Globalisation And The Media

Question 1

What is the term for sociologists who believe a process of globalisation is occurring?

Answer 1

Globalists

Globalists can be further divided into hyperglobalists and pessimistic globalists.

Question 2

How do hyperglobalists view globalisation?

Answer 2

As an overwhelmingly positive feature of contemporary society.

Question 3

What do pessimistic globalists think about globalisation?

Answer 3

They see it as a damaging and dangerous process.

Question 4

What is the term for sociologists who question the reality of globalisation?

Answer 4

Sceptics.

Question 5

Who talks about the role of mass media in globalisation?

Answer 5

Strinati

Question 6

According to Strinati, what role does mass media play in globalisation?

Answer 6

It is a global industry that promotes other global industries.

Question 7

What concept did McLuhan introduce regarding global communications?

Answer 7

Global village.

Through global communications (new media), we have neighbours around the world, can hear aboiut foreign news instantly and from the source

Question 8

What does McLuhan mean by ‘all-at-once-ness’?

Answer 8

Time has ceased and space has vanished, leading to instantaneous and continuous information flow.

As soon as info is acquired, its replaced by newer information.

Question 9

Who talks about the internet and its impact on development?

Answer 9

Flew

Question 10

According to Flew, what impact did the internet have on development?

Answer 10

Norms and values are global rather than national.
News offers a global outlook rather than a national focus.

Question 11

Who argued that globalisation of media led to cultural imperialism?

Answer 11

Fenton

Question 12

What is cultural imperialism?

Answer 12

The Western world dominating the rest of the world through media and marketing of it’s own cultural products.

Question 13

What are global conglomerates?

Answer 13

Companies that combine various business interests and operate internationally.

EG: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp

Many media companies own businesses across different countries - large companies can dominate media markets in other countries

Question 14

True or False: Big media conglomerates need to own local businesses to dominate local markets.

Answer 14

False.

Media companies like Fox make films and programmes that are shown all around the world
- aggresively marketed and distrubuted, made with big budgets and stars
- allowing said companies to dominate media production around the world

Question 15

Who talks about demands for West?

Answer 15

McBride (1990)

Question 16

What does McBride suggest about demands for west?

Answer 16

Deluge of Western-created media changes the culture and values of countries elsewhere in the world

One impact of said cultural shift is to stoke demand for western products

Question 17

How has the internet affected advertising?

Answer 17

Revolutionised how products are marketed around the world.

Through new media such as Google, companies who can pay for expensive marketing packages dominate what people see and read everyday all over the world.

Question 18

What does the term ‘cocacolanisation’ refer to?

Answer 18

The spread of American hegemony through media alongside the sale of Coca-Cola.

Amerian moves and music fueled the sale of Coca Cola around the world

Question 19

Who developed the concept of ‘McDonaldisation’?

Answer 19

George Ritzer.

Conceptual impact of globalisation

World becoming more and more like McDonald: standardised and low-skilled

Question 20

Fill in the blank: Cultural _______ is the idea that local cultures are killed off by globalisation.

Answer 20

homogenisation.

Expressed by Klein (2000)

Globalisation of media and culture is ‘Americanisation’

Question 21

What is the view of postmodernists regarding cultural flows?

Answer 21

Culture moves in multidirectional flows, not just from West to East.

EG: Bollywood films - popular in many countries outside India - influencing western culture
- Hollywood films incorporating Bollywood-style features and some Bollywood stars crossing over into Western culture

Question 22

Who further evidences the multicultural flow of culture?

Answer 22

Sreberny-Mohammadi (1996) points out that, as well as India, South America has a strong media industry

Question 23

What is hybridity in the context of culture?

Answer 23

The mixing of local cultures, global cultures, and alternative cultures.

Sometimes creating a hybrid culture or cultural diversity

Question 24

What is the impact of hybridisation according to optimistic hyperglobalists?

Answer 24

It enriches culture rather than displaces it by adding to our cultural options.

Question 25

How can Ritzer’s McDonaldisation be critiqued?

Answer 25

McDonald’s adapts its menu to local cultures.
Doesnt actually export american menu

Hyperglobalists point to Mcdonalds as an example of a global brand responding to local culture rather than obliterating it

Question 26

What is cultural hybridisation suggested as by some sociologists?

Answer 26

Halfway between cultural divergence (1) and cultural convergence (2)

1 - ‘a clash of civilisations - solidifying of distinct regional cultures that are fundamentaly different from eachother and cannot coexist harmoniously’ (Huntington)
2 - cultural homogenisation - whole world becomes the same

Question 27

What role does resistance play in cultural divergence?

Answer 27

It involves rejecting Western media and promoting local culture, may use new media tech to spread their message and organise their campaigns.

Cultural divergence - criticism to cultural homogenisation

Question 28

What do some sociologists argue about economic inequality in relation to global culture?

Answer 28

The West dominates global culture due to its economic power.

Postmodernist, pluralists and hyperglobalists ignore economic inequality

Western consumers like to buy the exotic so features of local cultures that can be marketed as exotic will be used

Question 29

What is high culture?

Answer 29

Culture of lasting artistic value, often found in galleries and aimed at upper-class audiences.

Question 30

How does globalisation affect high culture according to some sociologists?

Answer 30

It leads to westernisation, a decline in high culture and a rise in pop culture.

Question 31

What do pluralists argue?

Answer 31

No such thing as popular culture, intro of new media (digital TV etc) = increase in consumer choice

Tomlinson: globalisation involves hybridisation of cultures whereby individuals can ‘pick and mix’ and draw upon their own local culture AND western/global culture

Question 32

What is popular culture often associated with?

Answer 32

Passive and unchallenging entertainment designed to be sold to large numbers of people.

Designed to demand little critical thought and rarely provide any challenge to existing dominant cultural ideas

Question 33

What does Sklair argue about the media?

Answer 33

It blurs differences between entertainment, information, and product promotion.

sell across the world ideas, values and products associated with whats presented as an idealised western lifestyle

Question 34

According to Ritzer, what is the impact of global brands like Apple and Google on local cultures?

Answer 34

They promote a global culture along a consumerist lifestyle and weaken local cultures.

Use the transnational media to promote their products on a global stage and their logos are now global brands