Cultural studies adorno on facebook

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Cultural Studies: Adorno on Facebook
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Table of contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
2. The Theory in brief…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
3. Facebook in brief……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
4. The disadvantages relevant to the theory………………………………………………………………………….. 5
5. Microcosm and inner development…………………………………………………………………………………… 6
6. Exoteric and esoteric………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
7. Contribution to infinity……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
8. The requirement of social web…………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
9. Art and acceptance……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
10. Isolation and enclosure………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
11. The structure of generalization……………………………………………………………………………………… 14
12. Regulation of privacy…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
13. Denial of choice……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16
14. The advantages………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17
15. Virtual intimacy………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 18
16. Opportunity for self promotion……………………………………………………………………………………….. 18
17. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
18. Reference……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22

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Introduction
Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer in their essay “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as
Mass Deception” state that mass-produced objects of entertainment though arising scope for
high level art enhancement, also promotes distribution of easy entertainment or art (Peters
2003). This does not mean that the platform altogether feeds lower strata arts. The essay
believes that it doesn’t fulfill the parameters that can qualify it as an ensured source of
aesthetically inclined product churning podium, which the previous forms of culture
successfully responded to. This is true for all channels conveying mass entertainment including
television, music as well as recently developed platforms like Facebook.
The Theory in brief
Adorno and Horkheimer had been inspired by the theory of Historical materialism by Karl Marx,
which defined history in terms of its materialistic parameters. It states that the nature of the
society vastly depends upon the technological advancements and material productivity churned
out by its system. It is directly linked with the capitalistic mode of production which signifies
market-based channelization of commodities, capturing of the surplus production value by the
owning class in the name of accumulation of capital, the means of production governed by
privatized ownership, and other procedures developing during the Industrial Revolution in
Western Europe and then spreading to all parts of the globe (Foley & Duménil 2008). They were
also influenced by Hegel’s dialectical idealism. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s Absolute
idealism emphasized the sense of identical relationship between the thought of a subject and
the object of its thought. It attempts to establish consciousness of one’s ambience in order to

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properly discern the meaning of the world around it. Both of these theories did not visualize
events in isolation but perceived them as chains of linked situations that will beget relevant
future circumstances. The other notable influences were instrumental reasoning by Max Weber
and the reification of consciousness concept by Georg Lukacs.
In works like ‘Negative Dialectics’ and ‘Dialectic of Enlightenment’ Adorno and Horkheimer
created the notion that political implications exist in the formulation of mass culture and
entertainment. This theory denotes that the continual support of the masses is required in
interest of the market and every form of modern entertainment is in fact a node of the network
termed in unity as culture industry. The main objective of culture industry is to keep the public
engrossed in it for the industry’s own benefit and enhancement. The theory puts under the
scanner the products of entertainment manufactured by capitalistic societies and views them
with critical perceptions. The supply-driven characteristic ensures that the outcomes adhere to
the parameters of public requirements capable to feed their interest rather than judge them as
products of art independent of such a chain system. This does not indicate that the products
inherently lack quality in terms of aesthetic values, it only signifies generalized characterizations
absorbed by an audience submissive and homogenous enough to lack unique choices and
senses. The manufacturing institutions thereby exhibit self-centre through cultural domination
maintaining conformism to the norms of the monopoly endorsed by its capitalistic state.
Adorno and Horkheimer discern the fact that this system attempts to unify the society from the
top and therefore the sense of generalization developed within the core eschews holistic
perceptions while trying to establish the framework of integration through the process of
order. The governing authority of the nation state creates industries that churn out

