This post is due by Tuesday, April 15 @ midnight for full credit.
Email late posts to rob.williamsATmadriver.com for partial credit.
Read our MEDIA@SOCIETY book, assigned chapter above.
In a SINGLE blog post below, provide for the chapter:
1. A single sentence, IYOW, that captures the chapter's THESIS (main argument).
2. THREE specific pieces of supporting documentation - ideas, concepts, stats, data - to bolster your thesis for the chapter. (Use 2 - 3 sentences for each.)
3. A single PERSONAL story of 3-4 sentences that connects the chapter directly with your own personal media experiences.
4. A SINGLE specific question you have after reading and blogging on the chapter.
Game on,
Dr. W
1. American media have the same impacts internationally that they do nationally.
ReplyDelete2. -“The term globalization often ends up referring to modernization, westernization, and U.S.-exported media. Globalization doesn’t usually refer to the creation of a globally interdependent economic, political, or social network but to a process of cultural (and therefore political, social, and technological) domination” (278). We all have heard the phrase “the media is the message” but in American society, it is true. We learn about our society and ourselves through our media. Since American media have become so relevant globally, other countries are getting American messages.
-The U.S. can be found all over the globe. “U.S. media are shaping the cultures and identities of other nations; American styles in fashion, food, and media fare dominate the global market. This development is often identified as cultural imperialism” (283). Cultural imperialism takes away the identities of other cultures and replaces them with an American culture. U.S. media is shaping more than just U.S. citizens.
-“The globalization of communication via the online revolution gives many more people the opportunity to reconsider the cultural systems they were born into” (300). As technology advances, we have more and more of a chance to explore other cultures. However, since U.S. media prevail, Internet users can be limited to the cultures of the U.S.
3. A few years ago, I started watching foreign television shows thanks to friends who were from different countries. Many TV shows I liked came from England and I remember that when I went to London, I was excited to be able to actually watch these shows on a TV rather than watching them online. However, when I turned on the TV, there was a marathon of Friends. I left London to explore other places but when I came back to round off the trip a few weeks later, the Friends marathon was still on. Going through the channels, I saw Family Guy and various other U.S. shows. I can only recall seeing two shows that found their roots in Britain. Several British shows I liked even ended up being shown in the U.S., except that the show was reworked, rewritten, and re-filmed to interest an American audience.
4. Do other countries realize that their cultures are being plagued by U.S. media?
1. Media globalization is allowing for a rapidly-increasing influence that American media has all around the world, increasing American corporate and commercial gains and connecting the world in ways that would have never previously been possible.
ReplyDelete2. -The notion of freedom that is associated with innovation and rebellion in American culture has been embraced by many internationally.
-Before the telegraph, early written communication could move great distances, but only as fast as the fastest horse, carriage, ship, or train. While that was though to be the best form of technological communication, in only years later, people can now see each other's faces and interact on a screen on opposite sides of the world.
- Movies that do not develop as good a reaction as desired in America are helped by other countries across the world so that the movie producers do not lose as money as they would were they do only present the movie in America solely.
3. My mother is from Germany, and because I am also a citizen, we can go back and forth between there and the United States quite easily. We go to visit my grandparents on a yearly basis if possible, and whenever we go, I always see my favorite tv shows, even if they are in German, and they are new episodes as well so I don't have to miss anything.
4. Because United States influence has become so actively a part of nearly every other country's media, has it affected the media programs of that country by giving natives of their own country the idea that they should not enter media education because there is no money in it (since the US has basically taken over)?
1. The globalization of media must be approached from non-ethnocentric perspective in order to understand its impact on cultures around the world.
ReplyDelete2.
• Forms of entertainment like pornography that are more manageable in the United States because of laws and blocking software can be devastating in other countries because the introduction is too swift for citizens to be able to regulate it. As social critic Franz Fannon discusses how in an African country "'where the violent collision of two worlds has considerably shaken old traditions...the impressionability and sensibility of the young Africans are at the mercy of...the assaults...by the very nature of Western culture'" (288). Thus, media that is acceptable in the United States can have serious consequences in other countries because of the confusion caused by the clash of mainstream American culture with their own.
