Postmodern Culture - Report Example

Culture Industries Introducing Culture dictates the way of life for people in a particular society (Foster, 1985). Each culture isdistinct from the other dictating different lifestyles and commanding quite a different following. Karl Marx postulates in his transitional human nature theory that it is natural for human beings to change their beliefs and behavior thereby acquiring new lifestyles. His claims provide effective evidence for the characteristic of culture in that it is never static and culture has agents which spread it thereby earning it a bigger or smaller following depending on the issues a particular culture support. The modern day society has a number of communication agents with the world succeeding in becoming a global village through the development of the internet and other efficient forms of communication and interaction (Michael, 2011). When people come together, they present behavior and activities from their cultures, such terms as modernization and urbanization have all contributed to creating a scenario where different people living different lifestyles and therefore having different cultures share neighborhoods. The first reaction to this is culture conflict, a case in which everyone tries to live his or her life in accordance to the dictates of the different cultures. However, with time and the birth of subsequent generations, the cultures begin to pacify as different people drop some of their less admirable aspects of life and assume those considered admirable from other cultures (Bronfenbrenner, 2005). Culture is never static and whenever different cultures interact, a conflict results one that either culture wins. The winning culture therefore gains dominance among all the people of the region experiencing the cultural conflict. Culture is entirely a mental state; the beliefs of a culture are imprinted on the brains of people, which thereafter control how people conduct themselves. Any agent that is therefore capable to change people’s mindset possibly changes their actions thereby their cultures. One such factor is intense interaction. A factor that validates the claims that urbanization, modernization and the development in the communication sector have collectively resulted in the creation of a global village thereby possibly killing very many other smaller cultures while fostering the growth and development of one universal culture (Foster, 1985). The mass media is a key agent to the spread of cultures. While one culture gains international acceptance, other less admirable cultures die thereby resulting in a monopolistic culture market, one in which everyone has no other choice but to live according to the reigning culture. The American society is one case scenario. It is common knowledge that indigenous Americans possibly became distinct as other people from different regions across the world settled in the region. The country to this far attracted residents from different regions across the world resulting in an assortment of people with no distinct culture (Berns, 2013). The American people therefore have no specific culture owing to the fact that her resident never possessed one universal culture that can possibly distinct them from the rest of the world. However, the country has the greatest economy and the best media in the world. With the two, the country therefore surrenders its culture to fashion designers and pop stars that dictate the nature of life and hold a significant influence in their fans. Additionally, because of the two the quasi-American culture gains international recognition. Any cultural product from the region gains international popularity within hours owing to the fact that they have quite an influence on the world besides their effective means of communicating their cultures. The country through her innovative population has continuously manipulated the two to hold the culture of the entire world at ransom. This has systematically resulted in a universal monopolistic culture market, one in which everyone has limited choices to make as the society naturally leans towards the American culture. Such a scenario presents a number of negative influences on the society just as explained by the sociologists such as Karl Marx and Ardono among others. The video Merchants of cool portray the actual problem of having no distinct culture. The American society is divided in age sets with every age set presenting a possibly new generation and therefore ascribing to different cultural practices. The youth have the economic independence and therefore strive to live the American dream a process through which they end up trying and testing a number of life provisions as portrayed in the media. In the attempt to become “cool”, this generation is torn between the realities of their societies and the illusions presented in their equally powerful media. They therefore try everything that promises the lifestyle that they believe is cool. To contribute to this is the liberal social structure of the American society (Twenge, 2006). The busy lifestyles deny parents time with their children, parents therefore lack the time to watch, monitor and possibly guide their children through the challenges of youth and the age transitions. Cultures uphold the social values, among the most commonly upheld values by several cultures especially in the analogue generation when the world was still not a global village included the values of decency; decency is a multifaceted concept that applies to different aspects of the human lives including attire and behavior. Additionally, the concept also safeguarded people’s sexuality thereby striving to create a holistic society with minimal social ills. However, it is human nature to experiment and try out new things through this, the prohibited have often become more lucrative