Chapter 1: Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture Summary

With this article, Douglas Kellner writes to inform the reader about cultural studies and their place in society. His purpose is to inform the reader about media culture, to teach the reader how to study media culture, and to give the reader guidance on where to find media culture's impact on society. It is very clear that Kellner believes the media plays an extremely large role in our society today by teaching people to conform to the norms while also impacting peoples thoughts and behavior.  In the article, he defines the media as the radio, television, film, popular music, internet, and social networking products that provide materials out of which we forge our very identities including our sense of selfhood, our notion of what it means to be male or female, and our conception of class, ethnicity, race, nationality, and sexuality (Kellner 7). He further elaborates on his definition by explaining the impact media has on our society. Kellner talks about how the media images shape our view of the world and our society's deepest values; including what we consider good or bad, positive or negative, and good or evil. He believes the media are forms of pedagogy that teach us how to dress, look, consume, react to different social groups, how to be popular, and how to conform to the dominant system of norms, values, practices, and institutions (Kellner 7). Following his description of media culture, Kellner transitions into the components of studying media culture, offering a few things to focus on to properly and effectively engage in cultural studies. The first main topic is production and the political economy; Kellner emphasizes the importance of being aware of the global networks that produce and distribute culture in the interests of profit and corporate hegemony (Kellner 10). Secondly, Kellner requires textual analysis of the various forms of media (Kellner 12). It is required to analyze the various forms of discourses, ideological positions, and narrative strategies. He mentions that the textual analysis of cultural studies should combine formalist analysis with critique of how cultural meanings convey specific ideologies of race, gender, class, sexuality, nation, and other ideological dimensions. Kellner's third aspect of cultural studies requires attention to the reception of the audience and the use of media culture from the audience (Kellner 14). What he means by this is the study of how people respond to the media and how they use the media in their daily lives. Kellner advises cultural studies to follow those three main points; to be multi-perspective to get the perspectives of the political economy, textual analysis, and the audience reception. To conclude the article he mentions that cultural studies attack sexism, heterosexism, racism, and bias against specific social groups. After reading this article, it is clear that cultural studies can help us improve society and create a better life for ourselves.