How did advertisement and and entertainment shape american culture in the 1920's

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Although the 1920’s would inevitably lead to an economic crash the would devastate the nation, its decade was both booming and rife with advancements. This era thrust an entirely new outlook amongst the citizens of the country, and brought to then a new and more fast-paced style of life. The 1920’s in itself birthed the nation with a brand new culture. Two factors, which most notably contributed to this new national culture, were advertising and entertainment. The 1920’s saw a shift in culture no other era had experienced thus far due to the growth and dominance of advertising. Technological inventions of this century, such as the radio, the billboard, and the magazine, brought ideas and information to people in new ways, impacting the entire social lifestyle of the time. Peoples live were suddenly filled with voices and signs telling them exactly what to buy and what they should. The happy-go-lucky and ‘nothing to lose’ persona encompassing the citizens of the time only fueled their decisions to go ahead and buy these offered products. Items were being offered that had never been on the market before such as refrigerators, telephone sets, cookers, the Model T by Henry Ford, and an endless amount of domestic hardware and commodities. An increase in jobs and a flourishing economic boom allowed people to feel comfortable in buying products at a much higher rate. However, many people did not actually posses the money they thought themselves to enjoy. Margin buying and installment buying became widely used practices and in effect concentrated the focus of American life around consumerism and materialism. The creation of the magazine, such as Time by Henry Luce, encourage people continue in their direction of booming buying, and the people listened. This new American dream caused citizens to want, want, want, even though they were spiraling toward an economic decline

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