Mass culture in modern society plays an important role. On the one hand, it promotes the integration of cultures, and on the other, simplifies the understanding of their elements. This is a contradictory and complex phenomenon, despite the characteristic simplicity that the products of the mass culture possess.
Mass Culture: History
Historians have not found a common point at which their opinions on the exact time of occurrence of this phenomenon could converge. However, there are the most popular provisions that are able to explain the approximate period of occurrence of this variety of culture.
- A. Radugin believes that the prerequisites of the mass culture existed, if not at the dawn of the emergence of humanity, then certainly during the birth of Christianity, when the book “The Bible for the poor” was widely distributed, which was intended for a wide audience.
- Another provision implies the later emergence of the mass culture, where its origins are associated with European literature of the 17-18 centuries. At this time, detective, adventure and adventurous novels became widespread due to the large replication.
- In the literal sense, according to A. Radugin, it arose in the USA in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He explains this by the emergence of a new form of arrangement of life - massization, which found reflection in almost all areas: from political and economic to everyday life.
Based on this, it can be assumed that the impetus for the emergence of mass culture was the capitalist view and mass production, which should have been realized on the same scale. In this regard, the phenomenon of stereotyping has become widespread. Identity and stereotyping are the vivid basic characteristics of the mass culture, which have spread not only to household items, but also to looks.
Mass culture is closely linked with the process of globalization, which is carried out mainly through the media. This is especially pronounced at the present stage. One striking example is yoga. Yoga practices have arisen in antiquity, and Western countries did not have the slightest relation to this. However, with the development of communication, an international exchange of experience began to take place, and yoga was accepted by Western people, and began to take root in their culture. This has negative characteristics, because Westerners are not able to understand the depth and meaning that Indians understand when doing yoga. Thus, a simplified understanding of a foreign culture occurs, and phenomena that require a deep understanding are simplified, losing their value.
Mass culture: signs and main characteristic
Its content is an everyday destination. It is determined by the daily events, needs and aspirations of the bulk of the people. Mass culture is opposed to the elite.
- It implies a superficial understanding that does not require specific knowledge and is therefore accessible to most.
- Stereotype is the main feature of the perception of the products of this culture.
- Its elements are based on emotional unconscious perception.
- She operates with average linguistic semiotic norms.
- It has an entertaining orientation and manifests itself, to a greater extent in an entertaining form.
Modern mass culture: “pros” and “cons”
At the moment, it has a number of shortcomings and positive signs.
For example, this type of culture allows a large group of members of society to interact closely, which improves the quality of their communication.
Stereotypes generated by popular culture, if they are created on a true classification, help a person to perceive a large flow of information.
Among the shortcomings stands out the simplification of cultural elements, profanation of foreign cultures and a penchant for remakes (remaking of once created and recognized elements of art in a new way). The latter leads to the assumption that popular culture is not able to create something new, or is capable, but in small quantities.