Soc. 118
Media, Culture & Society
Chapter 3
Monsters, Inc.:
A Critical Approach
to Popular Culture
Chapter 3: Overview
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The Foundations of a Critical Approach
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Advertising and Consumer Culture
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Exploitation of workers
Reinforcing stereotypes
When Popular Culture Attacks
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Trends in Media Ownership
 Video: AOL-Time Warner Merger
Reproducing Social Inequalities
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Video: Consuming Images
The Power of Cultural Industries
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What is Ideology?
Theoretical Roots
 Cultural Hegemony
Video: Merchants of Cool
Current Themes in Cultural Hegemony
What is Ideology?
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Belief system
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Explains and justifies
social arrangements
Often religious, moral,
or political
World view or values
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Basic ways of defining
the world
Distorts and
misrepresents
Examine underlying
messages
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Broader system of
meaning
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Whose interests are
served?
What values are
reflected?
Patterns of messages
Content is part of
something larger
Example:
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The American Dream
Theoretical Roots of Ideology
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Conflict Theory
(Marxism)
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Power relations
Social stratification 
social inequality
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Domination exploitation 
Ruling class imposes own
ideology
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Represents their interests
Pretends to be universal
Masses have “false
consciousness”
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Cultural Hegemony
(Gramsci)
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If they accept ruling ideas
Critics, protests, activists
“Cultural leadership”
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Power thru persuasion
Popular Culture as Social
Control
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“The ruling ideas are …
the ideas of the ruling
class”
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Works on level of common
sense
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Ideology must be reinforced
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Not critically evaluated
Contradicts real life
The Power of Propaganda
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Example: “War of the Worlds”
Advertising and Consumer Culture
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History of consumerism
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U.S. capitalists in 1900s
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Mass production
How to make business
profitable?
Creating buyers (and selling
products)
 Stimulating new needs and
habits
Aimed at immigrants
and urbanites
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Concept of the “good life”
Buying as “great equalizer”
Culture of consumerism
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Normalizes upper-middle
class values
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Advertising used to
shape consciousness
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Consumption =
citizenship
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A virtue and freedom
Ads tell us what to
dream
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Lifestyle thru purchases
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Wealth, status
Not all can afford
Video: Consuming
Images
The Power of Culture Industries:
Trends in Media Ownership
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Media is key segment of U.S.
economy
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Move from manufacturing to
service economy
Media also major export
Early limits on monopolies
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Protect the “public interest”
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deregulation
Increased # of outlets a
single company can own
Media companies part of
larger corporations
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Range of formats
Conglomeration
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Easing restrictions or
Parent companies with
subsidiaries
Vast portfolios
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1996 Telecommunications
Act
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Fewer companies own
media
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Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
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Concentration
May have diverse
businesses
Example:
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Video clip: AOL
Time/Warner Merger
(2000)
The Power of
Culture Industries
Video Clip:
AOL Time/Warner
Merger
Gerald Levine—CEO Time/Warner
CNN interview January 2, 2000
“Global media will be and is fast becoming
the predominant business of the 21st
century. So predominant, in fact, that the
media business is now more important than
government. It’s more important than
education institutions and non-profit
organizations. We’re going to need to have
these corporations redefined as instruments
of public service, and that may be a more
efficient way to deal with society’s problems
than bureaucratic governments.”
The Power of Culture Industries:
Top 7 Media Companies
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1. Sony Corporation
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2. Time Warner
3. Walt Disney Company
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MTV
5. CBS Corporation
6. General Electric
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Theme parks, sports teams
4. Viacom
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Hardware and software, content
Not just lightbulbs, appliances
7. News Corporation
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Rupert Murdoch
The Power of Culture Industries:
Top 10 Websites
1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. Facebook
4. YouTube
5. MySpace
6. Microsoft Windows Live
7. MSN
8. Wikipedia
9. ebay
10. Craigslist
When Popular Culture Attacks
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Primary motive of popular
culture and media:
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For-profit businesses
Economic domination
 Information, creativity, pleasure
are secondary
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Targeting youth
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New consumers
Cool hunters
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Research next trends for mass
consumption
Video: Merchants of Cool
Current Themes in Cultural Hegemony
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Last season's fashions are so last season
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Shopping completes us
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Cultural norms of sexual attractiveness
Diamonds are forever
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Keep up with the Joneses
Our self-worth is determined by our looks
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Accumulation of goods
We can all live like celebrities
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Planned obsolescence
Best advertising slogan
Brands matter
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Branding and status symbols