Curating Culture: How Twentieth-Century Magazines Influenced America

Print magazines were the original niche medium, creating communities long before the internet allowed audiences to find specialized content and interact with like-minded readers. Consumer magazines provided information, inspiration, empathy, and advocacy for readers with specific goals and concerns, and their targeted advertising business model was an early precursor of contemporary algorithms and metrics behind social media marketing. This book is a curated collection of case studies that shed light on the cultural niches that American consumer magazines of the 20th century covered and created, illuminating how this particular media form created, cultivated, and served specific communities, laying the groundwork for contemporary media forms to continue that role today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2021
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Before the internet, print magazines were the original niche medium, fostering communities long before audiences could access specialized content and connect with like-minded readers. Consumer magazines offered a wealth of information, inspiration, empathy, and advocacy, catering to readers with specific goals and concerns. Magazines' targeted advertising business model served as an early precursor to the algorithms and metrics that drive social media marketing today.

These cultural niches, cultivated during the 20th century, had a profound impact on a diverse range of readers, spanning from farmers to feminists, and encompassing a wide spectrum of ideas and political ideologies. Consumer magazines, driven by their missions to serve specific readers and editors who championed their interests, exerted cultural influence far beyond their physical pages.

This book serves as a curated collection of case studies that explore the cultural niches covered and created by American consumer magazines during the 20th century. The chapters delve into the processes of cultivating these niches, their evolution over time, and their significant influence on broader cultural conversations. By providing a comprehensive view of 20th-century American magazines, this book sheds light on how these media forms originated, cultivated, and served specific communities, setting the stage for contemporary media to continue this vital role.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 230 x 154 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538138113