Cogs In the Culture Machine: A Changing Producer-Audience Relationship in South Korean Popular Culture
As an analysis of the activities of fan clubs and SM’s interactions with them reveals, Adorno and Horkheimer’s negative portrayals of modern popular culture and the entertainment industry might be wholly unwarranted. In effect, weaknesses inherent in Adorno and Horkeimer’s scathing critiques of the culture industry and in the culture industry itself, as represented by SM, collectively call for a more optimistic view of popular cultural products and their effects on modern society.