The culture industry was introduced by Frankfurt School Thinkers Horkheimer and Adorno. They believed that the culture industry, through standardization homogenizations, turned culture products into commodities, stripping them of originality and creativity, and replacing them with commercialization.
In the context of modern life, under the influence of the culture industry, the film, music, and art industries have gradually shifted towards catering to the market and fulfilling mass demand. As a result, content has become increasingly homogenized, lacking in creativity, with a focus on maximizing profits instead. The film industry is a good example, Disney’s Marvel series—every time a new superhero or a new series emerges, if observe closely, the content and themes are often repetitive. While watching, it can even predict how it will end, and there are people online analyzing the trends for the next installment. Despite this, every film continues to break records at the box office and gain widespread acclaim. By constantly repeating and repackaging similar elements, such as featuring multiple heroes together, these films attract large audiences and generate higher profits.
Take Spider-Man: No Way Home, for example. Many people criticized its plot, with numerous viewers going to see the film primarily because of the three generations of Spider-Men appearing together. However, most audiences felt the film overly relied on fan service, with many scenes designed to please the audience rather than advance the story. Even so, the film company continued with this approach because this kind of familiar content guarantees substantial profits. Even though the content may be similar, this predictable formula is often the most reliable way to ensure commercial success, to maintain market stability.
But from a market perspective, the existence and development of the culture industry are necessary and important, which can greatly expand the economies of scale and global market and promotes cultural globalization and cross-cultural exchange. Marvel series and K-pop culture is a good example. They have driven the growth of numerous industries, created a millions of jobs, sustained countless businesses, and contributed significant to the global entertainment economy.
Overall, under the influence of the culture industry, the trend in the film industry has gradually shifted from originality and innovation to prioritizing the fulfillment of mass demand in order to achieve profitability and ensure returns, avoiding losses. The focus has shifted to producing standardized content rather than creating new works.
Reference
Durham, and Meenakshi, G (2006) Media and culture studies: keyworks. America: Wiley-Blackwell.
Horkheimer, M. and Adorno, T., 2002. Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. (Original work published 1944)
Your analysis is very interesting and I think you’ve highlighted the effects of standardization. It’s true that the more time goes by, the more we see the same formulas coming back, especially in blockbusters like Marvel’s. They rely heavily on elements that are already familiar, which draws the audience in with a sense of comfort and nostalgia. They rely heavily on elements that are already familiar, which inevitably attracts audiences with a sense of comfort and nostalgia.
But at the same time, I find it fascinating that this standardization is helping to create a kind of common cultural “language” across the world. Thanks to these films, people from different cultures can exchange and share the same passion, which promotes a global cultural exchange. It also raises questions about the balance between creativity and profitability in cinema. Perhaps auteur films and more independent productions could fill this gap, offering works that think outside the box.
good job!!!
I couldn’t agree more with the example you gave. I’m a fan of Spider-Man. Three generations of Spider-Man appearing together certainly appeals to a lot of old fans, and I was moved by what I saw, but there’s no denying that the plot is really boring and uninspired. More and more movies and TV productions are just to gain profit instead of promoting the movie industry.