Culture Industries and Creative Industries - Essay Example

Culture Industries and Creative Industries PART I Culture industry simply refers to the industry involved in the transmission of cultural trait, norms and values prevailing in a social establishment through different forms of media. Hence, the culture industry generally focuses on commercial and profitable activities to present the cultural values of society. Radio, TV, theatre, film, music, printing and dance are the essential parts of culture industry. “The culture industry concept, Grant states, is a thesis proposed by Adorno and Horkheimer of the Frankfurt school. It contends that cultural industries exist to enforce (and reinforce) the capitalist ethos.” (barneygrant.tripod.com) Culture industry not only presents the characteristics of the culture in a flamboyant and exuberant manner, but also captures and controls the minds and preferences of the individuals to reveal the positive and negative aspects of their cultural heritage. Hence, culture industry serves as the custodian of the traditions, conventions, customs, folkways and cult of society. On the contrary, creative industry simply means the industry interested in artistic activities on the foundation of the existing cultural norms, and thus is addition of creative activities in cultural industrialisation. “The term creative industry encompasses a broader range of activities which include the cultural industries plus all cultural or artistic production, whether live or produced as an individual unit.” (portal.unesco.org) In other words, creative industry particularly focuses upon producing something new, novel and innovative in the form of words, symbols, slogans, designs, edifice and buildings etc; advertising, poetry, sculpture, paintings, architecture and calligraphy etc are also the part of creative industry. The present study aims to examine and evaluate the impact of the conditions of the labour force in the growth and expansion of creative industry in this age of technological advancement and communication with special reference to the workers and managers offering their services in advertising departments. PART II Culture industry maintains direct relationship with the creative art, as it looks for the production and sales of various items and products of art. “Cultural industry refers to the various businesses that produce, distribute, market or sell products that belong categorically in creative arts. Such products could include clothing, decorative material for homes, books, movies, television programs, or music. Cultural industry is a very large category for certain types of businesses.” (wisegeek.com) Hence, it is culture industry that advertises the hidden talent through its generous platform and reveals the wonderful creativity before the world that has been concealed under the pile of negligence and lack of admiration as well. The world not only takes benefits out of such talented works and pieces, but also acknowledges the proficiency and dexterity of the creative individuals in one way or the other. Consequently, culture industry serves as the solid and concrete bridge between the creative stratum of society and the admirers and lovers of art and literature. The culture industry is thus rightly viewed to be the patroniser of philosophers, theorists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, architects, singers, musicians, sculptors, painters, actors, artisans and other people belonging to different fields of arts and literature. Creative industry, on the other hand, consists of the persons interested in creating and producing various forms of arts. For instance, writers, poets, printers and publishers serve the society through their valuable writings and works, and thus come under the fold of creative individuals. These individuals cause the preservation of various traits of culture forever through their unabated intellect and hard efforts for centuries and the future generations assess and estimate that culture in the light of the creativity of these talented people that are actually the big brains of society and transmit the jewels of knowledge and wisdom to society by dint of their dedicated work and gifted talent, through which they rule over the future generations for centuries. “The creative industries are those in which the product or service contains a substantial element of artistic or creative endeavour and include activities such as architecture and advertising.” (portal.unesco.org) The talent created by these individuals infuse spark in the body of society, and determines new ways of knowledge, wisdom, information, invention, entertainment and recreation in the culture. People try to imitate the ways adopted by them and work in the same pattern to utilise their work for the best of their interest and profit as well. Culture industry is aptly taken as synonymous to the creative industry because of some identical traits of both the two. Both these industries are highly supportive in respect of knowledge based economy, and both of them have concrete connection with the existing culture of a specific society. In addition, both culture and creative industries look for the enhancement cultural diversity and innovation within a social establishment as well as within global perspective at large. Somehow, both these terms are different from each other in nature and scope, and represent divergent features and attributes. “The term cultural industry refers to industries which combine the creation, production and commercialization of creative contents which are intangible and cultural in nature. The contents are typically protected by copyright and they can take the form of a good or a service. (portal.unesco.org) Similarly, creative industry has direct relation to creativity and invention at large. However, the main difference between culture industry and creative industry is this that the former looks for the arrangement and communication of different forms of culture on commercial basis for the entertainment of the masses on the one hand, and for the sake of profit on the other. On the other hand, the basic motive before the creative industry is the expressing of one’s talent and inner feelings without concentrating upon mere the commercial output of the pieces and items created and produced by the artists, along with the promotion of creative items and pieces. In addition, creative industry works in collaboration with the culture industry by adding the productivity and creativity in the culture industry. “Creative industry encompasses a broader range of activities which include the cultural industries plus all cultural or artistic production, whether live or produced as an individual