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entertainment products capitalizing on the accommodative perceptions numbing the conscious
analytical reasoning capabilities of its audience.
Facebook in brief
Facebook is one of the most successful outcomes of the technological evolutions experienced in
the last couple of decades. The website provides the service of social networking and was
founded on 4th
February, 2004 in the Harvard University, USA by students Mark Zuckerberg and
fellow roommates Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCollom and Chris Hughes
(Carlson 2010).
Facebook has enhanced user interface initiating pronounced definition in an individualistic view
of self-presentation. The platform is an apt medium of communication, with easily conveyable
method of information broadcast. However, it is a source of promotion for peripheral activities
diminishing the senses of aesthetic reception. The parameters for judgment of the presentation
of a personal vision are too minimal while acceptance is easy. Such a platform is appropriate for
easy entertainment and this is a major issue conveyed through the essay which highlights a
major flaw in facebook’s vision.
The disadvantages relevant to the theory
Keeping aside the overall effect of the medium of facebook, one of the major negative issues
the platform arouses is the notion of false security. It manipulates people into feeling that they
are in tangibility with the web of society by receiving information like picture updates. This
falsely denotes the notion that establishing relations do not require deeper sensibilities. The

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second flaw is promotion of self engrossment methodologies. A person often wants to be in the
limelight and facebook provides ample opportunities for receiving admiration, thereby gaining
false sense of social acceptance. The effort required to attain such acceptability is now just a
matter of few clicks.
Microcosm and Inner Development
Adrono and Horkheimer in their work “Dialectic of Enlightenment” wrote that enlightenment
has been reverted back to mythology (Horkheimer & Adrono 2002), revealing a sense of
retrogression in its purpose. This in almost every angle of viewpoint is a valid sense of
perception because the mode of progression of the tradition of enlightenment has come to
such that the original objectives are now undermined. The motive of mankind gaining
sovereignty over nature has now been replaced by the creation of a pseudo nature that
dominates mankind in the name of authority. Man’s actual intention was possession of
knowledge from the nature and thereby initiate overall enhancement of its kind. The bona fide
attempts of enlightenment were characterized by demythologizing of the mysticism of nature
through knowledge and discernment, and apply rationalism as the primary method to
dominate the demystified natural world.
The initiation of virtual interface construction is only an illusion of the particular which in fact
has general unity with its macrocosmic environment, thereby having holocaustic effect on
individualism. The incessant opportunity of superficial display is production of a variable whose
options may enhance sensory possibilities. The sensory dimensions that operate for
macrocosmic response fail to promote depths of imagination and analysis. The judgment of

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personality through intuition inspires individualistic reflections, while virtual microcosmic
representations depend solely upon sensory attachments and clip the wings of personal
perceptions. The point of view thus conveyed is a concoction addressing superficiality while
enclosing and isolating the inner self. The core internal material thereby simply becomes an
accessory of a product begotten to fit into the generalized web of network that material culture
provokes. As insecurity of ignorance by the facebook hub stimulates communication of senses,
rationalization and reasoning takes backseat and imagination is annihilated.
Exoteric and Esoteric
The eschewing of the inner self for the endorsement of a more superficial level of interface
responding solely to senses is a form of exoteric supremacy. The development of this theory
does not constitute nascent perceptions. Too little of what is shown on television, or what is
conveyed to the aural senses have reflections of the enhancement of the inner self. The rest of
it is presented to the consumers shielded by the false notion that the daily life of an ordinary
citizen requires superficial entertainment as a respite from that routine. This not only denotes
and espouses the belief that the regular mode of survival is mundane for the ordinary man, it
also emphasizes on the delusional fact that without this trifle form of engrossment, the life will
only have nihilistic significance. The products churned out from these factories responding to
mass value therefore compels the ordinary man to get away from himself. The truth of life is
curtained away from vision as the glossy characterizations of escapism engulf the superficial
senses. As the society is further mesmerized by the fakeness that is injected to the core of these
products, its distance from the face of its own reality becomes more conspicuous. The alarming

