Globalisation and Popular Culture Flashcards
What does McLuhan suggest?
The speed of technological change is so vast that the world is now a global village. We are one community as we are all exposed to the same information in the media, leading to a popular culture.
What is Popular/Mass Culture?
Culture based on the taste of ordinary people rather than an educated elite: pop music, reality TV, etc.
What is High Culture?
The pattern of cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in relation to the highest class segments of society: Shakespeare, opera, classical music, etc.
What do Postmodernists argue about popular and high culture?
High culture no longer just accessed by the cultural elites.
The mass markets/consumerism are making the distinction between high and mass culture meaningless. There is now a huge range of media products accessible to all.
Technology has enabled this; can consume original music/art, and other products within their home. Do not need to do things that require social capital e.g museums/the theatre.
What does Strinati theorise?
Elements of high culture have been incorporated into popular culture, no longer any distinction between the two. E.g high culture images now produced on everything from socks, t-shirts, etc.
What we consider to be high culture, used to be aimed at the masses, and vice versa.
What does Flew theorise about having a global popular culture?
The evolution of new media technologies has played a role in the development of a global popular culture. This has undermined national and local cultures, cultural homogenization where ways of life in different countries are becoming more alike, more appropriate to speak of a global popular culture.
What does Sklair (a Marxist) theorise about having a global popular culture?
Powerful media corporations spread the same news, information, entertainment, etc, which have become part of the ways of life in many different countries.
Encourages acceptance of the dominant ideology of Western capitalism: ‘cultural-ideology consumerism’.
What does Ritzer theorise about having a global popular culture?
McDonaldization = companies now operate on a global scale, and it’s now possible to buy an identical food product practically anywhere in the world, promoting a global culture and weakening local cultures. e.g Obesity is now a global issue due to local diets changing.
Evaluation of the Postmodernist view of high and popular culture?
More companies are producing local TV programmes as the Western ones are not appropriate for local cultures. Also, Western programmes normally adapted through regulation to fit with a country’s norms and values.
What is the Pluralist view of globalisation and popular culture?
There is no such thing as popular or mass culture, as the media offers a huge range of products which gives consumers a wide diversity of cultural choices. Can also distribute/create own media products.
Leads to hybridization - a new hybrid culture created by combining cultures. This makes it harder for one set of ideas to dominate in society, increases democracy/freedom of speech.
What is the Marxist view of globalisation and popular culture?
Marcuse = mass culture maintains the ideological hegemony, as consumers are lulled into passivity e.g dumbed down content, so less likely to challenge dominant ideas. This is social repression.
Globalisation of popular culture advantageous for the elite/bourgeoisie, who gain profits from advertising. Create false needs for surplus value, convince people they need products to construct identity and lifestyle.
High culture = cultural capital, leads to material rewards later in life.
What does Fenton argue about globalisation leading to cultural imperialism?
The term ‘global’ rarely means ‘universal’, often disguises media-led cultural imperialism. American media products are forced on non-western cultures, undermining local cultures and cultural independence. US companies dominate global communications e.g META, google, X.
Cocacolonization = through marketing, globally people have become exposed to US culture.
Fenton part 2:
Media-saturated global village is Western, with global audiences consuming the same American music, fashion, etc found everywhere.
Media imperialism has moved the world towards global cultural homogenization - where culture is the same.
Also, globalising popular culture has led to a mass counterfeiting industry of fake designer clothes, perfumes, etc, catered to those who aspire to lifestyles portrayed in Western media (strain theory?)
