COMM 2301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Consumerism, Raymond Williams, Homo Economicus

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Communication Studies
• Course: COMM 2301
• Professor: Kirsten Kozolanka

Document Summary

: enjoy culture activity products are produced: e. g. Industrialization and mechanization: increased production; new work/home division" new middle class, 2. Urbanization and migration: rapid expansion: business, jobs, factories, government, schools, housing, 3. Electrification: re-orders urban life, evening activities, changes comm, shifts time & space, 4. Massification: not rational individuals, but crowd mentality: emotional, immediate, all of this fostered need two new sectors: transportation & communication. Income & material goods become symbols of worth & status in society: familiar products give sense of identity, familiarity & continuity, sharing producers becomes sharing in a common culture. It covered social values & image through mass culture: Led to promotional culture: promotes the products; oneself (also a commodity); & consumerism. Popular education" doesn"t lead to commercial culture: it was industrialization that led to commercial culture. Bad" popular culture is a state of mind: bad" culture does not drive out good" culture, instead, good culture is expanding too.