• However, it is also unfair to assume that other cultures are powerless against United States media. For instance in a study of the Warlpiri people, who maintain an oral tradition, they, "actively interpreted the Hollywood material in the context of their own cultural norms" (290). Thus it is important to note that less developed cultures are capable of critical analysis of media from their unique perspective and it is difficult to assume or predict what meaning they will derive from American media.
• It is also important for United States citizens to realize their news media's sparse coverage of "periphery countries" (285), those still developing, strips these nations of their power and voice. Indeed, if these countries are mentioned in the news it is "usually linked to a superpower conflict...or to a sensational drama," and thus these countries are presented at "passive sits for dramatic or tragic events" (286). The influx of ethnocentric United States news media in countries throughout the world is hampering the "full [participation]" of periphery countries "in a global community" (286).
3. In my Spanish class, we discussed how Hispanic immigrants in the United States are unable to get news from their countries of origin easily because the United States does not make a great investment in foreign news coverage. This serves to illustrate how the lack of information about the happenings in foreign countries isolates those living in the United States from the rest of the world. It is unsettling to think about how the decisions of leaders at media companies to reduce foreign news coverage to maximize profits is contributing to an uninformed United States and soon, perhaps, an informed world.
4. Is it possible to access Al-Jazeera in the United States, and could it become instrumental in informing United States citizens about the Arab world and its culture?
1. The globalization of media has increased the speed at which American media has gained influence all around the world.
ReplyDelete2. “If we say that media technologies ‘spread to’ or ‘permeate’ other cultures we imply a natural process of growth,”(279) where as “if instead we say that media technologies ‘infiltrate’ or ‘invade’ other cultures, we imply that they cause damage or cause disease”(279) I think these comparisons perfectly demonstrate the contradiction of the effect from globalization of media. One of the debatable effects is “that, because of mass communication, the whole world is becoming ever more culturally modern, Western and therefore Americanized.”(278) American pop culture has spread connection of freedom with innovation and rebellion in America’s culture has been popularized worldwide. “One the other hand, U.S. media are shaping the cultures and identities of nations; American styles in fashion, food, and media fare dominate the global market.”(283)
3. I always enjoyed Heath Ledger’s films and one day I was walking around a store, I think it was Wal-Mart, and stumbled upon a movie titled Candy. It was rather cheap and one of the lead actors was Heath Ledger so I bought it and watched it that night. Candy was made in Australia and by watching it you could immediately tell that it was not a typical Hollywood movie. Other than the accents there was nothing that really defined it as being Australian. The country of origin wasn’t what made it unique for me, it was the desperation shown in the characters that recent Hollywood films have shied away from recently. Neither of the main characters were in any dyer situation and in need of help, they were just relatively normal people who struggled tremendously and I always think about how rare that seems to be in movies and I wonder why, because it was a great film.
4. Do most people see media’s globalization as an overall good thing or bad thing?
1. While globalization can be seen through different perspectives, it can be both advantageous and disadvantageous based on this perspective.
ReplyDelete2. • The way in which globalization is characterized varies based on one’s views. While some may think that it is the result of spreading and permeating, others may think that it is the product of invasion and infiltration. However, this depends on the individual and country that has been globalized (279).
• According to critics, there is a fear that as countries become more and more exposed to modern technology, the more dependent they’ll become and eventually their own culture will disintegrate. Other countries will began to model after the US and become “more like us” (282).
• One of the positive aspects about globalization is that it allows citizens in other countries to see what is going on in other parts of the world, politically and socially. For example, Americans are able to see the injustices in Middle Eastern societies towards women or issues concerning the government. As a result, we are able to act upon it and bring more awareness to the matter.
