大众传媒与大众文化

进入20世纪，随着城市化进程、现代化进程的推进，特别是全球市场经济的发展，文化的地位发生了根本性的变化。首先，文化赢得了自身的独立与自主，成为当代社会政治、经济之外的第三种重要力量；其次，文化改变了其固有的角色，它演变成为一种商品，并逐渐发展为经济领域的一支有生力量，形成了生机勃勃、潜力无限的文化产业。正是由于大众文化的极度扩张与科技文化的发展，人类才进入一个崭新的时代——知识经济时代。在这一新的历史时代，大众传媒与大众文化的地位举足轻重。

Mass Media and Popular Culture

After entering the 20th century, the position of culture has been changed fundamentally, with the promotion of urbanization and modernization, especially with the development of the global market economy. First, culture has won its own independence and become the third important force besides politics and economy in modern society; second, culture changed its traditional role and developed into a kind of commodities and gradually into an effective strength in economic field: a cultural industry with great potentialities. It is because of the extreme expansion of the popular culture as well as the development of science and culture that mankind has entered the new age of knowledge-based economy. In this historic times, mass media and popular culture will play an important role.