Media: Globalisation & Popular culture Flashcards
Global village - McLuhan (1962)
-The world is becoming a ‘global village’ due to technological advancements.
-Electronic media (satellite, internet) collapse space and time barriers in communication.
-People can interact across the globe, making the world feel smaller and more interconnected.
-People are exposed to the same messages and cultural products , contributing to a more uniform global culture.
What is Popular culture?
-Popular culture is enjoyed by ordinary people, including TV soaps, magazines, reality shows, music, and websites like Facebook.
-Also referred to as mass culture or low culture (inferior to high).
-Popular culture is everyday culture: simple, easy-to-understand, and aimed at mass audiences.
Characteristics of popular culture: Storey (2010)
- Highly Commercialised: Designed to be sold to a large audience for profit.
- Simple and Accessible: Offers easy, undemanding entertainment with broad appeal that requires little critical thought.
- Fast Turnover: Consists of inexpensive, mass-produced, and short-lived products.
How does this link to mass culture?
-Mass culture involves standardised,, and trivial content, created by large ‘culture industry’ corporations for profit.
-Products are designed for global mass markets, appealing to large audiences across cultures and national boundaries.
-Popular culture promotes passive consumption and discourages critical thinking or analysis.
-It rarely challenges the dominant social structure or prevailing cultural ideas.
Media content is often ‘dumbed down’ to maximise audience size and profit.
Global spread of mass culture
-Mass media spreads a common mass culture across the globe, appealing to millions and generating large profits for media conglomerates.
-This global popular culture transcends local, cultural, and national divisions, contributing to a homogenised culture.
What is High culture?
-High culture is viewed as something ‘set apart’ from everyday life, treated with respect.
-It includes intellectually demanding and lasting cultural products, seen as part of a heritage worth preserving.
-ie. classical music (Mozart, Beethoven), opera, ballet, fine art (Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Kahlo), and established literature (Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens).
Locations & Audience of High culture
-High culture is typically found in art galleries, museums, concert halls, and theatres.
-It is aimed at upper-class and professional middle-class audiences, who are viewed as having ‘good taste’.
-Such as documentaries, and news programmes involving comprehensive detail, social and political analysis, foreign-language or ‘art’ films aimed at niche audiences.
Marxist view on High culture
-Bourdieu (Cultural Capital): contributes to cultural capital - norms, values, and attitudes that lead to material rewards in life.
-Allows the ruling class to differentiate themselves from the working class and maintain their social position.
-High culture is mainly exclusive and serves the interests of a small elite group whose views and values are explored and reflected through these cultural forms.
Postmodernist view on High vs Popular culture
-Postmodernists argue that the distinction between high culture and popular culture is weakening.
-Globalisation and the mass production of goods have made a wide range of cultural products accessible to everyone.
-Expansion of media-based creative industries (advertising, TV, film, music,) has blurred the boundary between high and popular culture.
How can mass audiences access high culture?
-Technology allows high culture products (e.g.original music, art) to be consumed at home without visiting specialised institutions.
-High culture is no longer exclusive to cultural elites, giving people ‘pick and mix’ choices between high and popular culture.
Strinarti (1995)
-In postmodern societies, identities are increasingly structured through consumption patterns, with media defining much of what people perceive as ‘real’.
-Advertising shapes what products we need to buy to improve our lives, and the news tells us what to think about.
-Consumerism becomes more important than the goods they represent (e.g., buying products for their brand, label, or packaging).
-In the past, a cultural hierarchy existed, where classical music was considered more important than pop music. In the postmodern world, crossovers occur between high and popular culture, blending cultural boundaries.
-Time and place become decontextualised, as seen in examples like the film Romeo and Juliet, which is represented as a teen movie set in modern-day Los Angeles.
Giddings (2010) & How high culture is commercialised
-High culture is often used to create products for the popular culture market.
-E.g, video games, considered part of popular culture, incorporate art, architecture, classical music, and actors/writers associated with high culture.
