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Theories of mass society are élitist and condescending. They portray and betray a world of base instincts in which the population are deluded on a massive scale and in which such delusion is expressed through the consumption of popular culture. From this point of view popular culture is bad culture simply because it is popular. How can such a theory possibly inform us about the nature of social change? Hasn't social theory progressed enough over the course of the last fifty years to render such an approach redundant? It has and it hasn't. The continuing appeal of mass society theory and in particular the brand of mass society theory associated with the Frankfurt School is a lucid illustration of how ...