thereby provoking the human curiosity. The American society through the liberal social structure and the expansive media influence has often broken these norms creating a society in which sex is considered “cool” by its youth. The media in the country conveys a lot of sexuality and the promotion of alcoholism among other social vices. Karl Marx warns that culture is a communal property and therefore cannot possibly become an individual’s. Individuals who control all the activities in the market on the other hand own monopolistic markets. They manipulate different market forces with the aim of fostering their capitalist interests. Such market stakeholders do not often consider the influence of the actions to their market provided they make the financial benefit out of it. The American culture and the entire world’s culture by extrapolation has possibly become one owned and regulated by individuals. Culture is unlike other products, a capitalist monopolistic scenario therefore results in a number of social ills. Celebrities and advertisers most of who seek the assistance of the same celebrities in fostering their claims in regards to the sale of their products currently manipulate this great market. Celebrities and advertisers just as their names suggest are businesspeople selling their products to a possibly increasing market. Their aim is to use their influence and hold on their subjects to further their financial gains. Capitalists implement detrimental market policies in order to foster their self-centered interests (Bradley, 2003). Operations on culture as a product of mass consumption arise from the lack of one consistent and effective culture. This is and has often been the case in the American society. A fact that created a void which celebrities and advertisers who gained the appeal of their fans decided to fill. The manner in which they are doing this is contrary to the roles previously performed by effective cultures. Celebrities and marketers carry out market researches implying that culture to them has become a product to sell. They therefore carry out researches to determine which new culture product appeals to their market and therefore sells. Unfortunately, the results of most of their researches include the fact that sex sells especially among the younger generation. Most of their products are therefore sex oriented and the creating of the “cool” factor in most of their products. The younger generation idolizes their celebrities, each celebrity therefore have a specific market, which they possibly sell to marketers as though actual products (Fournier, 1998). They therefore endorse products such as alcohol, cigarettes and condoms among other diverse products. Taking advantage of their influence on their fans, such products therefore become overly appealing to their fans thereby promoting sales for the marketers of the products. Such a society has actually lost control of its youth and younger generation who have the financial power and the freedom to choose their actions without the guidance of their parent. As Karl Marx warns, in such a society, instead of the culture upholding the social norms and promoting responsive behavior, culture becomes a breaker of the social harmony by creating conflict between the different people ascribing to the different cultures implying the different groups idolizing different celebrities (Agosto & Abbas, 2011). All along through history, capitalists have never had the interest of their target market; they have often implemented policies that stifle competition and thereby fostering their individual interests. In the context of a culture, therefore the effects become more detrimental. The need for competition to gain a higher control over the market make the celebrities do grotesque things most of which are social ills, which in accordance to their researches sell. It is not often surprising for a celebrity to pose nude. In fact, the modern American society and the popular American culture nudity is a common trend (Espinoza, 2012). This exemplifies the levels social ill that the capitalist culturists have compelled the society to become. In retrospect, culture is the most important aspect of human life. In fact, it defines life for most people. It thus is derogative to take vulture as though a personal product. Culture requires competition so that the people reserve the right to choose between the different ways of life rife in the society. The American culture on the contrary have succeeded in handling culture as though a product and selling it to the entire universe compelling follower from all over the universe, a case that results in extensive financial benefit to a minority while a permanent social degradation among the rest of the population (Watkins, 2009). References Agosto, D. E., & Abbas, J. (2011). Teens, libraries, and social networking: What librarians need to know. Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimited. Berns, R. (2013). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Bradley, F. (2003). Effective transition from young man to manhood. London: Aspen. Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, CA ; London: SAGE. Espinoza, C. (2012). Millennial Integration: Challenges Millennials Face in the Workplace and What They Can Do About Them. Yellow Springs. OH: Antioch University and OhioLINK. Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. New York: New York Times. Foster, H. (1985). Postmodern culture. London: Pluto Press. Michael, B. (2011). World Music: Traditions and Transformations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Twenge, J. (2006). Generation Me. New York, NY: Free Press. Watkins, S. C. (2009). The young and the digital: What the migration to social-network sites, games, and anytime, anywhere media means for our future. Boston: Beacon Press. Read More