3. When I was younger, my best friend had just moved to the United States from Africa. When she first arrived, people treated her as if she did not know anything because this is what was depicted in the media. However, she was actually a lot smarter than any student in her grade because she did not have as much technology in her native country to act as a distraction. I realized that in the end, she was a lot richer than many Americans could ever imagine to be because she knew how to survive in her previous life as well as a life of modernity.
4. Why do Americans hold other countries up to American standards rather than accepting these countries and its citizens as they are?
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ReplyDelete1. The international expansion of American culture has allowed for American media to flourish abroad as well, which has given corporations not just a country-wide influence, but an immense global influence.
ReplyDelete2. The advancements of our technologies have allowed media to reach any part of the world; you could use the verb "Spreading" or you could use the verb "Invading". One is natural, while the other implies devious intentions. No matter which you decide to use, the globalization of media has a huge effect on both human relationships and the way we consume.
- American style dominates the global market. This makes it difficult for other countries to supply popular mass media that reflects their own culture. Also, "About two-thirds of the world's population cannot afford most of the products advertised on American television (284)." This inequality creates problems.
-While some argue that global communication should not be restricted, it's pretty likely that this would lead to a U.S. dominated global media environment (the playing field is not even near level). The advancements made in the Digital Age should lead to people being exposed to different cultures, but if the media becomes saturated in only American-made productions, this won't happen. Media globalization offers cosmopolitanism, but with the dangerous possible side-effect of being dominated by powerful elites.
3. In Fall 2012 I spent a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I lived with a family with three younger kids and I noticed that all the TV programs they watched were American: Spongebob, iCarly, etc. To me, they were annoying to watch, because the words that the characters were saying never matched their lips, as the English had been subbed out for Spanish. To the kids, though, this was normal, it was just something they had to get used to because most of what they were being offered as entertainment came from America.
4. This chapter taught me the real definition of 'Cosmopolitan'...isn't the Cosmopolitan magazine kind of ironic, then, because it mostly photo after photo of popularized American and European culture?
1. The media have led to increased globalization, making the popular culture of America dominate other areas of the world.
ReplyDelete2. Globalization is “the process by which the world is becoming more connected and interdependent” (page 277). Media are a leading factor in making the world connect on many different levels.
It is thought that “U.S. media are shaping the cultures and identities of other nations; American styles in fashion, food, and media fare dominate the global market” (page 283). This cultural imperialism is argued by some to be producing a “universal popular culture” (page 283).
Everyone has their own perspective, which leads to interpreting things, such as media, in their own unique way. Research has found that “American cultural content is polysemic- it has multiple meanings, varying across age, gender, ethnicity, and nationality” (page 288). Therefore, other cultures exposed to our media may view the messages portrayed differently then we do.
3. This chapter, like many others in the book, reminded me of Feed. In the chapter they mentioned a “universal culture” that is slowly being created by the amount of media globalization. In a similar way, the corporations in Feed, are attempting to create a society of people all interested in the same things; sort of like developing a universal popular culture.
4. Will the “universal popular culture” mentioned in the book ever become a reality? If so, what types of problems will this create or solve?
ReplyDelete1. The globalization of mass communication in Media has tremendous impact nationally as well as internationally.
2.
• Media globalization impacts and affects many things within our culture but especially human relationships. "It is not just that there are television in tribal huts, but that television shows serve as embodiments and inflections of modern U.S. values and beliefs that are often in conflict with different local culture" (280). Globalization of Media offers an opportunity to connect with other countries and cultures, we can better understand and relate to one another while educating each other about our culture and rituals.
• Electronic communication allows us to reach out to others whom we may never meet but can converse with through technology. This is a shift in the digital era, altering the way humans interact. These new forms of media are minimizing direct face-to-face communication and ultimately making us less interactive as human beings.
• Americans are shaping other countries identities and dominating the global market. "U.S. dominance in producing and distributing mass media puts a severe burden on all countries attempting to produce their own cultural products" (283). This is a threat on other nations, as they lack their own identity they try to create original programs.