-High culture images (e.g., Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers) are reproduced on commercial items such as socks, T-shirts, mugs, and posters.
-Classical music is used in advertising, and literature is adapted into TV series and mass-market movies (e.g., Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre).
How is high culture reproduced & lines blurred?
-Internet and TV allow mass audiences to engage with high culture, such as viewing Van Gogh’s paintings or exploring virtual museums.
-High culture is increasingly commodified and democratised, making it accessible and embedded within popular culture.
Criticisms of popular/mass culture: Marxism & Frankfurt school
-Mass culture is mass-produced, imposed by global media businesses for profit.
-It serves as a form of social control, giving the illusion of choice between standardised, trivial, and dumbed-down media.
-This maintains the ideological hegemony of the dominant social class, promoting passivity and social conformity, making people less likely to challenge dominant ideas.
-Marcuse (1964) argued that media-generated mass culture undermines critical thinking, promoting relaxation and consumption while suppressing revolutionary potential and reinforcing the status quo.
Criticisms of popular/mass culture: Strinati (1995)
-Strinati rejects the idea of a single mass culture and a passive mass audience.
-He argues that there is a diversity of choice within popular culture, and people critically respond to it, rather than consuming it uncritically.
Criticisms of popular/mass culture: Livingstone (1988)
-Writers and producers of TV soap operas see them as a means of educating and informing the public on important social issues.
-Soap operas like Hollyoaks, EastEnders, and Coronation Street generate public controversy and discussions on issues like child abuse, domestic violence, racism, drug addiction, and more.
-These issues, discussed in soap operas, have led to critical public debate that may not have occurred otherwise, challenging traditional media stereotypes.
Criticisms of popular/mass culture: Batkin
-Many forms of media in today’s society ridicule our ‘social betters’ & that programmes such as South Park, The Simpson are actually ‘politically incorrect’.
Global popular culture: Globalisation of the media
-Global culture: princess in which various cultures around the world have become increasingly similar.
-Divide between high & popular culture decreased over time zones people no longer have to afford travel fees to immerse themselves in different nations cultures.
-Satellite TV accessible everywhere on channels (Sky, Fox).
-Advertising - Coca Cola is available everywhere.
Global popular culture: Ownership & control
Ownershuo can be categorised in 3 ways:
1. Concentration: media owned by a small no. of MNC’s (ie. Sun, 20th Century Fox).
2. Globalisation: companies are transnational (ie. McDonald’s).
3. Diversification: large companies own different types of media (ie. Virgin have phones, Internet, digital TV).
Flew (2002) & Keller (1995)
-Flew suggests that the evolution of new media technologies has had an important role in the development of a global popular culture.
-Keller argued the media has the power to produced images of lifestyles that increasingly become part of everyday life & impacts how people form their identities & views of the world. This global culture is primarily American in origin.
-> leads to cultural imperialism.
How has this led to cultural homogenisation?
-Process of a powerful media making the culture of diff countries more alike is called this.
-For example, the media has contributed to English becoming an international or preferred second language.
-Globalisation undermines national and local culture by spreading popular culture through the globalisation of the media.
-> negative effect on local culture, less diversity, impose western values, colonisation (ie. Bolivian children).
Why has this occurred?
-Media conglomerates now operate in a global market place.
-This allows popular culture to be spread beyond the boundaries of particular nation states.
-A global popular culture is created through the media’s push for consumerism.
(Sklair 2012) & Ritzer (2008)
-Sklair says the media blurs the differences between information, entertainment & the promotion of products. This has led to the media creating a global ‘culture-ideology of consumerism’.
-Ritzer says companies & brands now operate on global scale using their transnational media to promote global pop culture & weakening local culture.
-There are even global brands - mcdonaldisation.
Bryman - Disneyfication
-A process by which the principles of the Disney theme parks dominate more & more sectors of society.
-The ‘caring’ face of Disney is built on the principles of McDonaldisation.
Why are McDonalisation & Disneyfication negative consequences of global popular culture?
