8.8 Mass media and consumerism

Mass media and consumerism transformed society in the 20th century. The rise of print, radio, and TV enabled widespread dissemination of information and advertising, shaping public opinion and consumer behavior on an unprecedented scale.

Avant-garde artists responded critically to these cultural shifts. They incorporated elements of mass media and consumer culture into their work, often subverting or critiquing the commercialization of society and the commodification of art itself.

Rise of mass media

• The rise of mass media in the 20th century had a profound impact on society and culture, enabling the rapid dissemination of information, ideas, and entertainment to large audiences
• Avant-garde artists responded to the increasing influence of mass media by incorporating elements of popular culture into their work, often with a critical or subversive intent
• The proliferation of mass media channels and the commercialization of culture through advertising became key themes explored by avant-garde movements

Print media expansion

Top images from around the web for Print media expansion

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

Top images from around the web for Print media expansion

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 45; Dadaism; The meeting point of all contradictions View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

• Advancements in printing technology (lithography, offset printing) made newspapers, magazines, and books more widely available and affordable
• The growth of literacy rates and the emergence of a mass reading public fueled the demand for print media
• Avant-garde artists utilized print media to disseminate their ideas and manifestos, often creating their own publications (Dada journals, Surrealist magazines)
• The visual language of print media, such as typography and graphic design, was appropriated and subverted by avant-garde artists

Radio and television

• The invention of radio and later television revolutionized mass communication, enabling the instant transmission of audio and visual content to vast audiences
• Radio broadcasts (news, entertainment, propaganda) became a powerful tool for shaping public opinion and culture
• Television's ability to combine moving images, sound, and live broadcasting created a new form of mass media spectacle
• Avant-garde artists experimented with radio and television as artistic mediums, creating experimental broadcasts and video art that challenged conventional programming

Advertising and marketing

• The rise of mass media was accompanied by the growth of the advertising industry, which sought to promote and sell products to consumers
• Advertising techniques (slogans, jingles, celebrity endorsements) became increasingly sophisticated and pervasive in mass media channels
• Avant-garde artists often critiqued and subverted the language and imagery of advertising, exposing its manipulative and consumerist nature
• The use of mass media channels for self-promotion and the commodification of art itself became a topic of critical exploration by avant-garde artists

Consumerism in society

• Consumerism, or the preoccupation with acquiring and consuming goods and services, became a defining feature of modern capitalist societies in the 20th century
• Avant-garde artists responded to the rise of consumerism by questioning its values, exposing its social and environmental consequences, and proposing alternative models of production and consumption
• The critique of consumerism was a central theme in many avant-garde movements, from Dada's rejection of bourgeois materialism to Pop Art's ironic celebration of consumer culture

Mass production of goods

• Advances in manufacturing technologies (assembly lines, automation) enabled the mass production of consumer goods on an unprecedented scale
• Mass production made consumer products more affordable and widely available, fueling the growth of consumer culture
• Avant-garde artists often incorporated mass-produced objects and imagery into their work, either as ready-mades or as subject matter for critique and appropriation
• The standardization and uniformity of mass-produced goods became a symbol of the dehumanizing effects of industrial capitalism

Disposable income growth

• Rising wages and living standards in the post-war period led to an increase in disposable income for many consumers
• The availability of credit and the emergence of a middle class with purchasing power fueled the growth of consumerism
• Avant-garde artists responded to the consumerist ethos by questioning the pursuit of material wealth and the equating of happiness with consumption
• The environmental and social costs of disposable consumer culture became a topic of critical exploration in avant-garde art

Conspicuous consumption

• Conspicuous consumption, or the ostentatious display of wealth through the acquisition of luxury goods and services, became a marker of social status in consumer societies
• The pursuit of status through consumption was often seen as a hollow and alienating aspect of modern life by avant-garde artists
• The fetishization of commodities and the creation of artificial needs through advertising were critiqued by avant-garde movements
• Avant-garde artists often subverted the symbols and imagery of conspicuous consumption in their work, exposing its absurdity and emptiness

