American Mass Media and Culture

Introduction

While several types of both mass and new media have had a far-reaching influence on
American culture, two types of media can be said to have had the greatest influence,
especially since 1970: television and the Internet. While the influences of the two are too
many and varied to be covered in this paper, the influences of two aspects of each will
suffice.

Television

Within television, two aspects of it stand out: news broadcasts and reality shows.
Television news broadcasts have had the rather contradicting effects of unifying Americans
on the one hand while at the same time dividing public opinion on many matters of national
importance (University of Minnesota, 2016). Despite having entered, in the 1990s and 2000s,
an era of micro-culture characterized by specialization and the pursuit of niche markets,
television remains America’s most significant unifying cultural presence. This is more so
during national crises where television news broadcasts have served to unify the country by
covering major events in real-time. For example, when terrorists attacked the World Trade
Center in 2001, TV news crews working round the clock kept viewers updated, both during
the attack and in its aftermath.
Even though television news broadcasts have served to galvanize the nation during
major crises, the coverage of certain events has had the effect of deeply dividing the nation
along with opinions on matters of national interest. One type of event whose coverage has
proven to be highly controversial and divisive is the many wars the U.S. has been involved
in. The most cited example is the two-decade-long Vietnam War that lasted from 1955 to
1975

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The other aspect of American television that has impacted American profoundly is the
phenomenon of the reality show. Originating from the 1948 television series Candid Camera,
in which participants were filmed unaware as they responded to elaborate practical jokes,
reality TV was aimed at capturing, on camera, real, unscripted life. Unfortunately, the genre
developed in a haphazard manner, particularly in the late 1990s and 2000s, a time during
which a multitude of copy-paste reality television shows cropped up. Reality TV has given
rise to the cultural phenomenon of overnight celebrities. Unfortunately, the stress associated
with appearing on these shows has proven detrimental to the lives of some contestants.

The Internet

Like television, the Internet, a form of new media, too has influenced American
culture profoundly. Among other things, websites, blogs, and social media have changed the
way Americans produce and consume culture, particularly film and music (DiMaggio, n.d.),
while a collection of Internet-enabled information and communication technologies (ICTs)
are changing paid work and organizations (Cascio & Montealegre, 2016). Before the advent
of the Internet, it was commonly the case that for an artist or an actor to produce a piece of
music or a film, they either had to hire a producer or a movie director.
While producing the music or film was hard enough, it was the easier part; the harder
part was how to distribute the music or film so it could reach consumers in clubs, movie
theaters, or their homes from where they could consume the work. Both processes were
costly and time-consuming, not to mention the number of gatekeepers an artist had to go
through for their work to reach the world. As a result, only financially-endowed artists could
hope to break into the industry; the rest had very slim chances of succeeding. Then came the
Internet, and it shook the industry. Now it is much easier for any talented person to succeed
in the entertainment industry. With a good Internet connection, a website, and a social media

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presence, an artist can produce and avail their work to the consumer at a significantly less
cost and in a much shorter time than was possible before. Meanwhile, consumers can access
the content with greater convenience and at a much lower cost; all they need is an Internet
connection and social media accounts.
Meanwhile, a collection of Internet-powered ICTs, including teleconferencing
technologies, are redefining where and how Americans work. Before the arrival of the
Internet and its associated technologies, employees had to congregate at their employer’s
premises or offices to work. Now, it is becoming increasingly common for American
workers, especially from the younger generations, to expect or even demand opportunities for
remote work, among other flexible work arrangements, as a part of employment perks
(Cascio & Montealegre, 2016) . Employers, not wanting to lose to their competitors the best
talent available, are also increasingly embracing the idea of remote work, provided an
employee can demonstrate that they can deliver results working away from the office. It is
worth noting that there are several issues surrounding the increasingly popular phenomenon
of remote work, including the question of whether workers can still be productive working
from home. Nevertheless, this is a trend that is likely to continue into the foreseeable future.

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References

Cascio, W., & Montealegre, R. (2016). How Technology Is Changing Work and
Organizations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational
Behavior, 3(1), 349-375.
DiMaggio, P. (n.d.). The Internet’s Influence on the Production and Consumption of Culture:
Creative Destruction and New Opportunities. Retrieved from Open Mind BBVA:
https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/the-internets-influence-on-the-
production-and-consumption-of-culture-creative-destruction-and-new-opportunities/
University of Minnesota. (2016). Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to
Mass Communication. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.