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situation that Facebook arises constitutes of the fact that it is characterized not only by
peripheral perceptive engrossments but it also initiates necessities of indulgence at functional
level. The consumer is motivated to become involved at operational level, which modifies that
seed of creation which was sown at its most creative moments during childhood. Indulgence at
the level of functionalities can bring severe consequences to the habits of the nature since it
has the capability to drive its characteristics. Channeling activities to address superficial
requirements manipulates the mind to think in exoteric forms, guiding the senses away from
the progress of the esotericism that can enhance the inner self.
Contribution to infinity
The delimitations of existence manifested within peripheral presentations enclose survival
within a domain of almost tangible form. But the finite mind has possibilities which under
constructive consideration can together beget the possibility of an infinite creation. Reality in
its ultimate form is limitless in terms of space and time (Watts 1972). It gets its characteristics
of infinity due to its ability to distinctly manifest the boundaries of the finite. Without proper
definition of the finite, the characteristics of infinity will blur and humanity’s contribution to its
enhancement will diminish, thereby decreasing the value of its own existence.
The development of the mankind has always been characterized and reflected in the
enhancement of its intelligence. For apt development of the intellect concealed within the soul,
it needs to be nurtured at the level of regular existence. Only when the practice of art makes its
presence felt within the core level of intellectual existence can the kind truly experience
growth. To engender such a situation feasible for its nurturing, habits that enhance superficial

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mass entertainments need to be abolished. Such practices manipulate the intellect to adopt
lower modes of habits and when the evolution of such become extant, mankind’s thirst to
reach higher forms of intelligence is quelled by mere ‘status likes’.
The requirement of social web
One of the core requirements of a human being is the incessant necessity to be in tangibility
with the rest of the human kind symbolized by closed or loved ones. One of the main
attributions pertinent to the ascending of Facebook’s popularity can be its ability to successfully
quench this necessity. A person or user can easily know about the activities of his or her close
circuit through simply by usage of fingers, as long as they are active part of the userbase. The
characteristic of humankind that supports this is the basic eagerness to be in the news. People
love to be the topic of discussion within conversations they are not direct part of, especially of
those that are made by their close or loved ones. A current primary procedure to be in the
words of someone else is to be in that person’s eyes through the post within this web. As that
person catches this news, it becomes a probable scenario that this ‘friend’ will start talking
about it as well, and the purpose will be served through just a few clicking of keys.
The characterization of humanity that gets revealed through this chain of events is the feeling
of detachment from society and the conflict that arises from it. As a manner of respite, mankind
seeks shelter by accepting the domination of the needs of societal framework. The social realm
acts as the primary authority of the hierarchy and the secondary domination of personal urge
for contact arise as a response to the chief source of dictatorship. However, rejoinder to
growing thirst will result in the creation of more thirst, and the process thereby will get

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elevated to the category of addiction. The problem with an addict is that he or she loses the
willingness to discern the diverse nuances of the surrounding nature and prefers being captive
to a single particular occurrence. Ignorance is a trait that experiences enhancement with
practice, and social networking aptly feeds it. To be released from this self indulgent line of
activities, one must learn to suppress this desire for easy communication and understand the
requirement of deeper connection for actual personal growth. An archetypal reflection of such
a person has been provided by Adorno and Horkheimer through the character of Odysseus of
Homer who attains enlightenment by suppressing his desires and reverts home to achieve the
supreme position of the head of the hierarchical authority (Horkheimer & Adrono 2002).
Art and acceptance
It is in the human nature to make attempt at attaining the satisfaction of admiration and
acceptance from its fellow human beings. In earlier days, the primary motive for the
construction of a painting or a poem was to convey the essence of the subject to the relevant
community of specialists. Introduction into this specific group of intellectuals required being
judged by this unit and the members themselves inspected each other’s creations in hope for
further imaginative enhancements. No form of representation was promoted into the
reverenced segment of art without having passed the minute examinations of the detailed
scanners that these specialist minds characterized. To be called talented meant being accepted
by the vision of these artists whose minds were free from the faintest hints of enclosure and
the exploration for creative progression was boundless. With the creation of the virtual
network of social exchanges, the search for judgment is easily quelled with the reflection of the