Planned obsolescence

• Planned obsolescence, or the deliberate design of products with limited durability or functionality to encourage repeat consumption, became a strategy employed by manufacturers to stimulate demand
• The wastefulness and environmental impact of planned obsolescence were criticized by avant-garde artists as symptoms of a throwaway consumer culture
• Avant-garde artists often incorporated discarded or obsolete consumer goods into their work as a commentary on the cycle of production, consumption, and waste
• The critique of planned obsolescence was part of a broader avant-garde questioning of the values and sustainability of consumer capitalism

Avant-garde critiques

• Avant-garde movements in the 20th century often positioned themselves as critical and oppositional forces to the dominant values and institutions of bourgeois society
• The critique of consumerism, mass media, and the commodification of culture was a central theme in many avant-garde artistic practices
• Avant-garde artists employed various strategies, from subversion and appropriation to direct political engagement, to challenge the status quo and propose alternative models of art and society

Rejection of bourgeois values

• Avant-garde movements often rejected the traditional values and tastes of the bourgeoisie, which were seen as conservative, conformist, and spiritually empty
• The pursuit of material wealth, social status, and respectability was critiqued as a superficial and alienating aspect of bourgeois culture
• Avant-garde artists sought to create new forms of art and ways of living that challenged bourgeois conventions and expectations
• The rejection of bourgeois values was often accompanied by a celebration of the marginal, the subversive, and the transgressive in avant-garde art

Anti-consumerist themes

• Avant-garde artists often incorporated anti-consumerist themes and imagery into their work, critiquing the commodification of art and the manipulation of desire by advertising
• The emptiness and alienation of consumer culture were exposed through the use of irony, parody, and absurdist humor in avant-garde art
• Avant-garde artists proposed alternative models of production and consumption based on values such as creativity, authenticity, and social engagement
• The critique of consumerism was often linked to a broader critique of capitalism and the unequal distribution of wealth and power in society

Subversion of advertising

• Avant-garde artists often appropriated and subverted the language and imagery of advertising to expose its manipulative and consumerist nature
• The techniques of advertising, such as slogans, logos, and celebrity endorsements, were parodied and deconstructed in avant-garde art
• Avant-garde artists created their own mock advertisements and billboards that challenged the messages and values of consumer culture
• The subversion of advertising was part of a broader avant-garde strategy of détournement, or the hijacking and repurposing of cultural signs and symbols

Détournement technique

• Détournement, a technique developed by the Situationist International, involved the appropriation and subversion of existing cultural materials (images, texts, films) to create new meanings and critiques
• Avant-garde artists used détournement to challenge the spectacle of consumer culture and the passive consumption of media
• The juxtaposition and recombination of found elements in détournement created a sense of estrangement and critical distance from the original context
• Détournement was seen as a way of reclaiming the power of cultural production from the hands of the media and advertising industries and creating new forms of revolutionary communication

Pop art movement

• Pop Art emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a reaction to the seriousness and elitism of Abstract Expressionism, embracing the imagery and techniques of popular culture and mass media
• Pop artists often incorporated consumer goods, celebrities, and advertising imagery into their work, blurring the boundaries between high art and low culture
• The Pop Art movement was characterized by a fascination with the surface, the superficial, and the simulacrum, reflecting the increasing influence of mass media and consumerism on everyday life
• Pop Art's relationship to consumer culture was often ambivalent, oscillating between celebration and critique, irony and sincerity

Embrace of popular imagery

• Pop artists drew their subject matter from the world of popular culture, including comic books, magazines, television, and advertising
• The use of popular imagery in Pop Art challenged the traditional hierarchy of artistic subjects and the distinction between high art and mass culture
• Pop artists often employed techniques of mechanical reproduction, such as screen printing and photolithography, to create works that mimicked the look and feel of mass media
• The embrace of popular imagery in Pop Art reflected a fascination with the power and pervasiveness of mass media in shaping contemporary culture

