Electronic Media's Role in Shaping American Pop Culture

Introduction: Mass Media and American Culture

American popular culture has been cultivated and molded by mass media. The most recent iteration of mass media — electronic media — has a profound and significant influence on the daily lives, thoughts, perceptions, and desires of every person in the United States, whether or not people are aware of this influence. The potential for media to shape public consciousness has been the subject of much debate since the earliest forms of mass communication; newspapers, radio, and television have all contributed to both the individual and collective American psyche. This paper discusses the roles that music, radio, television, and motion pictures have played in the development of American popular culture. It also examines several trends propagated by electronic media and offers a personal perspective on the relationship between media representations and consumerism, the human body, and justice, law, and order.

Advertising, Consumerism, and Cultural Values

Bagdikian (2000, p. 185) notes that "advertising is the art of arresting the human intelligence just long enough to get money from it." While the observation is cynical, it seems accurate given Americans' perceived "need" for the latest gadgets and devices advertised daily to millions of people. These messages permeate popular culture through music, radio, television, and cinema. Americans are literally surrounded by slogans, signs, hints, and innuendo urging them to buy more and spend more — all in the promise that doing so will make them happier, better, and lead more enriching lives, with a simple purchase.

Advertising has created illusions by displaying suggestive, often nuanced, and perhaps subliminal messages of archetypal beauty, prestige, and wealth that lie beyond ordinary reach. Without the ability to think critically, to discern fact from fiction, and to recognize exaggerated hyperbole in the media, people are easily swayed by the vagaries of advertisements. The effects of repeated, unrelenting messages about idealized beauty, wealth, success, and intelligence are significant. Bhattacharya (2003) notes that even incremental exposure to mass media messages can increase feelings of depression and further lower self-esteem. Given the prominence of media advertising in driving consumerism, Zoubkov et al. (2004) observe that the average American is now exposed to nearly 3,500 advertising messages and images every day.

The influence of electronic media on consumerism and cultural values in America is as significant as it is effective. Children may be especially vulnerable to subjective messages not only to consume but to place value on over-consumption. As a capitalistic society, the dollar reigns supreme; while millions are spent on advertising, billions more are generated through repeated messages about how people should look, dress, and present themselves. Electronic media has created trends such as the perceived need to "stay connected" through the latest cell phone technology, encouraging constant use even during daily commutes. Americans are reminded that only a certain type of body is considered attractive, and that if one does not match the figures portrayed on television, solutions are commercially available — liposuction, implants, cosmetic procedures — positioning surgery as preferable to exercise and diet.