Capitalism and its values are nurtured within the mass media. Popular American films have carefully targeted particular markets to sell the idea of a successful capitalist system. Competition, progression (, technology) and economic rationalism are some of the components that become visible when critically analysing these films. These themes often go unnoticed when there is an emotional narrative to carry the plot, and they appear as a natural aspect of the narrative when they surface. In my analysis, I will be discussing capitalist values and the role of democracy in the media.

The film "You've Got Mail" uses themes such as technology and competition in conjunction with romance, naturalising some of capitalism's values into the character's lifestyle. The use of the Internet and competing businesses combine to create the story between the main characters. They have two relationships: their anonymous romantic Internet relationship and as rival business owners. As the outcome is reached, we understand that co

The film supports capitalist values, yet does not deal with the consequences that a capitalist system brings. There are aspects of the film that do portray the big business company as negative, winning over the public with money, yet this is forgotten by the end of the film, as the focus turns to the emotional relationship. The small business closes, as the bigger company takes over the market. "Capitalism has no loyalty to anything but its own process of capital accumulation, no loyalty to anything but itself." (Parenti, 1986:2) This is expressed in the film, as it is 'natural' that the larger company puts the small company out of business. This cannot be challenged, but is a part of capitalism. Parenti describes capitalism's purpose as seen in the film, (beneath the love story) as not to "build communities, for capitalists will build and destroy communities as investment opportunities dictate. Nor is capitalism dedicated to protecting the family or traditional life..." (1986:1) Although, as Parenti describes it, the community is divided and the traditional business is forced to close, it appears as a natural occurrence.

Parenti, M. (1986) Inventing Reality, New York: St Martins Press

The most obvious commercial product in the film is the computer. Within the computer, there is the brand of computer, the operating system used and the Internet provider. These are frequently screened throughout the film and symbolise a positive form of communication. The computer has no negative traits in this film. The package used in the film (Apple Laptop, Macintosh operating system and America On Line or AOL) is integral to symbolising the value system within the film. That is, tradition (of the love story) in harmony with technology. The phrase "You've Got Mail" symbolises anticipation and hope for both characters which supports the optimistic attitude of the film. It is this attitude that makes the film appealing to the audience, as there is an unwillingness to deal with the financial circumstances of the situation. For example, when one character loses her business, her future income is not an issue. This lack of real-life capitalist co

Some common words found in the essay are:
Popular American, You've Mail, EW Media, Line AOL, , Laptop Macintosh, mass media, Books Chomsky, Macmillan Chomsky, Pantheon Parenti, love story, Publications Chadwick, media owner, capitalist values, democracy media, makes film, parenti 1986, chomsky 1988, capitalist system, operating system,
Approximate Word count = 1445
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)