Positive consequences of mass culture. Mass culture and its influence on society

At the end of the forties of the last century, the term "mass culture" appears, that is, culture designed for extensive masses of people. Mass culture is both yellow newspapers, and pop music, and soap operas. What usually exists for "relax", for example, after a long working day. Mass culture is intended for many, but not for everyone. And that's why.

Imagine the welder of Vasily, who received secondary special education. How would he prefer to spend his leisure? What does he choose, watching some talk show on TV or reading Dostoevsky's Tomitka? Obviously the first. Now imagine Nikolai Petrovich, who teaching philosophy in one of the universities. Is it possible to think that in the evenings, he watches Shaw Malahov? Thus, it can be concluded that the need for mass culture exists, first of all, in poorly educated people. This is the working class and people employed in the service sector. Mass culture is most common in industrialized countries, such as Russia, since there is a working class dominated. I do not say that there are no more in post-industrial countries - there is no higher quality.

It would seem that there is this mass culture, and okay. But, unfortunately, its distribution leads to the most negative consequences For society. As its task satisfy the needs huge number People - she should be simple and understandable to everyone. Therefore, its main characteristic is primitive. This primitiveness is destructive for society. Can Vasily welder no longer convince that "Beatles" better group "Foresting", but he has a daughter who is raised by shovel.

Mass culture forms the younger generation. And the problem is that it in principle does not make thinking. This leads to degradation. At the exit, we have a failed, not thinking society, suitable only for the service sector. If that mad speaker increase popularity mass culturewhich exists now, will continue, after a few decades we can be in the world described by the famous science fiction writer Rayem Bradbury. In the world without books, in the world, where to meet all the spiritual needs of a fairly huge TV.

Of course, the direction in which society develops is largely depends on the state. But it, in particular, ours, as if on purpose, does not try to restrain the spread of mass culture. The answer can only be found only one - is not profitable. After all, it is much easier to manage people whose thoughts are busy with those who have slept in show business than those people who reflect on freedom and social justice.

The philosophical question arises: "What to do?". First, however trite it did not sound, you need to start with yourself. It is necessary to restrain its primitive needs in the mass culture, do not go for them to do not succumb to the temptation to see the evening realistic show, do not buy yellow newspapers with another sensation from the world of show business, do not bother the albums of one-day albums.

Instead, it is possible to read as much as possible, to engage in self-development, reflect on essential questions, and not pressing. Secondly, try, if not specified directly, then at least hint around people on the fact that all popular is bad, because the understanding of this should come to them. It seems that this is the debt of every person who, using the metaphor, does not swim on the surface, and looks deep into. We must do so that interest in the culture of traditional and elititarian exhibit all people, regardless of their level of education or social status. It is from us that it will be what our society will be in the future. It is from us that we can go to a new, truly civil society, or will still be stumping in place, inventing new idols to yourself and living someone else's life, the lives of the heroes for housewives, the life of the festive, but deceptive and fake.

As an independent phenomenon, the mass culture is estimated contradictory. In general, existing points of view can be divided into two groups. Representatives of the first group (Adeorno, Marcuse, etc.) give a negative assessment of this phenomenon. In their opinion, the mass culture forms the passive perception of reality in its consumers. This position is argued by the fact that in the works of mass culture, ready-made answers are offered to what is happening in the sociocultural space around the individual. In addition, some theorists of the mass culture believe that the values \u200b\u200bsystem changes under its influence: the desire for entertainment and entertainment becomes dominant. To the negative moments associated with the influence of mass culture on public consciousnessAlso are also the fact that the mass culture is based on a reality-oriented form, but on the system of image, affecting the unconscious scope of the human psyche.

Many researchers note that modern mass culture in Russia is characterized by a completely irrepressible desire to fill everything cultural space Each person, pusing any individual preferences from it. Moreover, sometimes it seems that in Russia the whole mass culture "submissible" one clan, who makes her gesheft on it. It is indirectly confirmed by the fact that every day everyone can observe the same persons who are having fun, they celebrate something, they sing songs and tell the "funny" jokes. And this is all against the background of a deep systemic crisis, which occurs in Russia in all aspects of its lives. There is an use of mass culture as a mechanism for manipulation by public opinion, when the folk masses are going through this phenomenon, the vaccination of full indifference to what is happening in the country, distraction from pressing problems, planting false values And ideals. Moreover, starting with a certain moment Mass culture figures suddenly imagined themselves by experts in other areas of human activity, so their expert opinion becomes very popular for the impact on the rapid consciousness of young people, whose representatives often choose their idols from the medium of such unclean to the hand of figures.