Warhol's consumer icons

• Andy Warhol, a leading figure of the Pop Art movement, created iconic works that celebrated and critiqued the consumer culture of post-war America
• Warhol's silkscreen prints of consumer products, such as Campbell's Soup Cans and Coca-Cola bottles, elevated everyday objects to the status of art while also exposing their status as commodities
• Warhol's portraits of celebrities, such as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, explored the cult of personality and the commodification of identity in mass media
• Warhol's use of repetition and seriality in his works reflected the mass production and standardization of consumer goods and the repetitive nature of advertising

Lichtenstein's comic strips

• Roy Lichtenstein, another key figure of the Pop Art movement, appropriated the visual language of comic books and cartoons in his paintings and prints
• Lichtenstein's works, such as "Whaam!" and "Drowning Girl," enlarged and isolated single panels from comic strips, highlighting their graphic qualities and emotional content
• Lichtenstein's use of Benday dots and flat colors mimicked the printing techniques of comic books and newspapers, blurring the line between fine art and commercial illustration
• Lichtenstein's appropriation of comic book imagery challenged traditional notions of originality and authorship in art while also commenting on the pervasiveness of popular culture in everyday life

Oldenburg's soft sculptures

• Claes Oldenburg, a Swedish-American artist associated with the Pop Art movement, created large-scale soft sculptures of everyday objects, such as hamburgers, ice cream cones, and toilets
• Oldenburg's soft sculptures subverted the traditional materials and forms of sculpture, using vinyl, cloth, and foam to create works that were both playful and unsettling
• The transformation of hard, utilitarian objects into soft, pliable forms in Oldenburg's sculptures challenged the viewer's perception of reality and the status of consumer goods as fetish objects
• Oldenburg's soft sculptures can be seen as a commentary on the malleability and disposability of consumer culture, as well as a celebration of the sensual and tactile qualities of everyday objects

Situationist International

• The Situationist International (SI) was a radical avant-garde movement that emerged in the late 1950s, combining elements of Marxism, anarchism, and avant-garde art to critique the spectacle of consumer society
• The SI developed a theory of the spectacle, which referred to the alienating and pacifying effects of mass media, advertising, and commodity fetishism on everyday life
• The SI sought to create new forms of revolutionary praxis that would subvert the spectacle and create situations of authentic, unmediated experience and social interaction
• The legacy of the SI can be seen in the influence of its ideas and tactics on later avant-garde movements, such as punk, culture jamming, and tactical media

Critique of spectacle

• The SI's critique of the spectacle was based on the idea that modern capitalist society had become a vast apparatus of mediation and representation, in which social relations and individual desires were shaped by the images and messages of mass media and advertising
• The spectacle was seen as a form of false consciousness that separated individuals from their authentic desires and experiences, creating a passive and alienated subjectivity
• The SI argued that the spectacle had colonized everyday life, turning it into a series of commodified and pre-packaged experiences that could be consumed but not truly lived
• The critique of the spectacle was linked to a broader critique of the alienation and reification of social relations under capitalism, in which human beings and their activities were reduced to abstract exchange values

Consumer society alienation

• The SI saw consumer society as a form of alienation, in which individuals were separated from their own creative and productive powers and reduced to passive consumers of commodities and spectacles
• The pursuit of happiness through consumption was seen as a false and manipulative promise, which only served to perpetuate the cycle of alienation and exploitation
• The SI argued that the proliferation of consumer goods and the creation of artificial needs through advertising had led to a society of abundance without meaning, in which individuals were trapped in a constant cycle of desire and disappointment
• The alienation of consumer society was seen as a barrier to the realization of authentic human potential and the creation of a truly free and self-determined society