3. I think its sad that American television is bombarding other countries. There is less of a variety of Media in terms of cultures who are dominating the market. Since the U.S. dominates the Media we are less exposed to other cultures which leads to a more narrow minded society in which we live.
4. How can other countries have on impact through media if The U.S. is dominating?
1)The globalization of influential American media is leading to fears that the world is becoming homogenized and “Americanized.”
ReplyDelete2)Critics of U.S. media culture call the domination of this fare in the international market an example of cultural imperialism. The widespread popularity of American media has made it harder for local media outlets in other countries to produce and air original content. This has led “numerous international observers [to] contend that consumer control is minimal in countries inundated by American” media (283).
Assuming that all individuals who consume American media in the global market are passively accepting all its messages is a flawed but popular theory. While this media is being consumed by citizens of many countries, “global viewers … [use] their own ethnic values and beliefs to critique the same shows,” indicating that multiple meanings can be found in each media product (290). This challenges the belief that international viewers are only “vulnerable” to the capitalistic and imperialistic ideas that are being put forth in American media.
There is an “information imbalance” between the news outlets of core nations like the U.S. and so-called “periphery” and developing countries. The most popular news services have their roots in western countries, and as such focus on news stories related to the core countries. The periphery countries are usually presented in the context of a disaster, threat, or a great power conflict; this gives the impression that these periphery countries are “passive sites for dramatic or tragic events rather than…full participants in a global community” (286). Due to this trend, these periphery nations are not given a full voice on the global stage.
3)When I was reading about the fear that many critics have about the homogenization of world culture, I was reminded of the fear that I felt when reading about the world of Feed. The ability for individuals to be unique in that culture was hampered by standards of normative behavior, and I think that though global citizens are not as passive as many would make them out to be, global cultures are still going to be influenced, positively and negatively, by American media. But I also feel like this can have a positive side too, fostering discussion about the values other cultures see in American media.
4)If cultural homogenization would really achieve peace, should it be strived for?
1.) Thesis
ReplyDeleteMedia have the power to influence globally, connecting different nations economically, politically, and socially.
2.) Three Supporting Pieces of Documentation
- Skype: using Skype, one is able to connect with anyone around the world, in a digital interaction that's as close to face-to-face as any digital interaction will ever get.
- Cultural Imperialism: "U.S. media are shaping the cultures and identities of other nations" (283), influencing just about everything from what is being eaten to what is being watched on TV in other nations.
- Assimilation: With the foundations of assimilation, blending, absorbing and combining of different cultures, the US has a hard time accepting the "fears of cultural imperialism" (284) because "the United States was founded as a nation of immigrants" (284).
3.) Personal Story
I've just started using Skype within the past year, and it's hard to believe as I'm chatting with someone an hour and a half away from me that so many people are using it internationally: business clients, a relative in the military, family overseas, etc. Considering all of this, my personal reasons for Skype feel much less significant!
4.) Question
What would a FULLY globalized media culture look like?
IYOW: Media can be reached by anyone around the world because of the expanding market and technology.
ReplyDelete1. "It is much easier to focus on the spread of communication technology itself than to understand the cultural meaning and consequences of media globalization...The new technologies become change makers--visible manifestations of presumed social and cultural shifts." (279) Because of these new accesses around the world, influences of cultures, such as the United States or England, can be felt around the world. Even things like Facebook and Twitter make it possible for people around the world to see what you are doing and interact with you, though they may be in a different time zone.
2. Though the advancement in communication and technology may be good, it can also negatively influence other cultures. "...U.S. media are shaping the cultures and identities of other nations; American styles in fashion, food, and media fare dominate the global market." (283) Though it is good to share with others, sometimes this has a negative effect. For example, girls in Korea and China are having surgery to make their eyes bigger, essentially removing the fold of skin above their eyes. Their reasoning is to look more beautiful, to look more "white".
