Popular culture in modern society playsimportant role. On the one hand, it promotes the integration of cultures, and on the other, it simplifies the understanding of their elements. This is a controversial and complex phenomenon, despite the characteristic simplicity that mass culture products possess.
Popular culture: the history of
Historians have not found a common point at whichtheir opinions on the exact time of occurrence of this phenomenon could converge. However, there are the most popular provisions that are able to explain the approximate period of occurrence of this type of culture.
- BUT.Radugin believes that the prerequisites of mass culture existed, if not at the dawn of mankind, then certainly at the time of the birth of Christianity, when the book “Bible for Beggars,” which was intended for a wide audience, was massively distributed.
- Other position implies laterthe emergence of mass culture, where its origins are connected with European literature of the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, detective, adventure and adventure novels became widespread due to their large replication.
- In the literal sense, according to A.Radugin, it originated in the USA in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He explains this by the emergence of a new form of life arrangement — massization, which found its reflection in almost all spheres: from political and economic to household.
Исходя из этого, можно предположить, что толчком to the emergence of mass culture was the capitalist view and mass production, which was to be implemented on the same scale. In this regard, such a phenomenon as stereotyping has become widespread. Identical and stereotyped - bright main characteristics of mass culture, which spread not only to household items, but also to views
Popular culture is closely related to the process.globalization, which is carried out mainly through the media. This is especially evident at the present stage. One of the clearest examples is yoga. Yogic practices originated in antiquity, and Western countries had nothing to do with it. However, with the development of communication, an international exchange of experience began to occur, and yoga was accepted by Western people, beginning to be introduced into their culture. This has negative characteristics, because a Westerner is not able to understand the full depth and meaning that Indians understand in doing yoga. Thus, a simplified understanding of a foreign culture occurs, and phenomena that require in-depth understanding are simplified, losing their value.
Mass culture: signs and main characteristic
Its content has the daily nature of the appointment. It is due to the daily events, needs and aspirations of the majority of people. Popular culture is opposed to the elite.
- It implies a superficial understanding that does not require specific knowledge and is therefore available to most.
- Stereotype - the main feature of the perception of the products of this culture.
- Its elements are based on emotional unconscious perception.
- It operates with secondary linguistic semiotic norms.
- It has an interesting orientation and is manifested, to a greater extent in an entertaining way.
Modern popular culture: the "pros" and "cons"
At the moment, it has a number of flaws and positive signs.
For example, this kind of culture allows you to work closely with a large group of members of society, which improves the quality of their communication.
The stereotypes generated by mass culture, if they are created on a true classification, help a person to perceive a large flow of information.
Among the shortcomings, the simplicity of culturalelements, profanation of foreign cultures and a tendency to remakes (alteration of once created and recognized elements of art in a new way). The latter inclines to the assumption that mass culture is not able to create something new, or is capable of, but in small quantities.
