The emergence of the 20th century gave way to the development of high
mass consumption of media goods and services, which occurred due to the
proliferation of advertising and increased manufacturing of commercial
goods in the market. The advent of high mass consumption furthered with
the development of information technology, where computers and the Internet
paved the way for the "globalization" and easier and faster transmission of
information suitable for mass consumption.
Throughout history, American popular culture is determined mainly
through its entertainment industry. The need to advertise for surplus
goods by manufacturing companies allowed for the growth of the country's
entertainment industry, which in turn, dominated American culture and
society. Thus, Americans have inevitably been linked to entertainment
icons and personalities shown on mass mediaâ€"the phenomenon called as the
McDonaldization' of Americaâ€"that is, the reign of consumer culture.
The worldwide spread and influence of American popular culture all
over the world, however, led to the development of critiques that consider
American pop culture as decadent, what with the seemingly limitless and
liberal way in which pop culture goods, products, and services are produced
and consumed by the masses. This is reflected in Feigenbaum's (2003)
analysis on the effects of American pop culture on the globalization
process ongoing in our society today. In his study, he illustrated how the
advent of digital technology made it inevitable to produce pop culture
goods and services (artifacts). The ease in producing these artifacts
have, according to the author, has developed the perception that American
pop culture is morally degenerating' and/or illustration of "rotten
Moral degeneracy was the result of the prevalence of liberalism in
the expression of ideas in...