Another aspect of mass culture is the hidden genocide of certain groups of citizens. So, for example, in lately It became fashionable to make fun of all the original Russian - Russian traditions, Russian foundations, the Russian way of life, in general everything. Humorists under the guise of jokes added to the consciousness of their audience thoughts on the damage to this very audience due to its origin. It should be noted that most of these humorists who are taken in a ridiculous form to argue about the Russian people, have nothing to do with this people. However, such "Shabashi" are broadcast on the general-tech level almost every day in the state where most of The population consider themselves Russian.

Meanwhile, researchers who adhere to an optimistic point of view on the role of mass culture in the life of society, indicate that:

• - It attracts masses to themselves, who do not know how to productively use their free time;
• - creates a kind of semiotic space, which contributes to closer cooperation between members of a highly technological society;
• - give a chance wide audience Get acquainted with the works of traditional (high) culture.

And yet, probably, opposition is definitely positive and definitely negative assessments of the mass culture will be not entirely correct. Obviously, the effect of mass culture on society is far from unambiguously and does not fit into the binary scheme "White - Black". This is one of the main problems of analyzing the mass culture.

The concept of "culture" is very multi-valued, has different content and different meaning not only in every way, but also in different sciences and philosophical disciplines.

The concept of "culture" must be disclosed in its differential and dynamic aspects, which requires the use of categories "Public practice" and "Activities", connecting the categories "Public Being" and "Public Consciousness", "Objective" and "Subjective" in the historical process . In modern domestic philosophical literature The concept of "activity" appears as one of the most fundamental characteristics of human existence. At the same time, the situation is also generally accepted that a person is a "active natural being", which itself claims itself in the world, in his being. Thus, it can be said that the specificity of the social form of motion of matter is expressed through the concept of "activity".

If we recognize that one of the main signs of genuine culture is the heterogeneity and wealth of its manifestations based on national-ethnic and class-class differentiation, then in the 20th century the enemy of the cultural "polyphony" was not only Bolshevism, in nature, not accepting any pluralism. In the conditions of "industrial society" and HTR, humanity as a whole found a clearly expressed trend towards the template and monotony to the detriment of any types of originality and identity, whether it is about a separate person or about certain social layers and groups. A modern state, like a giant car, with the help of uniform education systems and as coordinated information, continuously "stamps" faceless and obviously degraded to the anonymity of human "material". If the Bolsheviks and their followers sought forcibly turning people and some kind of "cogs", then from the middle of our century, the standardization processes everyday life Bought around the world, with the exception of a remote periphery, an involuntary and comprehensive nature.

The culture of modern society is a set of various platforms of culture, that is, it consists of a dominant culture, subculture and even countercultures. In any society you can allocate high culture (elitar) and folk culture (folklore). The development of means of mass information led to the formation of the so-called mass culture simplified in the meaning and artistic relation, technologically accessible to all. Mass culture, especially with its strong commercialization, is able to outpire and high, and folk culture. But in general, the attitude towards mass culture is not so unequivocal.

The phenomenon of "mass culture" in terms of its role in development modern civilization It is estimated by scientists not definitely. Depending on the grave to the elite or populist image of thinking, the culturologists are inclined to consider it or something like social pathology, the symptom of the degeneration of society, or, on the contrary, an important factor His health and internal stability. To the first, in many ways the feeding ideas F. Nietzsche, O. Spengler, X. Ortega-I-Gasset, E. Fromm, N.A. Berdyaev and many others. The second are represented by L. White and T. Parsons already mentioned. The critical approach to the "mass culture" is reduced to its accusations in neglecting by classical inheritance, in the fact that it allegedly is a tool of conscious manipulation by people; enslaves and uniform the main Creator of all culture is a sovereign person; contributes to its alienation from real life; distracts people from their main task - "spiritual and practical development of the world" (K. Marx). Apologetic approach, on the contrary, is expressed in the fact that "mass culture" is proclaimed by a natural consequence of irreversible scientific and technological progressthat it contributes to the cohesion of people, above all youth, regardless of any ideologies and national-ethnic differences in a stable social system And not only does not reject cultural heritage The past, but also makes his best samples in the property of the widest folk layers by replication through printing, radio, television and industrial reproduction. The dispute about the dangers or beneficialness of "mass culture" has a purely political aspect: both democrats and supporters of authoritarian authorities are not without reason seeking to use this objective and very important phenomenon of our time in their own interests. During the Second World War and in the post-war period, the problem of "mass culture", especially its most important element - the mass media, was studied both in democratic and in totalitarian states.

