Manufacturing desire

About This Book

Manufacturing Desire is a study of how the mass media broadcast or spread various popular arts; further, how the media and popular arts play a major role in shaping our everyday lives. The television shows we watch, the movies we see, the radio programs we listen to, and all the comic strips we read influence social behavior. They give us ideas about what is good and evil, about how to solve problems, and about how we should relate to others. If we understand this, says Berger, then the way we think about our media-influenced culture will be far different than if we see popular culture as mindless entertainment. Berger provides an analysis of the way popular culture and the mass media simultaneously reflect and affect various aspects of American culture and society. The book begins with a consideration of theoretical matters related to the study of popular culture and the mass media, and focuses on the important contributions of Gilbert Seldes on the subject. Throughout Berger makes use of a number of different perspectives to show how various disciplines, modes of analysis, philosophical positions, and belief systems help people interpret a given text. He concludes with an analysis of the impact mass media have across America, cross-culturally, and internationally. Manufacturing Desire will provide the general reader as well as specialists in communication and information, sociology, and psychology with a better understanding of the effects of mass media and popular culture on contemporary society.