In my career, both public relations and social media would require effective and clear communication. I will need to write inspiring and persuasive content in order to draw people in, increase participation and increase engagement with the company and their values. In order to do so, I would apply both Althusser’s Theory of Interpellation, and Adorno and Horkheimer’s Culture Industries theories in order to create strong and respectful messages that will connect with a mass audience. 

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     Applying Louis Althusser’s theory of interpellation to society is a unique way for companies to look at their target audience in a different light. Each company has a certain demographic they address, but through this theory the company can find the source, or rather the ideologies, of where their customers and followers obtain their values and beliefs from. Once this knowledge is obtained, they can start to target these areas directly and more personally. Working in public relations, I would be able to apply the concept of this theory to easily write a campaign or organize a promotional event and “hail” people that share the same ideologies as the message I am trying to communicate. Additionally, because there are many Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs), I will make sure to be mindful of the texts and events I create in order to be inclusive of all organizations and customers. With such a specific theory that looks at the different ideologies customers and investors follow, I will be able to alter my writing and events to relate and personally connect with specific groups. This theory will allow me to make a stronger connection with colleagues, the public, and business partners because of the way it acknowledges everyone and their backgrounds. The understanding of ideologies allows for easily understood communication and more effective messages. 

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     Once Althusser’s theory of interpellation is understood, it is easy to see how Culture Industries fit into the functions of society. These overproduced messages by the industries can be dangerous due to the creation of stereotypes and incorrect or offensive messages. These messages are sold and repackaged to become the “norm.” An example of this theory in action is seen in blockbuster films repeatedly casting the same white actors to be the stars of their films.

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     An established company like L.L. Bean can easily fall into this culture industry cycle. Through the use of social media in a public relations position, I can create content and texts that change the conversation of the culture industries that align with the exploration based and environmentally friendly values of L.L. Bean. I would be able to create unique events that relate to company values, separating L.L. Bean from competitors in the industry. A unique approach would draw in more press and customers to the business. This approach can be accomplished through analyzing over sold messages from other companies within the culture industry. Additionally I would look at the ideologies of our target demographic, and any other demographic we would like to branch out to. With both of these factors, I could create events and texts that evoke conversations to shed a new light on the company and any of their campaigns. In addition, while looking at messages of our competitors, I can see where certain demographics are neglected, or even how certain messages have been interpreted and read wrong in the past. This will encourage me to take into consideration all the types of people that will read my messages and how my creations might be read. 

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     Overall, both of these theories work well together in order to discover how and why a company should target a specific group. In addition, if both theories are used together, they can strengthen the messages I choose to create because of their specific approaches to mass culture.