Nothing cultural, it is just bussiness

Culture can rarely sustain itself financially. When it does, it is more often commercial junk than culture. When cultural funding does not come from the state, it inevitably follows the same business logic as any other investment. As a result, the character of mass culture is shaped by those who finance it. And since culture plays a significant role in forming social attitudes, those who shape it possess a powerful lever of influence over society.

In recent years, we have witnessed a drastic shift in the nature of cultural content in the media—a shift driven by commercial principles. Shows and TV series are more abundant than ever. Sport, too, is increasingly transformed into spectacle, as is almost everything else.

Even on science and documentary channels, many meaningful programs have been replaced by content whose presence there is difficult to justify. Even where educational formats still exist, the entertainment factor increasingly outweighs substance—assuming there is any meaningful substance left at all.

Cinema is no longer art; it has become a film industry, churning out action movies in which form (effects, stunts, spectacle) matters more than content. This film industry is, in turn, part of the broader entertainment industry.

By definition, the entertainment industry includes theatre, cinema, fine arts, dance, opera, literature, television, and radio.

When did all of this—at least excluding television and radio—stop being called art and start being called an industry?

Within this industry, the depiction of violence has become increasingly prevalent. Films and TV series are saturated with all kinds of violence, which overloads the subconscious yet seems to act addictively on audiences—much like a roller coaster attracts children. If addiction is more profitable than quality content, if it guarantees steady viewers and predictable profits, then why not?

What remains unclear is how long-term exposure to such content affects a person’s inner balance and behavior—but it is unlikely to be particularly positive.

As for messaging, it comes as no surprise that it has become standard practice. Films and even song lyrics frequently feature product placement, overt or covert advertising of brands and commodities. Even when no explicit advertising is present, the overall tone and content of films and music convey specific messages—most strongly in productions aimed at younger audiences.

These messages shape attitudes toward key aspects of life, personal orientation, and aspirations. Whether they promote consumerism, passivity, uncritical thinking, superficiality, conformism, or behavioral stereotypes, one conclusion is unavoidable: the entertainment industry does not merely entertain—it programs. And it does so quite deliberately.

If one were to suggest that a coordinated strategy of mass simplification, intellectual degradation, and social control is underway, that conclusion would not be far from the truth. Even the observable trends in mass culture alone are enough to suggest that we are living in a period of decline.

By vulgarizing culture, society itself is vulgarized. Through the gradual replacement of high-quality educational programming with shallow shows and commercial filler, consciousness is deprived not only of information and intellectual nourishment, but is also subtly conditioned into adopting certain behavioral models. Individuals begin—often unconsciously—to internalize patterns of behavior, communication, and attitudes promoted by these programs.

Communication stereotypes migrate from the television screen into everyday human interaction. In the United States, this has gone so far that standardized patterns of conversation and emotional expression—borrowed from mass media—have become normalized. These templates reduce communication to a hollow ritual, destroy spontaneity, and degrade the individual into a trained infant who dissolves their individuality and emotional depth into mass stereotypes—losing themselves in the process.

And if this is the case with communication, what can we say about patterns of thinking?

Would you like to watch a film about the Renaissance?
Sorry—due to insufficient viewer interest, our channels do not currently offer such content.
However, you may choose from ten cooking shows currently airing.

Enjoy your viewing—and bon appétit.

Recently, my wife was channel-surfing and came across an old film from my teenage years: The NeverEnding Story (1984), based on the novel by Michael Ende. In the story, “the Nothing” consumes the fantastical world of human dreams and ideas. This Nothing is guided by dark forces who understand that once dreams, desires, and imagination are taken from people, they can be easily controlled.

That metaphor feels disturbingly relevant today.