What is the culture industry?
Simply explained, culture industry is a term used by social thinkers Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer to describe how popular culture in the capitalist society functions like an industry in producing standardized products which produce standardized people.
A more advanced definition of culture industry draws on the seeming contradiction between human culture and mechanical industry. This is exactly Adorno and Horkheimer’s point in “Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception” (which is a chapter inside “Dialectic of Enlightenment”). They argue that culture industry is associated with late capitalism in which all forms of culture (from literature, through films and all the way to elevator music) become part of the capitalist system of production which also has deep cultural mechanisms and not just economical ones. According to Adorno and Horkheimer these cultural products are not only meant for profit (appealing to the lowest common denominator) but also produce consumers that are adapted to the needs of the capitalist system.
Multi-channel networks as a new trend in the cultural industry.
- The culture industry turns into public relations, the manufacturing of ‘goodwill’ per se, without regard for particular firms or saleable objects. Brought to bear is a general uncritical consensus, advertisements produced for the world, so that each product of the culture industry becomes its own advertisement.(Theodor W Adorno. (2005)
- MCN (Multi-Channel Network) is the equivalent of an intermediary between content producers and YouTube. MCN does not produce content, but merely aggregates a large number of weak content creators to set up a channel, helps them to solve the problems of promotion and realization, and then finally splits the share with the creators at a certain percentage.
- MCN as a product form, with strong support from production, interactive promotion, cooperation management, capital, and other aspects, it guarantees the continuous output of content, and can ultimately achieve stable commercial realization.
- MCN organisations are expanding with the media’s cultural industry and exploring diversified ways of realisation that suit their own operation models. Different MCN organisations will become a major trend in the future as they continue to consolidate their own strengths and explore diversified channels of realisation suitable for their own mode of operation.
- One new trend that has appeared out of the tide of pan-entertainment is the monetization of content. From a lack of copyright protection in the cultural industry to the realization of high-value self-produced content, as well as diverse methods of monetization from answering questions and sending gifts for content such as audio, live streaming, citizen media, and literature, the online cultural industry is opening new paths and has already entered into a period of high.(Ma Huateng. (2018)
- Since its entry into China, the MCN model has provided a platform for content innovation and a cultural industry chain by connecting with the media. And with the rapid development of the Internet, artificial intelligence and other modern technologies, the MCN model has seen explosive growth in China and has become the latest cultural industry. As the MCN model is diversified, civilian and universal, it has also received the welcome and support of many netizens.
*Reference:
Ma Huateng. (2018). China at Your Fingertips: Mobile Internet and Social Shifts in a Developing Power. 1: Wai wen chu ban she. p.section 28.
Theodor W Adorno. (2005). The Culture Industry(Selected Essays on Mass Culture). Taylor & Francis. p.100.
In the early days, MCN referred to an intermediary between bloggers and online platforms. But now MCN has an important role to play in China’s media and culture industry. MCN links many bloggers and self-media platforms, enabling content creators to output content on the platforms. As far as I know, the biggest MCN in China now is ‘Wu You Media’, which has artists all over China’s media platforms, such as Tiktok(Chinese version) and so on.
I think you can cite some relevant and famous MCN, British or Chinese. It is convenient to bring in some cases when elaborating, which is helpful for us to understand better.