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society at near hand. However, these reflections are devoid of the parameters that the
specialists painstakingly established through years of experience, knowledge and analysis. They
devoted their lives towards their single minded interests and had perpetual dedication and
affection towards their art. But the society is a general entity that lacks the vision and
perception of an enriched judgment. It is a unit where congruency is kept before carefree
criticism and time is valued more than thought. Pausing for a moment, thinking and judging are
actions today’s fellow citizens can ill afford to do execute, a simple ‘like’ is enough to maintain
the apparent harmony and that is more emphasized than critical analysis. It is an apt exemplar
of irony that the people who declare that they ‘like’ a certain entity do not have any merit of
forming an appreciation and when they don’t, the reasons are mostly nebulously obscured.
Their parameters for judgment are blurred by illiteracy over the subject because their
occupation seldom allows them to make an effort to attain enlightenment over diverse issues.
Even if they are able to discern the nuances of an art, the vigor and vitality of a specialist is
something they can neither replicate nor originate. Today’s self defined art-makers are more
interested in deriving opinions of their closed circuit rather than that of an educated specialized
community. In actuality they look forward for acceptance rather than criticism and in
consciousness have clear understanding that the reflections of the social web will enable the
outcome to be the desirable one. The stark truth that even a single criterion is missing from
their source of judgment, and even if it has signs of presence, obvious fact of it being unrefined
and uncouth, will naturally be eschewed by today’s admiration hungry ‘artists’.

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Isolation and Enclosure
The artists of the past were equipped enough to bring eras of changes into every streams of the
civilization and their concepts were robust enough to leave impressions over all the subsequent
periods. The diplomatic conventions developed during the age of Renaissance still bear
conspicuous marks over the politics of today. Edvard Munch’s late nineteenth and early
twentieth century creations ‘Der Schrei der Natur’ engender reflections even in today’s culture
of aesthetics. The works of these generations of artists in every specialized department left
distinct traces of their education and reverence for their predecessors. In 1848, Jean-Baptiste-
Camille Corot set up the first full-fledged open-air painting session at the exhibition of Salon
(Maloon 2008). The first sense of impressionism was born and the likes of Claude Monet took
the study forward to create a more enunciated significant movement in art. Whether today’s
self proclaimed artists are capable enough to bring such enhancements in their respective fields
is a question of significant doubt. Their objective for exploration is trifle, their vision delimited
by easy influence and their sense of progress governed by degree of social acceptance. As a
result, mere ‘likes’ are enough to quench their search for efficiency, while effectiveness is valid
as long as it manages to attract the attention of a fellow account holder. Such superficial
framework for development can hardly beget significant impressions and the cultural mark left
by this century will most possibly be too trivial to be noticed even by the next era.
Great open-air landscape painter Claude Monet built up close friendships with Edouard Manet
and Gustave Courbet (Maloon 2008). The former’s intense emphasis on color and the latter’s
structural density in paint were early characteristics inherited by the works of Monet and other

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Impressionists. The eagerness and vitality towards achieving refinement was the primary mode
of functionality guided by the objective of core growth in effectiveness while translating an idea
or hypothesis into tangible form of art. Photographer Berenice Abbott started as an assistant to
another renowned visual artist Man Ray and produced her first portraits in his studio before
attempting to set up her own house. Her concepts often developed from the theories of
Surrealism which she enhanced through her work. Today’s artists, in stark contrast, bound by
the immediacy of the network of virtual society, have very little ability or interest to discern the
method of work of their aesthetic forefathers and are more inclined to achieve quick results of
trifle appreciation rather than the gravitas of constructive exaltation. Their vision is enclosed by
application of effort for attainment of recognition from the social circuit attributed to
responses garnered from ‘users’ instead of passionate and enriched perceptions.
One of the pioneers of the Impressionist style, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painted together with
fellow artistic peers Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Frederic Bazille in the forests and woods of
Fontainebleau during the summers (Maloon 2008). Renowned photographer Henri Cartier-
Bresson was a close friend of another talented photographer and photojournalist David
Seymour and maintained professional association with him as well. These artists had
parameters for construction and vision for collaborative development. Their progressive vision
had firmly established traditional roots which they aimed to enhance through enrichment of
their skills as artists. The motivation for these actual artists was not admiration and trivial
recognition but creation of theories and apt execution of them to beget nascent mode of
thinking within established domains. The Facebook user is isolated by his own virtual interface,
which does not give him the benefit of physical intermingling with fellow artists, observe their