3. With the sharing of media, there can also be harm done to the younger generations. "...Fanon--a widely admired activist for social justice and change--uses logic similar to what U.S. critics used when discussing the effects of media on children: Because they don't have the right protection, they are more vulnerable to harmful influences." (288) If we let it, media can harmfully effect our lives and how we grow into this new age.
Story: I didn't have a Facebook or smart phone until my senior year of high school, I just didn't think I needed one and I had a cell phone with texting. If people really wanted to get in contact with me they could. Once I did get the two, I was obsessed. Everything was so new, so different from what I had seen before. The iPhone had so many games and new things to learn, and with Facebook it was a matter of gathering all the friends I had accumulated throughout the years and tagging all the photos that were on Facebook, even if I wasn't. It was a bit of a shock, I would spend countless hours on it after school scrolling and seeing everyone's pictures and stories. Eventually, it died down where I check it about once or twice a day. I'm really bad at loading photos up (I have an album for this school year and haven't added photos since the second month of school. Whoops). It's not as important to me now. I have these things in another place, I can add them later if I want to.
Question: What is the best and worst part of having media that are so accessible to other cultures and our youth growing up with this technology?
1.
ReplyDeleteWe can use reflectionist perspective, constructionist perspective, and narrativist perspective to analysis the effects of America media contents on all over the world.
2
a) Global media technology is an element of Globalization in media. Sometimes, we say that media technology is “spread to “other cultures. This is the perspective of reflectionist. If we use this method to analysis the media technologies, we consider about the natural process of growth. In this point, media is a neutral aspect of social reality. Based on this opinion, the expansion of media will be seemed kind and inevitable. Sometimes, we say that media technology is “invade” other cultures. This is the perspective of constructionist. If we use this method to analysis the media technologies, we consider about the damages that media caused. In this point, media is dangerous and people should go against it. Sometimes, we say that media technology is used by other cultures. This is the perspective of narrativist. If we use this method to analysis the media technologies, we consider that people are free to choose the media technology, which they want to use or deny. In this point, media were controlled by human.(P279)
b) Cultural imperialism and neocolonialism critics are the constructionist perspective. Cultural imperialism is that the process of people who live with other cultures are accepted and adapted the American culture. These cultures are less or more influenced by American media. For example, most of people in the world see American movies, eat the fast food, and receive the tastes of American fashion. The neo colonialism is that the U.S. use the cultural power to dominate the other cultures. The way that drive the process of neocolonialism is to use media forms like TV, movies, magazines, food, and others to affect people with different cultures.
c) There are other perspectives to analysis the effects of America on all over the world. The most famous perspectives are Barber’s perspective and Friedman’s perspective. Friedman’s opinion is that globalization is about economic interdependence. People should learn to how to balance the materiel and communal. Barber’s perspective is that Friedman’s “balance” is nothing.
3. I think the most important of influences of America is education. More and more Chinese and other countries’ students study in America. The basic reason is that they think the qualities of American educations is the best in the world. However, how did they or their parents know this? The main platform that they know about the American education systems is internet. Also, TV shows and movies are the ways for knowing about the American life.
4. Do people have ability to refuse the power of media?
With a globe continually expanding, media global influence increases connecting the world politically, economically, and socially through media technologies and ultimately culturally diffusing American culture into other nations.
ReplyDeleteSupporting Documentation:
New technologies are “change makers” meaning they are “visible manifestations of presumed social and cultural shifts”(279). New technology spreading globally is interpreted in different ways; Negative when seen as an infiltration of media falsities and “toxic beliefs”(279) and positive when we use the word “spread” meaning growth. Either positive or negative, when media spread, human relationships and communication are affected.
Cultural imperialism is a direct result of media globalization. An example of cultural imperialism is the Americanization of other nations through American style, food, and social media. As Americans, we are blind to our cultural imperialism due to “cultural assimilation” (284) or blending that we learn at an early age, exists in the United States.
