5 ms·

Is it possible that the internet killed mass culture? i think that music gets big when a large number of young guys identify with it; rock n roll was big in the

Is it possible that the internet killed mass culture? i think that music gets big when a large number of young guys identify with it; rock n roll was big in the twentieth century (be it r&b, rock, punk, metall or hip-hop), when everyone was listening to the same radio stations and you could easily push the same narrative down their throat; nowadays things seem to be much more fragmented (for whatever reason) and it is quite common to listen to a more varied combination of tunes.

betwixthewires 5y ago
I have been thinking on this heavily, and the social implications of it, I do believe the internet killed the common cultural thread Americans had, for better or worse.
- krapp 5y ago
  It may have killed the common pop cultural thread by virtue of fragmenting publishing and consumption, but Americans never had a common culture to begin with.
  - MichaelMoser123 5y ago
    > Americans never had a common culture to begin with So far the US has had a significant amount of soft power, and that is said to be based on a common culture, says wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_power#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_power#United_States
  - betwixthewires 5y ago
    The vast majority of Americans worked during the daytime business hours, drove home listening to a handful radio stations with a relatively limited number of songs, sat on the couch and turned on the TV where what was on depended on the time of day, drank one of 5 beers available at the store, then at some point they turned it off and took off their blue jeans and went to sleep, for several decades. Before that the difference was TV, before that a car, before that radio. People who say that America doesn't have a unifying culture have never experienced another culture first hand beyond maybe as a novelty, like going to the zoo. All cultures have subcultures. That doesn't negate a unifying culture. If you can't see it it is because it has been a constant for you your entire life, just like a fish that can't see water.

betwixthewires 5y ago

I have been thinking on this heavily, and the social implications of it, I do believe the internet killed the common cultural thread Americans had, for better or worse.

krapp 5y ago
It may have killed the common pop cultural thread by virtue of fragmenting publishing and consumption, but Americans never had a common culture to begin with.
- MichaelMoser123 5y ago
  > Americans never had a common culture to begin with So far the US has had a significant amount of soft power, and that is said to be based on a common culture, says wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_power#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_power#United_States
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  The vast majority of Americans worked during the daytime business hours, drove home listening to a handful radio stations with a relatively limited number of songs, sat on the couch and turned on the TV where what was on depended on the time of day, drank one of 5 beers available at the store, then at some point they turned it off and took off their blue jeans and went to sleep, for several decades. Before that the difference was TV, before that a car, before that radio. People who say that America doesn't have a unifying culture have never experienced another culture first hand beyond maybe as a novelty, like going to the zoo. All cultures have subcultures. That doesn't negate a unifying culture. If you can't see it it is because it has been a constant for you your entire life, just like a fish that can't see water.