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work and learn from them. In fact, when the parameter for evaluation sinks to as low as the
quantity of number of ‘likes’, the senses assume fellow artists to be competitors and are further
deviated from interaction of common interests and mutual progressions. The perception of
mutual education takes a backseat as the cyber world eschews directness in conversations and
operations.
The result of this circumvallation and seclusion has direct implications on the works because
the chances of receiving reflections from enriched opinions are diminished. The quality of the
work will find it hard to be sustainable in the real physical world because of the lack of insight
of its maker. Though presumably that will not be a concern for these new age cyber artists,
since acceptance in the virtual world is all that their vision seeks, however little significance it
might have in overall terms.
The structure of generalization
Facebook like other forms of mass entertainment provokes illusionary belief that society is in
constant tangibility by usage of the entity. This addiction of usage and eagerness to be socially
available in virtual terms organizes the brain in a conformist viewpoint. Adorno and
Horkheimer’s perception of the flaws governing the structure of integration of users from the
above is in fine accordance in this case, creating similar situations and repercussions as
experienced in other cultural policies executed by the monopoly of capitalism. Every user has to
create a profile and has to depend upon likes and comments to convey their messages or
opinions. As users become more engaged with comments and messages, their sense of holism
faces threat of erosion as they as a whole become governed under one order motivating them

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to look with a particular perception. Every user is asked to comment and rely on the quality of
incoming responses to determine the level of a conversation. The person passing the comment
isn’t a specialized and passionately inclined fellow colleague or peer of a subject, it is simply
another user with another profile picture. Hegel’s theory of absolute idealism states that
certainty of knowledge will only prevail when the subject has executed authentic analysis of an
object and have acquired enough knowledge to form apt judgment. Through the virtual social
network, a painting is observed devoid of its physical nuances which reflect on the responses
that lack the depth of a direct encounter. The users form generalized terms like ‘brilliant’ and
‘beautiful’ and are denied of minute examinations that can reveal a clear coherent reflection of
their intelligence. Even when users interact with each other, the cogent direct behavior of the
conversing pair of entities is shielded from one another. The result again is a generalized parley
lacking the intimacy and tenderness of direct interactions.
Regulation of privacy
The centralized authority of Facebook holds little emphasis on the subject of privacy for a user
node. Thereby, a lot of data significant to the user’s identity and security appear on generalized
terms in the network as they get distributed quite easily. When a user connects with a
Facebook page of a service or product the details of the user enter a realm of easy accessibility
for that page. A lot of services nowadays have introduced an icon of Facebook to be clicked if a
visitor likes that service. This will mean that the Facebook page of that external domain has
been liked by the user. However, the personal information of the connected user will become
exposed and accessible within the database of the service. Recent updates introduced an