unit. The creative industries are those in which the product or service contains a substantial element of artistic or creative endeavour and include activities such as architecture and advertising.” (portal.unesco.org) In simple words, culture industry promotes and projects the culture, while creative industry encourages the creativity. “Creative industries is to provide the general with the cultural, artistic or simply entertainment value associated with the products and services industries, they include book publishing, visual arts (painting and sculpture), performing arts (drama, opera, concerts, dance), sound recordings, film and television, and even fashion and toys.” (eng.hi138.com) Thus, even observing slight differences, both these industries could be viewed as interconnected. Looking into the history of civilisations at large, it appears to be crystal clear that governments and political authorities all over the globe patronise and supervise culture and creative industries for the growth and development of economies on the one hand, and for the identification of the unique cultural traits on the other. Since culture is always regarded as the identity mark of a society, political authorities reiterate upon the imposition of their own values in their country and even outside the boundary wall of their country. Thus, patronising of cultural values and distinct norms and tradition is extremely beneficial in respect of financial and strategic growth of the countries. For instance, the noble teachings of the holy prophets sent by Almighty God for the guidance and spiritual uplift of the mankind serve as guiding star for generations, and imitation of the same teachings by the celebrated philosophers, thinkers, intellectuals and writers including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Homer, Descartes, Nietzsche, Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon, Pope, Marx, Locke, Hobbes, Kant, Hegel and others not only represent their era and cultural traits, but also force the coming generations follow their footprints to preserve their cultural, social, religious and social values in an eloquent and dignified manner. Similarly, the wonderful poems and writing created by Austen, Bronte, Eliot, Keats and Ibsen etc also serve as the source of wonderful entertainment for the readers. In the same way, the portraits painted by Leonardo da Vinci, films produced by Andy Warhol and melodies produced by renowned musicians and singers and the roles performed by Marilyn Munroe, Elizabeth Taylor and others capture millions of hearts on the one hand, and generate billions of dollars as revenue for the economy on the other. It is therefore Keats has rightly declared ‘a thing of beauty as a joy forever’ in his famous Ode to the Grecian Urn. Thus, the unflinching dedication and exemplary talent shown by the artists and artisans alike pave the way towards the creation of creative industry. Similarly, composing and compiling of such pieces of art give birth to culture industry, joint venture of both the two creative, cultural and economic uplift of the entire society at large. “The important characteristics of creative industries is the scale of industrial production and a combination of cultural content, thus, in comparison with the definition of caves, to us definition is more narrow meaning, because of its multi-scale industrial production constraints.” (eng.hi138.com) PART III Culture economisation refers to the economic development of culture and creative industries through the uplift of the labour affiliated with either of both of these industries by providing them jobs and employment in an adequate mode so that both economy and individuals could obtain their share out of the sincere and hard efforts made by them for the growth of culture and economy. Since both culture and creative industries have rendered valuable services for the development of human societies at large, the nations also witness imperative economic support and financial aid from these two industries. A large number of freelancers is offering its services in culture sector through its technical skill in one or more fields of interest, which is certainly financially beneficial for the economic sector of the country. “The cultural sector is characterised by a high share of freelancers and very small companies. A new type of employer is emerging in the form of the “entrepreneurial individual” or “entrepreneurial cultural worker”, who no longer fits into previously typical patterns of full-time professions.” (ec.europa.eu) Hence, these workers offer their services either on project basis or work on hourly basis as freelancers, and may end their affiliations with some specific company as soon as the project is completed. Freelance writers, script-writers, playwrights, singers, architects and designers are working diligently for the success of different projects without entering into regular employment with the companies. Different creative industries are in vogue in modern times, which culturally mobilise the thoughts and actions of the social establishment. Among these industries, advertising industry also enjoys a respectable place, which has observed tremendous boost during modern era. Advertising industry is a rapidly growing industry and determines to a considerable extent the GDP or the gross domestic product of any country. “The advertising industry besides functioning as an intermediate between the manufacturers and the customers plays an important role in the economy of the country. This industry necessitates investment for funding different resources.” (Retrieved from economywatch.com) Advertising industry has revolutionised culture and creative industries by launching successful campaigns in favour of billions of commodities and goods of multiple use. Consequently, every company and renowned product feels itself directly dependent of advertising industry. Even the most distinguished and world popular brands including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Dell, Marlboro, Honda Car, Hitachi and countless others look at advertising agencies for capturing the attention of customers and consumers for the acceleration of their business ventures and commercial activities. Advertising agencies devise several methodologies by highlighting the advantages and distinct characteristics of the products and companies, and communicate these unique traits to the end users, and hence motivate them to buy these products or services or both. Advertising agencies draw out innovative ideas for different strata of society on the basis of their age, gender, ethnicity, race, appearance, complexion, tastes and priorities and then implement them in such a dynamic way that