American Mass Culture as a Global Instrument of Influence

Abstract

The author emphasizes that the dissemination of information and communication technologies and, above all, the development of audiovisual entertainment allows the United States to dictate its vision of the development of the global information and cultural environment and deprives others states of such privileges. Ironically, it can be argued that the invention of mass culture has become one of the most ambitious and successful American projects in constructing a profitable homogeneous global environment. It should be considered that the hegemony of the United States in the creation and dissemination of cultural goods is the cause of unification of the global cultural space, in which the American mass culture is trying to actively interact with the national cultures of the world. The article analyzes the essence of US mass culture, its main characteristics and features of distribution. Special attention is paid to modern trends in the Americanization processes of the global environment, such as appropriation, standardization and McDonaldization of culture, their characteristic features and effects. In the context of rapid globalization processes and the development of the post-industrial era, the author assesses he status of US mass culture as a consolidating tool in the global information space. At the same time, in this study mass culture is considered as an integral factor in the “soft power” of the United States.