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option for the users in some networks, but a conspicuous number of services carry on the
procedure without proper permission from the user.
Another point of violation of privacy is exposition of a person’s pictures to the friends of a
friend and thereby to more users by the process of sharing the picture. The possibility of a
direct link to the user’s profile can be dodged but the exhibition of a personal moment to a
stranger beyond one’s own choice is a situation that can hardly be eschewed.
Denial of choice
In 2003 Facebook had started featuring more advertisements across the network of social web
under its authority. Forbes’ contributor Paul Tassi made comparisons of the amount of ads
featured in Facebook to that of those rolled out in other social media like Twitter, Google+ and
Pinterest (Graziano 2013). The outcome of this comparison revealed that Facebook had the
highest number of ad holders by a considerable margin. As a matter of fact, Twitter features
only one “promoted tweet” while Pinterest and Google+ are completely as ad free.
Facebook only recently announced the fact that the number of companies currently executing
advertising activities on its social website has exceeded one million (Graziano 2013). Tassi
compares the treatment Facebook gives to its userbase to products that can be sold and
purchased. He added that Facebook was fast losing its appeal as a hospitable social network
hub and inclining more and more on execution of ads as its primary objective for its existence.
The fact that it is taking the needs of its one million advertisers more seriously than that of its
one billion users is a pure reflection of the modus operandi of capitalism where consumers are

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directed following a methodology that solely satisfies the company’s requirements for
economic expansion.
The capital authority with its integrated design of dictatorship over selection makes pre-
decided strategy of what the user and consumer should see. The manipulated options are
limited and are operational only to be executed to attain further increment in capital of the
organization. The unified objective of the culture industry is to derive more money from its
consumers and they use all of their channels to achieve that purpose. Their recent contribution
of Facebook too is not eluded from that implementation of functionality. The makers know very
well that this is a platform which can be used as a viable and fecund option for engulfing even
more money from its consumers. Thus the users are exposed to entities like advertisements
that the authority feels have potential to cash in further enhancement of capital economy. The
promotional activities too require money for execution and these units themselves make
payments to the organization for the attainment of the scope. As a consequence, this trade
increases chances of more accretion in percentage of capital. The operation of the structure is
therefore purely aimed at economic enhancement of the firm itself and the strategy of
capturing the attention of the consumers is just a part of a much bigger framework.
The advantages
One of the medium of Facebook’s primary flaws can be visualized as its strength as well. The
generalized network has diminished scope for proper reflection of opinion, but the domain of
significance for an entity is the same as that of the next user. This is the approach that can be
termed as facebook’s positivity since an individual can showcase the happenings of his or her

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life rather easily to friends and families. Social intimacy in virtual domain does not directly
endorse deep meaningful understanding, but it certainly does help keeping in touch with one’s
loved ones. Another important aspect enhancing Facebook’s significance is the capability to
make professional and occupational advertisements through the network.
Virtual intimacy
Hegel’s emphasis of knowledge over subject is certainly not accomplished through the platform
of Facebook. The objective of discernment of nature and humanity to gain freedom from their
restrictions will be met by utter failure from procurement when the interface of a human
driven machine and artificial social web takes place. However, virtual intimacy presents through
it an opportunity of personal engagement, keeping aside the degree of artificiality it brings like
the term itself. The level of insight may vary in the conversational exchanges and the opinions
and thoughts delivered may not have more intensity than what mass entertainment presents.
But certainly, the platform does offer a scope for human interaction and possibilities of
informal encounters. The medium has ample nodes of diverse interests and engagement in
such might not be absolute waste of exuberance because there are enough opportunities of
education lying here and there provided one has the pedagogic inclination of picking them up.
Opportunity for self promotion
As Adorno and Horkheimer pointed out, the media of mass entertainment in any of its form
relies heavily on the interests of the masses and often lack the refinement and uniqueness that
constitutes true art. The products begotten by a mass medium mostly have single minded
objective of satisfying the demand of its consumer and increasing the economic robustness of

