Walter Benjamin and Mass Culture

A main concept within Benjamin’s writing, and what he ultimately asks, is ‘which art expresses and promotes a revolutionary working class consciousness and which obscures the fundamental nature of class and property relations in modern industrial society?’ (Ridless; Ideology and Art: 7). Benjamin’s view is that the development of film expresses revolutionary ideas of a mass society and how traditional art promotes the class system. Having what appeared to be Marxist views, Benjamin clearly thought that new technological art, such as film, would ultimately lead to a classless society.

Originally art was meant to be, what Benjamin defined as, a ‘ritual’ – which is true, art did used to be for religious or sacred purposes, however now, he states ‘instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on… politics’(media and cultural studies keyworks: 23).  The understanding I gain from this is that now, technology brings the public closer to politics, and this idea is supported by Duhram and Keller who write, ‘…mechanical reproduction applies to politics as well. The present crisis of the bourgeois democracies comprises a crises of the conditions which determine the public presentation of the rulers’(media and cultural studies keyworks: 38). Modern public awareness of the presentation of their leaders is all over the news, television, and even film; more than ever we are aware how we’re being treated.

Walter Benjamin’s work has influenced recent media studies in respect to the fact his ideas, however unnoticed at the time, held a lot truth. During self-reflection, I’ve become aware that there has been a merge of culture, on a mass scale, and this is due to technology. Duhamel and Kellner write; ‘Mass movements… constitute a form of human behaviour which particularly favours mechanical equipment’, and if this is true, our growing dependence on technology will ultimately lead to a mass culture – a connected world.