Respond to the following student responses provided based on the following Prompts (Each Response should be 137 words)
Prompt 1: Adorno argues that the culture industry is destructive because it pacifies consumers and offers prepackaged, mass-produced false ideas. What does this mean? Think of real-life examples that are telling of this argument. Consider what branding is and what it means to/for consumers and corporations (or individuals who are the brand).
Student Response 1 (Catalina)
I believe Adorno refers to the culture industry as it relates to branding and marketing. With the advancement of technology today companies are able to market their products through social media such as Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads. I have found when I do a google search and go into Facebook the websites or products I was searching just happen to appear which can be correlated with the algorithm of the websites.
Student Response 2 (Minerva)
The culture industry advertises its products with the promise of an escape from reality but it really offers an escape from the last thought of resisting that reality. Some examples being social media like Instagram or Tiktok, where the audience can momentarily forget the toil and defeat of daily life, or the latest clothing fashions will land you the object of your desires and everlasting happiness. Yet none of the offerings of the culture industry fulfills its promise. The main lesson is that individuals are not to be treated as autonomous, freethinking persons. Rather, in the pursuit of efficient profit-making, individuals themselves are to be created to fit into a standardized model that mirrors the standardized products being sold to them.
