So, an additional twist to Horkheimer and Adorno's work is the fact that they were writing at a time when there was a significant new input and variables to be added to media analysis. That variable was television and motion pictures. They had asked why the world was becoming more barbaric but it could be that humanity was spending less time creating their own thoughts and mental images in reading books.  The movie "Divorce American Style" in its simplest analysis, in fact, alludes to this.   In the alternative, they were spending more time and less mental energy digesting visual media on a more regular basis. The issue is that it takes more brain power to create your own thoughts while reading a book or an article. It takes less brain power to digest images and scenes being fed to you visually.
Less human brain power being utilized on the average in society may mean less humanity and humanness, less use of the higher faculties on the average and more guttural emotionality that essentially equates with more barbarism.
Widespread essay plagiarism in the academic environment also adds to this neanderthal phenomena, human deprivation and increased barbarism.  Some people start to think that they are winning a game, award or competition with their relatives if they live a day longer. They expect to go to their graves with their victory if not live forever. They treat their children and siblings accordingly in this vain hope, fighting to live a day longer than someone else in the family. This is an interesting point though since you can't know how people will spend your money after you die. So, all you are living for is a vain image unless you can think of the real definition of family and what that is all about.