-Cheap quality food is advertised to sell more products.
-Everything is based on a business model (religion, education) and the aim is simply to sell.
-Means content is often mass-produced, formulaic & designed to be efficient & predictable, often at the cost of creativity, diversity & quality.
Cultural & Media imperialism: Fenton (1999) critique
-The term ‘global’ is misleading, often disguising the dominance of Western, particularly American, culture.
-Western media, especially American corporations, control global communications.
-Major media corporations such as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, AOL, CNN, and Time-Warner are US-based and dominate international media.
Cultural & Media imperialism: Cocacolonisation & Impact
-A term derived from Coca-Cola and colonisation that describes how American cultural values and consumerism are imposed globally.
-Reflects the idea of media imperialism where Western media products overwhelm and erode local cultures and independence.
-Western media leads to the spread of a global consumer culture that undermines non-Western cultures.
-ie. top 10 highest-grossing films worldwide, outside of the US, are primarily American.
How does the media promote globalisation?
-Media, capital, and military power are highly concentrated in the hands of a few, primarily the richest 7 countries.
-The media promotes specific values and behaviours that align with Western ideals, influencing perceptions of beauty, femininity, masculinity, success, love.
-Media fosters a global consumer culture, encouraging individuals to desire and purchase products produced by transnational corporations (TNCs), ultimately maximising corporate profits.
Saadawi: How & why should globalisation be resisted?
-Argues that the media-driven globalisation controlled by TNCs should be resisted as it perpetuates inequality and maintains control over global information and cultural standards.
-Resistance should come from ordinary people, especially women and marginalised groups, who form the majority of the world’s population.
-Advocates for creating independent media and using platforms such as the internet and email to foster communication and spread alternative narratives globally.
Positive consequences of media globalisation: Increased activism
-The internet has facilitated global protest movements, such as the 1999 anti-globalisation protests against the World Trade Organisation, coordinated by the Independent Media Centre.
-Online platforms allow activists to spread information and images globally.
Positive consequences of media globalisation: PM - choice & identity creation
-Global media offers individuals more choices in shaping their identities.
-Globalisation injects modern ideas into developing countries, potentially aiding economic and cultural development.
Positive consequences of media globalisation: Cultural diversity
-British cultural identity benefits from exposure to global cultures, influencing fashion, music, and art.
-Local cultures can adapt and incorporate global media without losing their traditions, as seen in Bollywood’s blend of Hollywood and Indian values.
Negative consequences of media globalisation: Marxists - Restricted choice
-Transnational media corporations, like Rupert Murdoch’s, limit diversity and promote a global culture dominated by Western, particularly American, values.
-Rosenau (1990) highlights the spread of a homogeneous global culture, referencing brands like Coca-Cola, Disney, and McDonald’s.
Negative consequences of media globalisation: Cultural pessimists & Cultural homogenisation
-Kellner argues that global media creates sameness, erasing individuality and diversity.
-Schiller (1976) observed Brazilian TV as a Westernised version of local culture, suggesting a loss of authentic culture.
Negative consequences of media globalisation: Civic disengagement
-Putnam (1995) argues that a global culture focused on TV and the internet leads to civic disengagement, with people preferring media consumption over community involvement.
Challenges to cultural pessimism: Resilience of local cultures
-Cohen and Kennedy (2000) argue that cultural pessimists underestimate the strength of local cultures.
-People retain their cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and national identities while incorporating global influences.
-Local cultures can mix and match global ideas rather than being completely absorbed by them.
Pluralist view of media & globalisation of popular culture: Increased consumer choice
-Modern media technologies (internet, cable, satellite, digital TV) offer a vast range of media products, providing consumers worldwide with diverse cultural options.
-Compaine (2005): Global competition increases the variety of information and entertainment sources rather than restricting or dumbing them down.
Pluralist view of media & globalisation of popular culture: Hybridisation (Tomilson 1999)
-Globalisation leads to a mixing of cultures rather than direct cultural imposition.
