is spot on, we are often idiots that are susceptible to control by media. Look at how easy Americans gave up their essential liberties and common sense over the hyped up scare of COVID, shutting down small businesses while the big chain stores profited from no competition. Safety can prevail with common sense if we let it without mass hysteria and extreme behaviors. Small businesses could have easily made the same adjustments as the commercial monopolies did without the need to shut them down.
ReplyDeleteI read your article to my husband because I was so impressed and he immediately put up his hackles because he believes capitalism is what makes America such a great and prosperous nation. I tried to explain that free-market is not the same as capitalism, though they are often used interchangeably. Free market is determined by supply and demand with little or no government intervention and individuals are free to exchange goods and services based on mutual consent and even negotiation. It creates competition that drives creativity and innovation. In a free market anyone can dream big and make a living by doing something they love that benefits others. Capitalism is more about private ownership by a handful of elites who have total control over production and distribution for the sole purpose of acquiring money and the power that comes with it.
A great quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln fits a healthy balance of this:
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You can not further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
And you cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."
Thanks, Janet. I appreciate your comments. Love the Old Abe quotes!
DeleteI loved your post as well, Lane. I am learning so much from my counterparts in this class. Also, Janet's comments that expounded on your post were very thought-provoking. I have always favored a free-market society and do not want to see creativity and individual drive stifled by too much regulation or dominating power in our government or by elites.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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