The entertainment business

A specific quote from the reading, Cultural Industry caught my attention. On page 51, Horkheimer and Adorno state, “The cultural industry remains the entertainment business.. it’s control of consumers is mediated by entertainment”. The idea of the entertainment business is interesting. Everything in American culture is influenced by entertainment. Entertainment appeals too many people in society and it sells obviously. The entertainment industry makes up our culture because it runs so much in society. From music, to sports, television, film, the entertainment industry is a part of all that. This industry makes up such a large portion of American media that everyone is exposed to on a daily basis and it influences people on many levels. Consumers are controlled by the entertainment business because it advertises and sells new products while capturing attention of many. The business is centered on sex and money, two aspects which spark human interest in every way possible. Therefore, it makes sense that people are fascinated/ intrigued by this industry. America is a country where entertainment is everything. Without the entertainment business, American culture wouldn’t be what it is today. Think all about all the sports fans out there or those who love the arts, music and film. Any aspect of entertainment grabs every individual in some way. In particular, the movie business grabs the attention of people in certain ways. For example, it creates unrealistic expectations for some people since some people strive be like the highly desirable actors that our media portrays in magazines, on television and everywhere. The entertainment industry creates a fantasy world that always strikes the interest of the public because there is such a huge emphasis of being rich and famous in American society. When in reality only a small portion of people are actually living extravagant lifestyles and are highly recognized in the media. Our society focuses on so much on this business and it continues to grow while re-inventing itself in order to titillate the masses.