Assignment #1
History 2132
Professor Stewart
Carli Binder 250729242
Throughout history, groups of both the lower class and more prominently the elite, have used the media in order to create a cultural authority on Americans as a whole. These cultural constructs become what is known as popular culture and have a strong influence on American identity and all that it encompasses. The printing press was one of the first inventions that enhanced an American identity, allowing individuals to act together as a unit and relate with each other. Similarly, the invention of the movies, amusement parks and televisions all influenced America’s identity and became popular culture. The invention of the radio brought about a considerable
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As stated earlier, radio was divided into daytime and nighttime broadcasting. The nighttime shows were higher brow and catered to men who had returned home from work. The low brow material was saved for daytime broadcasting, aimed at women who were staying at home with their children. Both the music and the shows that were played during these times were carefully chosen in order to have control over the masses and create a collective consciousness (Lee-Guthrie 2014). The television originally broke this barrier as families would watch scheduled programming together. However, it was still scheduled, which ultimately took away the freedom of individuality that a Walkman could offer. With the Walkman, individuals could purchase the cassettes that they cared to listen to, regardless of whether they were a working man or a stay at home mother. Men and women could listen to the same songs and enjoy music equally without the powerful elite having control over them. This gives people the control to choose what is personally meaningful to them, as opposed to adjusting to what the radio wants them to care