When a person reflects on their life, there is clear recognition of how their surroundings have molded them. When we look back in the manner stated above, we are forced into seeing influences, regarding nurture, ripping apart evidence of influence provided through genes and nature. We dismantle our unique values provided through our nature by conforming to the lifestyle society influences us towards. This process happens when we are exposed to the culture industry and the expectations of society.

Critical thinking is vital in order to understand and notice the actions we are influenced towards. For example, it is critical that we analyze the why in all situations. That said, contrary to the view of nihilists, it is also important that we recognize the why and continue asking until every ounce of society truly has a purpose. We ask why to find purpose, not to prove there isn’t one. That said, without purpose, society would crumble. While Nihilism has a strong focus on the lack of purpose, it also focuses heavily on the culture industry and how it affects our daily lives.

A specific point of view that needs to be targeted when analyzing purpose in our daily lives is the point and product of the culture industry. As said by Brian Grant in The Culture Industry Thesis;

The culture industry concept is a thesis proposed by Adorno and Horkheimer of the Frankfurt school. It contends that cultural industries exist to enforce (and reinforce) the capitalist ethos… The key claims of the thesis are as follows:

• The more difficult something is to reproduce, the more is it fetishized and sustained.
• As culture is used by capitalism to control the individual consciousness, so too does it become "industrialized" and commodified.
• Where art was once also a commodity, in a capitalism it is to all extents a commodity, and is often successful through the evocation and manipulation of desires.

Here, Grant dives into the depth of the culture industry and how it affects our daily lives. If as humans we are able to identify the control over our lives implemented by the culture industry, we could become more aware of our purpose moving forward.

Even as this is being written, with every word typed out, I can recognize the culture industry and how it affects not only my thoughts but also the way I express said thoughts. The words I choose are words that I have been taught to be acceptable, appropriate, and even “intelligent”. Through the education our culture provides, I have learned how to express my thoughts and emotions. This portrayal is a direct product of my culture and the industries driving it. Throughout this piece I am going to recognize and explain certain sections of life that are heavily driven by the forces of the culture industry.

For instance, as slightly touched upon before, my ability to express my thoughts has been driven by the culture industry. Some may see the progress of women and expression simply as evolution and progress of human kind. Though it can be interpreted in that regard, when broken down it can be acknowledged that Women have been empowered over the years to move towards equality. This empowerment stems heavily from the support of cultural influences. For example, as women were fighting for the right to speak with men, certain businesses backed them, hoping to create a target market that relied on them as a supporting brand. Women want to feel empowered. Our industries have picked up on this, have sometimes exposed it, but certainly hit the ground running with it. The equality rewarded through industry and citizens jumping on the equality band wagon has allowed me to feel as though I have a voice. Without the extra cultural push, there is a good chance the move towards having a voice would have happened a lot slower, and maybe even not at all.

In addition to the influence over my thoughts and expression of thoughts, the culture industry also has a heavy influence over my everyday life style. A significant example is as follows; I am wearing a similar outfit to roughly 60% of the girls in this room. I am wearing a sweatshirt, leggings, and a baseball cap. What do I want to be wearing? I want to be wearing a triple XL t-shirt and gym shorts, but in regards to culture, that is not how I want to be perceived. The culture industry has influenced people to believe that if I came to class in what I want to be wearing, I would be up for judgement with assumptions potentially related to my well-being. The culture industry is the reason people interpret our looks to be in direct correlation to how we are doing, how much money we have and the kind of lifestyle we uphold. Another example: being in the business school I am required to take a two credit Professional Development class every other semester. Said class never fails to have an entire period devoted to proper attire for the business world. We have quite literally been assigned quizzes to judge what is appropriate for Business, Business Casual, Casual, and Business Professional (including diagrams, examples, and “what not to wear” suggestions) Not only are we influenced by the culture industry but we are also taught to abide by its rules in order to find success.

Humans live with the constant fear of being rejected by society and our whole lives we are taught to live by the norms in order to find peaceful acceptance. When the culture industry influences us to embrace difference, then, and then alone, is there a shift to a general acceptance for those faltering from the norm. Here is the kick, being different is now the norm.

The culture industry is a very important factor in the way that we live our lives. Our values are relative to our own life, experiences, and interpretations. With that being true, we find general similarities about morality due to the culture industry of the time. We interpret the rights and wrongs of the world relative to the life we live and the culture industry provides for an outline of how said lives should be. What we see as meaning tends to revolve around what the culture industry reflects as important. Goals are set by the culture industry and we are set out to believe that if we reach these goals our life will have meaning and all of hard work will be justified.

Works Cited

Grant, Brian . "The Culture Industry Thesis." The Culture Industry Thesis. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.