Admass

Admass is a term coined in 1955 by JB Priestley for a social system based on consumerism, driven by advertising and the mass media. In such a society, great emphasis is placed on the consumption of goods and services as giving meaning and purpose to life. According to Peter Leuner's entry in the Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought, admass, beneath its glittering surface, promotes conformism and "distorts human feelings, needs, and emotions."

For a more positive take on mass culture, see thinkers like Susan Sontag and Richard Poirier, who perceive it as having anti-elitist, democratic, and inclusive tendencies which are desirable.

Related topic
Alienation