Global Media Cultures Notes

CHAPTER 6: GLOBAL MEDIA CULTURES

Major Analytical Perspectives of Media Globalization

• The chapter focuses on diverse perspectives analyzing how global media cultures are influenced by globalization.

1. Communications and Development Model / Modernization Paradigm

• Role of Media:

  • Acts as instruments of change in developing countries, helping to modernize attitudes and values.

  • Claims that underdevelopment is not due to a lack of resources but the absence of human resources.

• Education and Mass Media:

  • Essential for building human capital in society.

  • Tasks include:

  • Accelerating social transformation for economic development.

  • Mobilizing human resources effectively.

• Western Modernity:

  • Suggests that developing societies should adopt Western ideals of modernity to achieve growth.

  • Media exposure fosters qualities like participation, literacy, and urban living.

  • Benedict Anderson’s concept of “Imagined Communities”:

  • Role of printed communication and capitalism in forming a national identity among dispersed populations.

• Rogers Model of Mass Media Exposure and Modernization:

  • Antecedents: Functional literacy, education, social status, age, cosmopolitanism.

  • Process: Exposure to mass media.

  • Consequences: Increases empathy, political knowledge, and aspirations in education and occupation.

• Critique of the Model:

  • The Western model of modernization can reinforce control rather than promote democratic education.

  • Used to justify political repression and expression limits, particularly during the Cold War era.

2. Cultural Imperialism

• Definition and Concepts:

  • Theory arguing that global media overwhelmingly presents Western narratives, leading to cultural dependency and “electronic colonialism.”

  • Impacts:

  • Cultivation of desires for a Western lifestyle in less developed nations.

  • Encourages entry for Western transnational corporations.

• News Broadcasting:

  • Often promotes biased images of developing countries, focusing on corruption and disaster.

  • Contributes to cultural homogenization and neocolonialism.

• NWICO (New World Information and Communication Order):

  • Aimed to foster independence, but faced opposition from the US and UK.

  • Often entangled in political alliances that suppress opposition voices.

• Critique of Cultural Imperialism:

  • Ambiguity surrounding the definition of cultural imperialism complicates discussions.

  • Power dynamics among states can lead to oppressive models that impose homogenization.

3. Cultural Pluralism

• Overview:

  • Known as “cultural globalization,” it emphasizes multidirectional flows of culture across countries.

  • Responses to modernization and cultural imperialism highlighting audience engagement and mobilization.

• Debate on Homogenization and Heterogenization:

  • Strategies such as hybridization and re-territorialization arise in response to cultural pressures.

  • The audience’s ability to interpret and reshape messages is critical.

• Critique of Cultural Pluralism:

  • Often undervalues state roles in cultural transactions.

  • Assumes equality among audiences disregarding access disparities to media.

  • Fails to account for significant economic power held by global media firms.

• Empirical Evidence Issues:

  • Lack of reflection on assumptions, evident with cases like Jamaican media, which indicates a predominance of American cultural influence over local content creation.