"Myths for the Masses provides a critical, interdisciplinary, and historically informed statement about the rise of mass communication in Western societies and its impact on contemporary life. Written by one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, this book ponders the dominance of the mass-produced message in an age overrun by telecommunications and consumerism, and examines its detrimental effects." "Hanno Hardt argues that it is the active presence of media organizations, rather than the collective will of the people, that forms and re-forms the social, cultural, economic, and political landscapes of society. The book exposes mass communication to a close examination of many of its real or assumed functions in the modern world, and re-evaluates its traditional role as a bastion of democracy and a celebrant of mass society."--BOOK JACKET.