This is from those mass culture links which netwoman sent me:

MASS CULTURE: A set of cultural values and ideas that arise from common exposure of a population to the same cultural activities, communications media, music and art, etc. Mass culture becomes possible only with modern communications and electronic media. A mass culture is transmitted to individuals, rather than arising from people’s daily interactions, and therefore lacks the distinctive content of cultures rooted in community and region. Mass culture tends to reproduce the liberal value of individualism and to foster a view of the citizen as consumer

I like what they are saying about mass culture being transmitted to individuals. That’s kind of a cool concept. Although, I think to suggest that it does not arise out of our daily interactions is just preposterous. Everything we see, hear, experience or are exposed to comes from our daily interactions. I don’t like how this definition tries to neuter people of responsibility, reducing them to merely passive receivers as mass culture does them missionary style.

I also have no idea what they mean by “the liberal value of individualism”. I think that’s one of those things that an academic says because they think it sounds smart, but which actually doesn’t mean anything. I do agree with that thing about it promotes the importance of the citizen as a consumer. I might, however, modify that statement to say something like:

In the overarching story told by mass culture, one of the primary means by which people are officially authorized to ritually participate is by the consumerist act of purchasing.