American culture is polysemic- “it has multiple meanings, varying across age, gender, ethnicity, and nationality. It is not possible to predict what a media text actually means to someone else – the meaning is made by the interpreting audience, bot made by the producer or lodged in the text itself” (288). By interpreting the audience, is easier to determine the effect media technologies will have on the culture.
Personal Story:
I’ve studied Italian language and culture for three years and in a documentary I watched on Florence, I realized how much American culture is present in other nations. I noticed both Subway and McDonalds, American fast food places, in the busy streets as well as people listening to American popular music such as Beyonce or popular Hollywood movies. The Italian culture is mixed with American culture in Florence showing how the cultural imperialism exists throughout nations.
If other nations are becoming more and more Americanized through cultural imperialism, will other countries start to look and act like the U.S. to the point where their governments act similarly to the U.S.?
Chapter 11
ReplyDeleteThesis: The digital age has made the world’s media more globalized.
Evidence:
1) The American movie industry would not thrive as much if there was no foreign market for the movies, and the cable industry has also been able to thrive with a foreign market. “In any given year, 80 to 90 percent of U.S. movies, for instance, do not earn back their costs in U.S. theater distribution… The same is true for the U.S. TV industry” (277).
2) Technology has made media more globalized because of its reach. Between the internet, radio, satellite, and other technology has brought the world closer together (278).
3) With U.S. media spreading its reach there has been more globalization, and a blending of cultures. America demonstrates a “cultural imperialism” by spreading its media, and cultures are colliding because of it (283).
Personal Story: In my globalization class we have to research any topic dealing with India and Globalization. I choose to research about India’s broadcast media landscape changing due to globalization, and the influence of U.S. media on Indian media. CNN and other foreign American companies have strong ties with Indian media.
Question: Why are there few media companies with reach in the U.S?
1. Media encourages the spread of technology and information throughout the world.
ReplyDelete2. a. Globalization is the term that has been used to describe the new kind of cultural, social, political and economic world that we live in today. A more formal definition is the process by which the world is becoming more connected and interdependent.
b. The difference when comparing technology to first and second worlds and then to third worlds. Third world countries are usually developing nations which use an oral culture. To them the use of digital technologies are out of the question and very difficult to use.
c. Thoughts on media globalism. The opinion whether media is good or bad is simply an opinion. To many the family life, social stability and mean in life has been compromised by the added media. To others, the added media has given a new outlook on life and a new way to portray the information.
3. I feel that media is good in moderation and today's society is making it harder and harder to find that moderation. Just this past week at my high school they had a tweet off for a class to win a prize. The class that had the most tweets with #senioradvisory or #junioradvisory etc. won a school sponsored pizza party for their class. I'm not sure how this was relevant to the curriculum but it was a way to get the students excited.
4. How much longer is it going to be before the English language will be drastically altered because of the media and digital technologies?
Boom - Globalization!
ReplyDeleteDr. W
The US is a media pioneer and the center of pop culture. The globalization of American media has created a new world landscape of art, music, and media.
ReplyDelete-Globalization, economically, politically, and socially, can define the entire world and is a catalyst for modernization. The US is consistently at the forefront of this modernization, and our cultural world is shared with much of the larger society.
-The spread of media technologies from a small to large scale can be viewed from a reflectionist or constructionist perspective. Using this, we can understand media as inevitably developmental or destructive to the world around us.
-Although the introduction of new technology and media to societies is seen as development and growth, many worry that it could destroy the traditional cultures of ancient and developing societies.
Globalization, although (according to the book) synonymous with Americanization, works both ways. Personally, I experience this from the goods and technologies I utilize that come from other countries. Although not solely restricted to media, the things we receive from foreign countries like China truly exemplifies the universal concept of globalization.
Will the effects of globalization on developing countries ultimately help, hinder, or destroy the time-tested cultures that define them?