Concept, historical conditions and stages of formation of mass culture

Features of production and consumption cultural values allowed culturalologists to allocate two social forms The existence of culture: mass culture and elite culture. Mass culture is called such a type of cultural product, which is every day produced in large volumes. It is assumed that all people consume mass culture, regardless of the place and country of residence. This is a culture of everyday life, represented by the widest audience on various channels, including the media and communication.

Regarding the sources of mass culture in cultural studies there are a number of points of view.

As an example, you can bring the most common in the scientific literature:

1. Mass cultures are formed from the moment of the birth of humanity, and in any case, at the dawn of Christian civilization. As an example, simplified variants of the sacred books are usually given (for example, the Bible for Beggars), calculated on the mass audience.

2. The systems of mass culture are associated with the appearance of an adventure, detective, adventurous novel in the European literature of the XVII-XVIII, which significantly expanded the audience of readers at the expense of huge circulation (Book D. Defo, M. Komarov).

3. A large influence on the development of mass culture was provided by the law on compulsory universal literacy in the UK, which allowed many to master the main species artistic creativity XIX century - novel.

Still, it is the prehistory of mass culture. And in his own sense, the mass culture has shown himself for the first time in the United States at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The famous American political analyst Z. Brzezinsky owns the phrase, which became over time: "If Rome gave the world right, England parliamentary activities, France - culture and republican nationalism, then the modern schools gave the world a scientific and technical revolution and mass culture."

For turn XIX-XX centuries has become a characteristic comprehensive massization of life. She touched on all its spheres: economics and politics, management and communication of people. Active role of human masses in various social spheres It was analyzed in a number of philosophical writings of the 20th century. As, for example, the American sociologist D. Bell in his book "Konya ideology" features of modern society determines the emergence of mass production and mass consumption. Here the author formulates several values \u200b\u200bof the word "mass":

1. Mass - as an undifferentiated set (ie, the opposite of the concept of class).

2. Mass - as a synonym for ignorance (as X. orthhega-and-gasset also wrote about this).

3. MASSES - as a mechanized society (i.e., a person is perceived as an appendage of technology).

4. Mass - as a bureaucratic society (i.e. in mass society Personality loses its individuality in favor of herdness).

5. Mass - as a crowd. Here is laid psychological meaning. The crowd does not argue, but obeying passions. By itself, a person can be cultured, but in a crowd is a barbarian.

And D. Bell concludes: Mass - there is an embodiment of herdness, unified, patterns.

An even deeper analysis of the "mass culture" was made by the Canadian sociologist M. Madzkuhan. But he just like D. Bell, it comes to the conclusion that the mass communication means are generated and new Type Culture. Mclun emphasizes that the invention of I. Guttenberg in the XV century was the starting point of the era of the "industrial and typographic man" in the XV century printing machine. The modern media, creating, according to Musphan, "Global Village", create a "new tribal person". This new person It differs from that "tribal" who had ever been on earth, because his myths forms "electronic information". According to Mclun, printed equipment - created a public, electronic - mass. Determining the art of a leading element of spiritual culture, McCluhan emphasized Esquepist (i.e., leading from real reality) the function of artistic culture.

Of course, today, the lot has changed significantly. Masses became educated, informed. In addition, the subjects of the mass culture today are not just mass, but also individuals united by various connections. Since people act at the same time as individuals, both as members of local groups, and as members of mass social community, so far the subject of "mass culture" can be considered as a dual, that is, both individual and massive. In turn, the concept of "mass culture" characterizes the peculiarities of the production of cultural values \u200b\u200bin the modern industrial society, designed for the mass consumption of this culture. At the same time, the mass production of culture is understood by the analogies with the flow-conveyor industry.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Similar documents

Mass culture - the term of the twentieth century. Background of the emergence of mass culture as a phenomena - developed infrastructure, the availability of the media. Landmark for mass, publicly available, leads to a low level of mass culture as a culture.