the product immediately captures the attention of millions of consumers. Consequently, the industry experiences tremendous demand of labour and work force in order to fulfil the growing needs of the industry. Actually it is the fast growing demand that has given birth to the idea of freelance workers in advertising industry, where the companies hire the services of experts in different fields; consequently, copy-writers, designers, logo developers, web developers and several other professionals have found their place in advertising profession by dint of their command over different departments and activities. The tremendous growth of advertising industry maintains several advantages and benefits in its fold. The industry has helped out to a great extent in solving the problem of unemployment from society. It has aptly been observed that the corporate firms and organisations always demand specific qualification, experience and references to let the professionals enter the job market. On not complying with any of these requirements, the educated and qualified young people remain struggling hard to get allocated at comparatively low positions against low wages. However, the situation witnesses drastic alteration in this era of technological advancement, where the professionals can explore their innate abilities in the vast filed of creative industry through its subsidiary department i.e. advertising. Advertising industry invites the skilled and dedicated professionals to work for them against very flexible work hours and on multiple projects not as employees, but also as consultants and project in-charges. Thus, instead of wandering here and there in search of job and employment, the confident and qualified youth affiliates itself with advertising agencies, where the graduates are not only encouraged and motivated to exercise their free will without any pressure from the administration and management, but also they are provided a relaxed environment to create something new, nice, innovative and awesome out of their creativity. It is particularly the case with the departments of computer sciences and information technology. “Digital culture demonstrates enormous employment dynamics, particularly in the areas of multimedia and software. These two sub-sectors are those with the greatest demand for content and creativity and therefore represent the best employment opportunities for creative workers. There are currently approximately 1.5 million companies in the EU active in the areas of multimedia and software, representing a total of 12.4 million workers.” (europa.eu) The software experts create such eye-catching images, designs, websites and formats related to marketing, telemarketing and advertising that the customers look startled to view the creativity of these workers affiliated with the rapidly accelerating advertising industry. The advertising agencies have introduced new horizons of accomplishments through their creative workers that have paved the way towards inclusion of further inventions in the area of technological advancements. It is therefore the multinational brands of Europe and America have found their way to penetrate into the markets of third world and outclass their local brands just on the concrete foundations of advertising. Though thousands of creative workers are earning reasonable amount in the field of advertising in response to their gifted abilities and talent to accomplish the arduous task of meeting with the needs of the creative industries, yet situation of perfect competition and lot of work has created the scenario of conflict too within the industry. It is reality beyond suspicion that advertising agencies have solved the problem of unemployment to a great extent, yet people look for the great names and famous professionals for the accomplishment of their tasks. As a result, the new comers and fresh graduates hardly find their place and job perspectives in the advertising industry. Furthermore, the professional jealousies and rivalries also create hurdles on the way to professional activities of the advertising personnel and workers and thus leave negative impact upon the industry in general. Another negative impact of the unabated growth in advertising industry includes the unenthusiastic and harmful advertising campaigns launched by the rival companies against their competitors that come under the definition of indecent and immoral. Moreover, inclusion of an overwhelming number of professionals in advertising industry, the problem of appointment and unemployment witnesses an imperative boost. To conclude, it becomes crystal clear that creative industry is rendering wonderful services for the economic uplift and social development of the countries. The creative people maintain lion’s share in this regard. The poems, stories, songs and theories written and presented by these industries have motivated the individuals for making inventions to turn life more comfortable, luxurious and wonderful on the foundations of the profound imagination depicted through the works of art. Similarly, constructions made by the architects are also the outcome of the superb paintings and sculptures designed and drawn by the proficient and dextrous artists. Thus, these industries not only offer the individuals with the peace of mind and tranquillity, but also add their lion’s share in the continuous and quick progress of human society in general. It is why people take active part in the promotion and growth of both these industries. Latest designs while preparing jewellery, building edifices, developing various fashion designs and making inventions even. Hence, the marvellous inventions like aircrafts, computers and mobile phones are also regarded as the outcome of the gorgeous imaginative creativity of culture and creative industries. The theorists are of the opinion that all human activities are directly or indirectly related to financial matters and economic pursuits, and hence are commercial in nature. The same is applied with economisation of culture, which looks for utilising creative activities for pecuniary gains and financial profits. REFERENCES: Wise Geek. What is Cultural Industry? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cultural-industry.htm http://barneygrant.tripod.com/cultureindustry.htm http://barneygrant.tripod.com/cultureindustry.htm http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/files/30297/11942616973cultural_stat_EN.pdf/cultural_stat_EN.pdf http://www.data-browser.net/01/DB01introduction.pdf http://www.encatc.org/cpraward/publications/Jaka%20Primovic%202005.pdf http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/l/i/472834_litrature-review-creative-cultural-industries-252.pdf Read More