Sabrina Palz 
Why must the Culture Industry be critiqued as Industry? 

Essay from the year 2005 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 1, 7, University of London, language: English, abstract: Looking at the Western World today, one has to say that we are living in a capitalist, consumption striving, mass-medially educated society. This structure can be summarized, besides others, by the term “Culture Industry”, an expression first used by Theodor W. Adorno. The German social theorist criticised the developments he experienced by the midst of the 20thcentury; not only was he claiming that the society in general was a product of the capitalist ideology, but in particular it was the mass media on which he focused his critique as the media was conveying the destructive ideology of the culture industry.
This essay will provide a critical analysis of the critique of the Frankfurt School, of which Adorno was a member, and a discussion whether it is justified tocriticize the culture industry as an industry, and why.
First, it will be necessary to give a definition of the culture industry and to compare this to the traits of what defines an industry in general. In the following chapter on culture Adorno’s pessimistic view will be explained. For him, the idea of enlightenment, which means the overcome of ancient beliefs, myths and lack of knowledge, was formerly brought forward through art and culture. In the wake of the Nazi regime Adorno felt that this mission has failed, and thus there was no hope for the human race to ever see the truth. Today anthropologists in particular claim that the mass media gives a false impression of the world.
While Adorno embedded his critique of the mass media in a general social theory, this essay will be restricted to the former; nonetheless there will be three distinctive levels on which the issue will be reflected: the economic aspect, the social side and the political perspective, which cannot be separated from the mass media system. This essay will also point to the limitations of Adorno’s critique, thereby defending the culture industry. The final chapter is supposed to give an answer to the key question.