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its manufacturer. What separates Facebook from other such contemporary peers in its group, is
that a user does not have to depend on other parameters to convey his or her opinions or
works to others. This means any work irrespective of its aesthetic and practical significance gets
equal impetus on the network and same scope for exposition to the external domain. A user
simply has to construct his opinion or work and post it into his account. Every such account has
same scope for exhibition and equal chances of being viewed by his friends and followers. A
user thereby has a viable opportunity to showcase his works and feelings to the external world
and though the derived reflections may not always have desired refinements, chances of
capturing adequate attention are ample. Facebook does not promote a work to the position of
an art and opinions and conversations do not qualify for intellectualism either, but for a person
having a vision of moving forward in any domain of activity, Facebook is capable enough to
provide the initial stimulation. This is not because the network has been designed in that
fashion, this is because the interface has translated its exchanges in such manner. Each person
is curious to know about the happenings of the loved and close ones and that includes keeping
a tab on their activities as well. Facebook’s advantage is that it works on the ages old theory of
gossip and chit-chat over other people’s activities, and depends upon this very assured
procedure for its social enhancement. This public interest is often utilized for the promotion of
diverse activities of personal interest. While the result may not lead to an elevated platform in
terms of intellectuality and achievement, it definitely provides the kind support and thrust that
can psychologically prepare one for the constructive initiation of a journey towards an ultimate
real world goal.

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Conclusion
Adorno and Horkheimer’s claim that the humankind has been subjected as an inferior part of a
hierarchy under the authority of a self engrossed dictator begotten by the kind’s own
enlightenment is justified. By putting faith in the operation of autocracy as a primary mean for
assured prevalence of order, human beings have engendered a structure of monopoly. This
framework of hierarchy attempts to shift all things to a centralized point of generalization and
unification. The basic attribute of man’s evolution, thought, is used by this system as a tool
synchronized with technology forming a sequence which when viewed in total, diminishes its
value referring it simply as a part of a process that reifies this structure of domination. The
enlightenment acquired through the evolutionary process has in fact dissolved the ability that it
was supposed to strengthen and has served only as the masses’ trusted source for deception
(Horkheimer & Adrono 2002).
However, in a contradictory but plausible point of perception, the theory appears simplistic
because of the limitations in consideration of angles of reflection and thereby can be termed
incomplete (Habermas 1996). The notion of freedom and completion of critique becomes
incomprehensible and intangible because the established dialectical relationship fails to include
critique of the critique itself. The process of enlightenment should itself be put under scanner
for further enlightenment and this inclusion of internal criticism is what will make the process
truly absolute. But allowance of perpetuation of enlightenment to myth fails to introduce the
application of self rationalism into its operation, and therefore the foundation of criticism itself
slips into wobbly grounds and fails to include internal aggrandizing capabilities.

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Adorno and Horkheimer may have been too expeditious in their arrival of conclusion
(Habermas 1996) without admittance of the discourse that attempts to demystify the sense of
myth without the loss of illumination and potential that the myth preserves. The only way to
make the hypothesis pure is pragmatism at universal level and this had not been taken into
consideration during the formation of the theory. Therefore it works at the level of thesis and
conjecture lacking the dialectic approach it previously initiated. The capital authority’s executed
strategy of mass entertainment confers it with a sense of cerebral supremacy that the theory
evades from assigning to its consumers. The gradual development of the citizen will be ensured
in its attainment of consciousness of the natural world and this will introduce a dialectical
interface between the authority and its subjects. A podium like Facebook can prove to be the
heralding indication of the arrival of such a scenario with its trait of assigning freedom to the
expressiveness of the user’s consciousness within its domain.
What matters is not whether the material sells or not, it is about to what degree the entity
qualifies as an example of art (Roger 2002) and whether it successfully enhances the theory of
aesthetics is the core issue. In its emphasis on individualistic vision, facebook generalizes the
custom of art presentation and brings down the parameters that govern the true meaning of
art. However, such a podium can also be judged as completely user derived, giving equal and
often unconditional opportunity and trusts the viewer in modifying it according to specified
needs. Thus facebook’s plus points therefore are opportunity and independence. Whether it
qualifies as a piece of art or not depends upon the approach adopted by its millions of users.

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Watts, A. (1972), The Supreme Identity. New York: Vintage Books. p. 63

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