Tuesday 27 September 2016

Adorno and Horkheimer

Theodor Adorno (philosopher, sociologist and composer) and Max Horkheimer (philosopher and sociologist) were both significant members of the Frankfurt School of social research. Both were two German theorists who fled Germany during World War II, thus migrating to New York in 1935. The pair produced the book 'The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception' in 1944. This book accumulated their theory that pop culture is essentially a commodity and that it is mass produced to the mass public. This suggests that the forms of films, radios, pop music and music videos consist of certain idelogies and beliefs/messages that are distributed (sometimes subliminally) within this variation of formats to deliver a message or cultural ideology to mass audiences. The pair both stated that the the culture industry depends upon the most powerful sectors within the industry. Essentially, The Culture Industry is the society which is being over run and dictated by industrialisation of mass pop-culture in general. Rather than being encouraged of freedom and uniqueness.

These are two famous quotes in involvement with 'The Culture Theory':
  • "Enthusiastic obedience to the rhythm of the iron system"
  • "The culture industry not so much adapts to the reactions of its customers as it counterfeits them"

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