Popular Culture in Theory (1) 2024 PDF

Popular culture in theory (1) Contemporary Popular Culture in East Asia, Spring 2024 Today‘s topics Mass society theory The Frankfurt School Theory of commodity fetishism and false needs Semiology Structuralism K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Mass society theory (W. Kornhauser, C. Wright Mills…) Orig...

Popular culture in theory (1) Contemporary Popular Culture in East Asia, Spring 2024 Today‘s topics Mass society theory The Frankfurt School Theory of commodity fetishism and false needs Semiology Structuralism K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Mass society theory (W. Kornhauser, C. Wright Mills…) Originated in the 19th c. Disruptive consequences of industrialization and urbanization -destruction of village communities -decline of religion -absence of moral integration -’atomization’ of people mass society as ‘atomized’ society and mass culture as source of ineffective morality K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Photo: The Guardian Mass society theory (2) Masses seen as lacking taste (what is taste???) Division between the past and the present/future Folk vs. mass culture (Authentic and autonomous vs. mass production, false needs and desires) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Mass culture: Standardized Superficial An easy escapism Discourages thinking and intellectual challenge (entertainment vs. art) Democratic Destroying values DANGEROUS K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Discouragement of thinking? Photo: www.amazon.co.jp K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Americanization Embodiment of all the “flaws” of mass culture Distortion of traditional values “Shiny barbarism” (Hogart 1958) Introduction of new genres as a threat to social values America itself as object of consumption ( a symbol of pleasure) Positive view on Americanization (Huxley 1979) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė The Frankfurt School The Frankfurt Institute for Social Research established in 1923 Representatives: Theodor Adorno (1903-1969), Max Horkheimer (1895-1973), Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979) The focus of study: consumer capitalism, culture industry (its control over the minds and actions of people) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Cultural industry and human freedom Enlightenment: rational emancipation (science, rational progress) Popular culture: science brings to cultural industry, which does not liberate people, but rather impedes their consciousness in making decisions. K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė The theory of commodity fetishism (Th. Adorno) Money defines and dominates social relations in capitalist societies Exchange value (money) over use value (practical usefulness) Social relations and cultural appreciation are objectified and dominated by money. K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Exchange value and use value K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė False needs to secure the stability of capitalism Consumerism and popular culture as creators and satisfactors of false needs in order to conceal true needs The notion of freedom in culture industry: are the consumers of the popular culture free in their choices? K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Freedom of choice? Photos: www.fashionsnap.com; shop-list.com; tokyofashion.com K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė False needs Social status (social recognition and respect) Entertainment (social connectedness) Emotion (produced emotion) Competition (produced scarcity) Recognition and rewards (e.g. in games) Coolness (constantly changing fashions) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė False needs and false solutions? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkcKaNqfykg K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Culture industry and ideology Cultural products standardized and individualized at the same time Culture industry deals with false needs and false solutions The consumers of cultural products are passive, powerless and dependant (culture industry is imposed upon the masses, but masses welcome it only if they don’t realize it is imposed on them) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė What have you learned so far? K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Structuralism and semiology Semiology The science of signs: systems of signification, means by which human beings communicate by signals. Langue and parole: system/structure of language and practical language culture as a system Signifier and signified= a sign Denotation, connotation, a myth (a particular cultural image/phenomenon expressed by the process of signification. In other words: message of a certain discourse) The factor of cultural knowledge Critique: lack of social factor K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė F. de Saussure‘s relational theory of language Meaning is produced by establishing difference in relation to other objects Meaning can be made horizontally (syntagmatic axis) and vertically (paradigmatic axis) Substitution of elements The language does not simply reflect the reality. It shapes what constitutes for us the reality. K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė R. Barthes about cultural myths Myth is a set of ideas and practices that promotes the values and interests of dominant groups in society. It originates at the secondary signification level (connotation). Primary and secondary signification Primary signification Signifier Denotation Sign Secondary signification SIGNIFIER Connotation SIGN K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Signified SIGNIFIED Source: J. Storey. Cultural theory and popular culture. 7th Ed. p. 124 R. Barthes about cultural myths Myths and counter myths Double function: myth derives from cultural knowledge and lets us understand certain things, but also imposes it on us. As a researcher one should attempt to look for the background (historical, sociocultural) of the myths created by popular culture. K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Example of semiotic analysis: Valentine‘s Day in Japan (Y.Minowa,O.Khomenko, R.W. Belk 2011) Periodization of Valentine‘s Day in Japan (1958-1969; 19701979; 1980-1991; 1992-2002) Gender image development in Valentine‘s Day related advertisements (from masculine domination expression through submissive indirect gaze of women, to commodification of men and winning „strategies“ for women, women‘s empowerment and gifts for pets, lottery tickets as Valentine presents, and finally tomo-choko, gohoobi-choko, gyaku-choko). K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė What do these images tell us? 1 K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė 2 K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė 3 K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė What signifiers of modern femininity and masculinity can you find in these videos? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut1OzEVUiM4 Red Velvet „Birthday“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBDkYofMUs4&t=178s Stray Kids „LALALALA“ K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Structuralism Systems of culture based on the structure of oppositions The popularity of cultural products as dependant from certain structure of oppositions: repetition of a habitual scheme, universal themes, ideologies determined by the demands of mass culture, childishness of audience (or not?), historically specific contexts K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Source: quora.com K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Kishootenketsu storytelling structure in Asia Ki- introduction Shoodevelopment Ten- twist Ketsu- conclusion Photo: https://www.authorcarlara.com Daughters of Itoya, in the Honmachi of Osaka. The elder daughter is sixteen and the younger one is fourteen. Throughout history, generals killed the enemy with bows and arrows. The daughters of Itoya kill with their eyes. (San‘yoo Rai) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė The most popular pc/console game genres in Japan in 2023 K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Elements of RPG (Role-playing games) Antagonists Protagonist Objective Helpers K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė Let’s watch and analyze: Nail shop Paris (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-cNAUWknrU (Korean) http://kissasian.ch/Drama/Nail-Shop-Paris/Episode-1?id=1375 (English) K.Barancovaitė-Skindaravičienė