The modern paradigm of consumerism and the ongoing competition to grab the recipient’s attention has resulted in the emergence of the mass culture phenomenon. Driven initially by industrialization, mass culture stands for the process of popularizing culture through widely accessible media, including cinematography, television, the Internet, and advertisement. The definition of mass culture has now obtained a rather negative connotation to it because the idea of “mass” is widely recognized as purely materialistic. Indeed, according to Abdurashidovich and Botirovich (2020), “at present, the most dangerous ideological threat that can negatively affect the worldview of our people, the national, spiritual and cultural morality of our youth is mass culture” (p. 343). While it is difficult to deny that popular culture embeds a commercial component, mass culture obtains the virtue of international accessibility and serves as an entertainment and educational tool for virtually every human on the planet.
One of the most common beliefs about mass culture nowadays is that its target audience consists of “ordinary” people whose interests and priorities are limited to their social context. Atabek & Nurnazar (2021) define mass culture as “a set of cultural values, phenomena, types of art and genres that have been developed and disseminated on the basis of modern technologies and media of communication and information” (p. 49). Hence, they imply that while created with the help of modern technology, popular culture does not necessarily aim to shape an “average” mindset. On the contrary, one might argue that mass culture provides our society with a gift of plurality and freedom of interpretation.
One can think of the existing variety of rediscovered and reinterpreted classics to present an example of popular culture and its enlightening prospects. For example, the recent screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel Little Women has revived the story of womanhood in the March family almost centuries after its initial publication. Thus, the rhetorical question, in this case, is whether the mass adaptation of a literary classic makes it less valuable. On the one hand, some people can indeed argue that cinematographic interpretation of the story leaves little to the recipient’s imagination and presents the viewer with the common morale of the novel. Hence, the mass “culturalization” of a certain literary piece makes the original less unique.
On the other hand, such an adaptation, while providing viewers with the director’s vision of an all-time classic, exposes more people to the literary heritage of Louisa May Alcott and her early stance on feminism and coming-of-age philosophy. In this case, it would be unreasonable to assume that the mass introduction to a cultural phenomenon makes the original lose its value or place in literary history. Similarly, one cannot assume that the mass adaptation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa makes the original canvas less phenomenal.
Popular culture, by all means, is a rather complex notion that has the potential to control the consciousness of many people. However, when talking of mass culture through the lens of globalization, it is unreasonable to assume that this cultural aspect is driven solely by negative purposes. If anything, mass culture plays a vital role in eradicating elitism and popularizing culture across the social hierarchy. Hence, the modern perception of mass culture should not be focused on an inherently negative narrative, as this paradigm shift has already become inevitable. Instead of searching for more justifications for evil, today’s cultural studies should address the ways to bring the best out of mass culture and rapid globalization.
References
Abdurashidovich, T. M., & Botirovich, A. J. (2020). “Mass culture” in the age of globalization. International Journal of Discourse on Innovation, Integration and Education, 1(5), 343-346.
Atabek, S., & Nurnazar, P. (2021). The phenomenon of mass culture. Zien Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(1), 49-52.