Constructed situations

• The SI proposed the creation of "constructed situations" as a way of subverting the spectacle and creating moments of authentic, unmediated experience and social interaction
• Constructed situations were conceived as ephemeral, participatory events that would disrupt the normal flow of everyday life and create new forms of collective creativity and play
• Examples of constructed situations included derive (aimless drifting through the city), detournement (the subversion of existing cultural materials), and the creation of temporary autonomous zones
• The goal of constructed situations was to create a new kind of revolutionary praxis that would combine art, politics, and everyday life, and create the conditions for the emergence of a new, post-capitalist society

Psychogeography exploration

• Psychogeography was a concept developed by the SI to describe the study of the effects of the geographical environment on the emotions and behavior of individuals
• The SI argued that the modern city had been designed to facilitate the circulation of commodities and the control of populations, creating a fragmented and alienating urban landscape
• Psychogeography involved the exploration of the city through aimless drifting (derive), which would allow individuals to break free from the pre-determined paths and experiences of consumer society
• The goal of psychogeography was to create a new kind of subjective mapping of the city, based on the affective and imaginative dimensions of urban space, and to use this knowledge to create new forms of revolutionary praxis and urban intervention

Fluxus and Happenings

• Fluxus and Happenings were two related avant-garde movements that emerged in the 1960s, emphasizing the ephemeral, participatory, and interdisciplinary nature of art
• Both movements sought to break down the boundaries between art and life, and to create new forms of artistic experience that would challenge the conventions and institutions of the art world
• Fluxus and Happenings often involved the use of everyday objects, actions, and environments as materials for art, blurring the line between art and non-art
• The legacy of Fluxus and Happenings can be seen in the influence of their ideas and practices on later avant-garde movements, such as performance art, installation art, and relational aesthetics

Anti-art performances

• Fluxus and Happenings often involved the staging of anti-art performances, which sought to subvert the traditional categories and values of art
• These performances often involved the use of mundane, absurd, or transgressive actions and materials, such as the destruction of musical instruments, the use of bodily fluids, or the staging of mock rituals
• The goal of anti-art performances was to challenge the viewer's expectations and preconceptions about art, and to create a sense of shock, humor, or disorientation
• Examples of anti-art performances include Nam June Paik's "One for Violin Solo" (in which the artist smashed a violin on a table) and Yoko Ono's "Cut Piece" (in which the audience was invited to cut away pieces of the artist's clothing)

Maciunas' Fluxus boxes

• George Maciunas, a Lithuanian-American artist and the founder of Fluxus, created a series of Fluxus boxes, which contained small-scale works by various Fluxus artists
• The Fluxus boxes were conceived as a way of distributing and circulating Fluxus works outside of the traditional channels of the art world, and of creating a sense of collectivity and collaboration among the Fluxus artists
• The contents of the Fluxus boxes often included small-scale objects, texts, and instructions for performances, which could be activated by the viewer or the owner of the box
• The Fluxus boxes can be seen as a critique of the commodification and fetishization of art objects, and as an attempt to create a new kind of art that would be accessible, participatory, and open-ended

Kaprow's participatory events

• Allan Kaprow, an American artist and a key figure in the development of Happenings, created a series of participatory events that blurred the boundaries between art and life
• Kaprow's Happenings often involved the staging of everyday activities, such as brushing teeth, in a heightened or transformed context, inviting the audience to participate and become co-creators of the work
• The goal of Kaprow's participatory events was to create a sense of immediacy, spontaneity, and presence, and to challenge the traditional roles of the artist and the audience
• Examples of Kaprow's participatory events include "18 Happenings in 6 Parts" (1959), which involved a series of simultaneous and overlapping performances in different rooms, and "Yard" (1961), which involved the creation of a junkyard environment in a gallery space

Beuys' social sculpture

• Joseph Beuys, a German artist and a key figure in the Fluxus movement, developed the concept of "social sculpture," which involved the use of art as a means of social and political transformation
• Beuys argued that every human being was an artist, and that the creative process could be applied to all aspects of life, from education