Adorno/Benjamin

 One key difference between Benjamin's point regarding culture industries and Adorno and Horkheimer is Benjamin points out more of the positives that come from these culture industries. Throughout the essay Benjamin compares different art forms together like film and theater and paintings and photography. By doing this he was able to highlight the many benefits from these culture industries, regardless of their mass production and manipulating ways. An example of this can be seen when he is describing what a camera can do. He says, “Evidently a different nature opens itself to the camera than opens to the naked eye”(Benjamin 16). Here, Benjamin highlights how the advancements in technology and the camera work in films create this new reality that can not be seen by the normal eye. He is highlighting these more positive characteristics about the culture industry with the new camera styles and how film can lead us to travel into new places. The use of slow motion and other camera work is one of the many ways film production can allow this to happen. This differs from Adorno and Horkheimer’s piece because there's focuses strongly on the negatives of culture industries and mass media. Instead of describing the new places people can create with media they discuss how mass culture dominates society, controls our minds, and has created a monopoly over the culture industry. Although Benjamin touches upon this point in his piece regarding the process of reproduction and illusions being perceived as reality, he goes more into what these culture industries are and how if they are used correctly they can be positive. Benjamin highlights how in society there has been a wrong utilization of technology and how during the time period he was writing this technology and entertainment was politicized which can lead to negative sentiments. However, how he frames this comment sheds light on if this technology was used in the correct manner positive influences can occur. Furthermore, he mentions how film can create a fusion of visual and emotional enjoyment and how it allows the public to be in the position of the critic. This also goes against what Adorno and Horkheimer said because it shows how the audience is active in receiving information from the mass media rather than passively being controlled by these corporations. In the end, Benjamin was able to show how culture industries have positive and negative images attached to them and it is how people use these industries that shape the outcome.