Mass Culture Theory (Analysis of Contemporary Chinese Mass Culture)

Author: Jin Minqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: This book introduces several relatively independent cultural types in the current cultural system of China, including dominant culture, elite culture, mass culture, and folk popular culture. Among these, mass culture, as an inevitable cultural phenomenon in the process of modernization, exerts a strong influence on the general public and is even becoming a popular culture in Chinese society. We must seriously study the historical development of mass culture, fully grasp its deep essence and artistic aesthetic characteristics, analyze the positive functions and negative impacts of contemporary Chinese mass culture, establish correct concepts about mass culture, guide the rational development of contemporary Chinese mass culture, build a mass culture with Chinese characteristics, and make it better serve modernization. Culture is a spiritual creative activity and its outcomes, involving both cultural subjects and receptors in the production and circulation of meaning. The cultural public refers to the collective of the majority of social members who have the subjective and objective conditions for basic cultural acceptance and participation under the conditions of commodity (market) economy and engage in cultural activities in different ways and to varying degrees on different levels and scales. Mass culture is a spiritual creative activity and its outcomes that reflect the daily life of the masses under industrial technology and commodity (market) economy conditions, are widely disseminated among the general public, adapt to the cultural tastes of the masses, and are accepted and participated in by the masses. Mass culture is a relatively independent cultural type, corresponding to and distinct from dominant culture, elite culture, folk popular culture, etc., in the modern cultural system. It has characteristics such as social массовность, everyday life, complexity and diversity, commercial profitability, strong penetration, entertainment and leisure, and ideological nature. The historical development of mass culture has formed its own special development laws. Mass culture has adopted a new cultural production method, formed a new cultural pattern, and foretold a new cultural development concept. In its development process, contemporary Chinese mass culture has played positive social functions in China's social development, the daily life, spiritual life, and political life of the general public. , it provides people with a broad space for entertainment and leisure. Second, it opens up effective channels for mass enlightenment education. Third, it has fostered new emerging industries in China's economic field. Fourth, it has pioneered new approaches for the state government to manage society. Fifth, it has generated important forces for the construction of democratic politics in China. Sixth, its independent development constitutes an effective barrier for maintaining China's cultural sovereignty.