Research On Talent Show: Carnival Of Mass Culture

Since2004“Super Girl” in Hunan Satellite TV turned out, various talent shows graduallyappeared in a number of TV channels. But as the “entertainment limit” to the over-entertainmentof the provincial TV programs was promulgated by the SARFT in July2011, the TV talent showsalso went to the downturn. It didn’t bring the public a new round of entertainment talent feast untilJuly2012.Taking “The Voice of China” for example and in accordance with its process of broadcast, thethesis has an analysis on it from the perspective of mentors, students, seats and other aspects. Onthe theoretical basis of features of mass culture such as modernity, commerciality, civilianpopularity, intermedium and entertainment, and combined with social psychology theories ofmotivation and theories of Crowd Psychology, the author will analyses and summarize thepeculiarity of mass culture and causes of talent show under the background of mass culture, andput forward suggestions and comments to the problems in the current talent show in our country.This thesis is divided into three parts according to the main processes of “The Voice ofChina” TV program. The first part is mainly embodied in the description and analysis of thepreparation works of this TV show. With the possibility of global spread, the increasingly growthof public culture and the constant change of people’s concept of cultural consumption, publicdemand becomes the main direction of economic development and the contemporary TV showsare gradually to be made in popular ways. Mass culture, generated under industrial society, isdoomed to be along with the production, consumption and circulation of cultural products since itsadvent in Chinese society. As the cultural product of this era,“The Voice of China” is performedunder the background of “cultural economy”, producing pleasures and meanings and consumingtime and attention of viewers and audiences. The content of the second part is in detail explainedfrom the swivel chairs, mentors and “authentic good voice”. On the one hand,“The Voice ofChina” meets the psychosocial needs of the viewers, letting them get psychological thrills and“fans” feel sense of belonging, and satisfying the audience’s empathic psychology; on the otherhand, it breaks the previous situation of excessive entertainment of shows and restores theiroriginal and initial essences. The third part describes a nationwide carnival—“Year’s GrandCeremony of The Voice of China”. Carnival is a cosmopolitan and universal cultural phenomenonin human life. All participants in a carnival are active. The star mentors and students singing onthe same stage of “The Voice of China”, means the change of traditional elite culture towardspublic culture. On the one hand, the carnival show form of “The Voice of China” satisfies theyoung people’s unconscious willingness of not wanting to grow up and to bear responsibilities,which is some kind of relief of responsibility; on the other hand, this TV show can also be taken asa social safety valve, offering channels for the viewers to release and vent negative emotions whenwatching it.