The article substantiates the need for an economic evaluation of mass culture, which is understood as the culture of life, entertainment and information, which prevails in modern society. It includes such phenomena as media, sports, cinema, music, mass literature, visual arts, etc. Mass culture, a culture adapted to the tastes of the broad masses of people, is technically replicated in the form of a multitude of copies and is distributed using modern communication technologies. The article considers the historical aspects of the emergence of mass culture, its objective and irreversible nature, as well as the peculiarities of its manifestation in modern conditions. The origin and formation of mass culture is associated with the formation of an industrial society. Standardization in the sphere of material production required standardization in the spiritual and cultural spheres. There are positive moments of mass culture, namely, accessibility, democracy, tolerance. Messages of mass culture are clear, addressed to all people regardless of their origin, status, age, education. Mass culture relieves psycho-emotional stress that a person experiences while performing a monotonous, monotonous workplace at his workplace. The risks of uncontrolled promotion of mass culture are argued, namely the formation of average taste, the illusory nature of happiness, the formation of artificial needs, the inefficient use of resources, the threat of glut in the market for services. Indeed, mass culture products are serial and standardized, and therefore it is focused on primitivization, that is, a simplification of the idea of the world, of itself. Popular culture always has a commercial purpose. Her works do not act as a means of copyright self-expression, but directly addressed to the reader, listener, viewer and take into account his requests. It is summarized that modern mass culture carries economic opportunities and risks that need to be controlled. Mass culture serves as a kind of mediator between the generally accepted values of the elite culture, the avant-garde underground and traditional folk culture. Transforming esoteric revelations and marginal artistic experiments into a part of the “naive” consciousness, mass culture contributes to its enrichment and development.