-People engage in a ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ approach, blending Western/global and local cultural elements, creating new hybrid cultures.
-Glocalisation – Global formats like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? are adapted to fit local cultures (e.g., Slumdog Millionaire).
Pluralist view of media & globalisation of popular culture:
Pluralist view of media & globalisation of popular culture: Active Audiences, Cultural Diversity, and Media Empowerment
-New media platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Blogger) empower users to create and share their own content, allowing audiences to generate their own popular culture and challenge Western media dominance.
-Audiences interpret media messages in varied ways, preventing a singular Western cultural influence.
-Media effects differ across cultures, meaning people do not automatically adopt Western consumer lifestyles.
-Increased media choice promotes democracy and fosters greater cultural diversity through hybridisation.
-Pluralists reject the Marxist view that audiences are passive consumers, arguing that people are active participants who critically engage with media content.
A critical view of the media & globalisation of the popular culture
-Media conglomerates benefit from globalising popular culture by promoting Western consumerist lifestyles, increasing their profits.
-Thussu (2007) – Global Infotainment: Global TV focuses on entertainment over serious issues, promoting a false ‘feel-good factor’ and diverting attention from global inequalities and Western cultural dominance.
-Marxist View – Passive Consumers:
Global mass culture encourages passive consumption, making people less likely to challenge dominant ideologies.
-Media conglomerates create standardised, repetitive content, limiting diversity and overpowering local media.
-Western, especially American, culture dominates global media, leading to cultural sameness worldwide.
Postmodernist view of the media: Media globalisation & choice
-Postmodernists, view global media as offering greater diversity and choice in consumption, lifestyles, and identity formation.
-Globalisation increases awareness of different cultures, freeing individuals from the constraints of local cultures.
Postmodernist view of the media: Baudrillard - Hyperreality and Simulacra:
-We live in a media-saturated society where media images distort reality.
-War and other events are presented as sanitised, media-constructed spectacles that feel unreal.
-Hyperreality occurs when media representations (simulacra) replace real-world experiences.
Postmodernist view of the media: Media constructs reality
-Media no longer reflect reality but actively create it.
-Garrod (2004) highlights that reality TV and social media blur the boundaries between reality and hyperreality, leaving audiences confused.
Postmodernist view of the media: Strinati (1995) – Media Shapes Consumer Choices
-Media shapes consumer desires, promoting trends, styles, and designer labels that matter more than product quality.
-Identities are increasingly defined by media-induced trends and consumer choices.
Postmodernist view of the media: Living virtual lives
-Baudrillard suggests that in a media-saturated world, people identify more with media images than real-life experiences.
-People engage more with celebrities, reality TV, and online communities than with their own real-world communities.
Example of Hyperreality:
In 1998, when Coronation Street’s Barlow was imprisoned in the storyline, a real-life public campaign led to the UK prime minister’s involvement, blurring the line between fiction and reality.
Criticisms of Postmodernist view: Passive audience assumption
-Postmodernists assume audiences passively consume media without interpreting, discussing, or rejecting media messages.
-Critics argue that people engage critically with media, influenced by their own experiences and perspectives.
Criticisms of Postmodernist view: Reinforcements of Stereotypes
-Media images often reinforce stereotypes related to gender, age, ethnicity, and disability, limiting identity choices rather than expanding them.
Criticisms of Postmodernist view: Limited access to media & choice
-Many people, particularly in poorer social groups and countries, lack access to new media and consumer goods.
-Postmodernists’ emphasis on free choice ignores the structural inequalities that restrict access.
Criticisms of Postmodernist view: Marxist critique - Myth of choice
-Marxists argue that media choice is an illusion, as powerful transnational media conglomerates control content and communication, shaping dominant ideologies.
Criticisms of Postmodernist view: Media as one influence among many
-Media is just one factor shaping identities and experiences.
-Gender, ethnicity, class, age, religion, and personal experiences also influence how individuals interpret and respond to media.