essay, added 02/18/2009


The history of the emergence of "mass culture", the features of her phenomenon in modern conditions, characteristics of levels and analysis problem. The main directions of the mixing of culture and politics. Features of the influence of mass culture on modern society.

examination, added 05.10.2010


The study of the origins of the occurrence of op-art, pop art and the characteristic of mass culture as a popular prevailing culture among a wide layer of the population in a specific society. Description modern species Mass culture and creativity of her masters.

course work, added 07/18/2011


Determination of the concept of "mass culture" as social phenomenoncharacterizing the features of the production of civilization values \u200b\u200bin modern society. Analysis of kich-, mid-, pop, rock and art culture. Cosmopolitanity and ideological foundation of mass culture.

abstract, added 11/14/2011


The concept of mass culture, its purpose, directions and specific features, place and value in modern society. Advertising and Fashion as a mirror of mass culture, trends in their development. Problems of education of young people associated with the mass culture.

abstract, added 09/18/2010


The concept, historical conditions and stages of the formation of a mass culture. Economic backgrounds I. social functions Mass culture. Her philosophical foundations. Elite culture as an antipode of mass culture. Typical manifestation of elite culture.

examination, added 11/30/2009


The evolution of the concept of "culture". Manifestations and directions of mass culture of our time. Mass culture genres. Interrelations between mass and elitar cultures. The effect of time, lexicon, dictionary, authorship. Mass, elitar and national culture.

abstract, added 05/23/2014


The history of the emergence of mass culture. Classification of the areas of manifestation of mass culture proposed by A.Ya. Flier. Approaches to the definition of mass culture. Types of culture on the principle of an intrauterine hierarchy. Types of culture and signs of subculture.

Mass culture in modern society playing important role. On the one hand, it contributes and on the other, simplifies the understanding of their elements. This is a contradictory and complex phenomenon, despite the characteristic simplicity of which the products of the Maswear are possessed.

Mass culture: the history of the occurrence

Historians did not find the overall point on which their opinions could come to the exact time of this phenomenon. However, there are the most popular provisions that are able to explain the approximate period of the emergence of this variety of culture.

1. A. Radugin believes that the prerequisites of the Maswear were there if not at the dawn of mankind, it was already exactly when the Bible for Beggars was massively spread, which was designed for a broad audience.
2. Another provision implies a later occurrence of Maswear, where its origins are associated with the European at that time, detective, adventure and adventurous novels due to large replication were widely distributed.
3. In the literal sense, according to A. Radugina, it originated in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He explains this new form The arrangement of life - by massation, which found the display in almost all areas: ranging from political and economic and ending with household.

Based on this, it can be assumed that the impetus for the emergence of the mass culture was the capitalist look and mass production, which was supposed to find the same scale implementations. In this regard, it turned out such a phenomenon as stereotyping. The sameness and template are the bright basic characteristics of the Maswear, which spread not only on household items, but also to views.

Mass culture is closely connected with the process of globalization, which is carried out mainly through the media. Especially this is clearly manifested on modern stage. One of bright examples - Yoga. Yogic practices arose in antiquity, and western countries did not have the slightest relationship. However, with the development of communication, an international exchange of experience began to occur, and yoga was accepted by Western people, starting to be introduced into their culture. It has negative characteristics, because the Western person is not able to understand the whole depth and meaning that the Indians understand, doing yoga. Thus, a simplified understanding of someone else's culture is happening, and the phenomena that require deep understanding is simplified by losing their value.

Mass culture: signs and basic characteristics

• It implies a superficial understanding that does not require specific knowledge and is therefore available for the majority.
• Stereotype is the main feature of the perception of the products of this culture.
• Her elements are based on the emotional unconscious perception.
• It operates medium language semiotic standards.
• It has an entertaining orientation and manifests itself, to a greater extent in entertainment form.

Modern mass culture: "pros" and "minuses"

IN currently It has a number of shortcomings and positive signs.

For example, this allows you to closely interact a large group of members of society, which improves the quality of their communication.

Stereotypes generated by mass culture, if they are created on the truthful classification, help a person to perceive a large flow of information.

The deficiencies highlights the simplification of cultural elements, profanation of other people's cultures and the tendency to remakes (alteration of once created and recognized art elements on new way). The latter inclines to the assumption that the mass culture is not able to create something new, or is capable, but in small quantities.