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Media culture is a term that encapsulates the prevailing impact of mass media^[2] in modern Western capitalist societies. It’s a complex construct that interweaves the realms of popular culture and mass media, shaping public opinion and influencing decisions across various institutions including politics, religion, sports, television^[3], and cinema. One major critique of media culture is that it fosters consumerism^[1] and manipulates societal norms, often promoting superficial content and undermining cultural authenticity. It plays a crucial role in symbolic consumption, where product choices reflect individuals’ self-perception and group identity. Furthermore, it has a profound influence on religion and public beliefs, often likened to the fervor associated with traditional religions. Lastly, media culture is scrutinized through feminist perspectives for its impact on women, particularly young girls, influencing their self-image, actions, and thoughts.

Terms definitions

1. ↑ consumerism. Consumerism, a critical phenomenon in our society, has a rich historical development and significant cultural, environmental, and social implications. Beginning in the late 17th century, it marked the shift from a need-based to desire-driven society. The term encapsulates the increasing demand for luxury goods, intensified by the Industrial Revolution and the evolution of marketplaces into social hubs. It also covers the influence of advertising on consumer behavior. However, consumerism has been criticized for its detrimental effects on the environment, such as resource overconsumption and waste generation, and its contribution to social inequality. Modern consumerism highlights the pursuit of material wealth and social status, seen in changing cultural values and the rise of emerging consumer markets like China.

2. ↑ mass media. Mass media refers to various forms of communication that reach a large audience simultaneously. This includes traditional forms like print media (books, newspapers, magazines), recordings, cinema, radio, and television, as well as modern digital platforms like the internet and mobile phones. Each form of mass media uses unique content types and utilizes specific business models, creative artists, and technicians for production and distribution. It's worth noting that there's ongoing debate about whether video games should be considered a form of mass media. Mass media is characterized by its one-to-many communication model, allowing for broad dissemination of information or products. A key distinction of mass media is that it separates the production and reception of information, reaching audiences who are often distant in time and space from the producers.

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Glossary

Media culture (Wikipedia)

In cultural studies, media culture refers to the current Western capitalist society that emerged and developed from the 20th century, under the influence of mass media. The term alludes to the overall impact and intellectual guidance exerted by the media (primarily TV, but also the press, radio and cinema), not only on public opinion but also on tastes and values.

The alternative term mass culture conveys the idea that such culture emerges spontaneously from the masses themselves, like popular art did before the 20th century. The expression media culture, on the other hand, conveys the idea that such culture is the product of the mass media. Another alternative term for media culture is "image culture."

Media culture, with its declinations of advertising and public relations, is often considered as a system centered on the manipulation of the mass of society. Corporate media "are used primarily to represent and reproduce dominant ideologies." Prominent in the development of this perspective has been the work of Theodor Adorno since the 1940s. Media culture is associated with consumerism, and in this sense called alternatively "consumer culture."

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