American culture

[albry]

How have economic pressures and technological changes transformed the production and consumption of American culture?

[andy hughes]

The ways in which ecconomic pressures and technological changes affect any culture are as many and various as the culture in question, probably too vast a subject to be answered in a few simple sentences. The advent of economic pressures such as The Great Depression caused sesmic shifts in populations as people moved across the States looking for long-term jobs and secure homes for their families. The advent of the Interent has laid open the myriad availability of culture in all its forms to an audience unhindered by time or distance. Simply put, those two simple but far-reaching examples of economic pressure and technological change have seen American society evolve into something entirely different - forced to move and change as a reaction to those forces. If anyone else can add to this answer with their own thoughts, please do so.

[Pickle]

This looks familiar, I wrote this essay a couple of years ago. I'll see if I can dig it out. Ok mine was 'In what ways have economic pressures and technological changes transformed the production and consumption of American culture? Discuss with regard to at least two cultural forms or practices.'------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's my notes, if it helps at all. Define culture, economic pressures and technological changes. US has a dominant culture which is produced and consumed in form of TV, music, movies, sport. Go to book for quotes.------------ Music - transformed by records, radio and then MTV and mp3s. In 50s, jazz came from new black urbanites, records and radio brought the new music to a wider audience. Culture is consumed and produced differently. NB. use Napster as example of modern innovation in how music is distributed.-------------------- TV - always been commercial and subject to economic pressure in USA in contrast to BBC's 'educate and entertain' ethos. TV advertising helped create post war 50s boom which in turn created more consumption of 'culture'. Deregulation, cable and satellite changed TV, niche marketing. Consumption of TV changed with economic pressure of advertisers. More commericals, change in format of shows. Post-modern cynicism is frequent, TV knows it is trash so viewers enjoy it on another level (maybe just another ploy from advertisers?), Conclude with Schumpeter 'creative destruction'. Hmm, hope it means something to you. If you're doing D214 then it should.