Entertainment Supremacy: A Dialectical Case Study of Media Communication’s Shift from Pluralism to Homogeneity

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_23How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Media Communication; Pluralism; Homogeneity; Entertainment Supremacy

Abstract

In the present day, cultural products present an remarkably rich landscape through social media promotion. However, the underlying logic of their success remains consistent within this ever-expanding cultural production. This paper examines the phenomenon of ‘homogeneous essence beneath diverse appearances’ in contemporary media communication through a dialectical lens. Drawing upon real-world case studies, it reveals how the logic of entertainment transforms formal diversity into repetitive content. Research indicates that while media platforms provide channels for multi-source cultural production, algorithmic logic and commercial pressures compel cultural products to adhere to a singular ‘success template,’ creating a paradox of ‘replication rather than creation.’ Drawing upon Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer’s theory of the ‘culture industry’ (Kulturindustrie) from Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944), alongside David Altman’s ‘media logic’ theory and ‘information cocoon’ mechanism, this paper argues that this ‘pseudo-pluralism’ phenomenon not only fails to advance cultural innovation but instead weaves tighter information cocoons through diverse forms. This paper contends that identifying the operational mechanisms of entertainment hegemony is a prerequisite for breaking free from the homogenisation trap and achieving genuine cultural pluralism.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zhouhua Wu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/04
TI  - Entertainment Supremacy: A Dialectical Case Study of Media Communication’s Shift from Pluralism to Homogeneity
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 3rd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 204
EP  - 211
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_23
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_23
ID  - Wu2026
ER  -