Media: Mass Media/Globalisation/Popular Culture Flashcards
What is globalisation?
The growing interdependence (reliance) of societies across the world, with the spread of culture, consumer goods and economic interests across the globe.
What 3 interdependence characteristics did Gidden’s definition stress of globalisation?
Social, political and economic connections.
Who suggested 5 factors that are important in encouraging globalisation?
Welsh (1997)
What 5 important factors did Welsh (1997) suggest encouraged globalisation?
1) increasing global nature of capital and rise of global markets
2) increasing global movement of people
3) increasing importance of IT in production, consumption and leisure
4) increasing awareness of environmental issues that affect planet
5) growing awareness that politics has stretched beyond the nation state
What are the three main ideas from postmodernist a regarding new media?
1) Metanarrative (big story)
2) Pick N Mix
3) Chaos/Uncertainty
What postmodernist suggested that new media has created a ‘Pick N Mix’ society?
Baudrillard
Explain Baudrillard’s ‘simulacra’ idea
Simulacra refers to images presented in media that appear to reflect things in the real world but have no basis in reality.
Explain Baudrillard’s ‘hyperreality’ idea
Images in the media are manipulated and distorted.
What did Baudrillard mean by a ‘media saturated society’
Our view of the world is created and defined by the media and manipulated images.
What effect has simulacra had on society? (Baudrillard)
Meaning of reality has become distabilised- uncertainty of what is reality.
What are the three main ideas from postmodernist a regarding new media?
1) Metanarrative (big story)
2) Pick N Mix
3) Chaos/Uncertainty
What postmodernist suggested that new media has created a ‘Pick N Mix’ society?
Baudrillard
Explain Baudrillard’s ‘simulacra’ idea
Simulacra refers to images presented in media that appear to reflect things in the real world but have no basis in reality.
Explain Baudrillard’s ‘hyperreality’ idea
Images in the media are manipulated and distorted.
What did Baudrillard mean by a ‘media saturated society’
Our view of the world is created and defined by the media and manipulated images.
What effect has simulacra had on society? (Baudrillard)
Meaning of reality has become distabilised- uncertainty of what is reality.
What would the ideas of simulacra and hyperreality implicate for the manipulative theory?
Fiction/false reality distracts society from real problems (false class consciousness).
What is culture?
The diversity of experiences enjoyed by different groups in society.
Why might someone experience culture shock visiting a different country?
Feelings of confusion and uncertainty.
Common problems include language barriers, information overload and homesickness.
What is material culture?
Consists of the concrete, visible parts of a culture, such as good, clothing, buildings etc.
What is non-material culture?
Consists of the intangible aspects, such as values and beliefs.
Name the two types of culture that sociologists have suggested exist
1) High culture
2) Mass/Popular culture
What is the difference between high and popular culture?
High culture refers to specialist cultural products, seen as of lasting artistic of literary value. Popular culture refers to cultural products that are produced as entertainment for sale to ordinary people.
Who stated that globalisation has helped break down the distinctions between high and popular culture?
What sociologist group is this?
Strinati (1995)
Postmodernism
Give 2 examples of technology incorporating previously high culture experiences into popular culture and readily accessible?
(Strinati- postmodernism)
1) Travel technology enabling all culture groups and classes to travel cheaply to access high culture
2) High culture products can now be accessed via Internet
Describe McLuhan’s Global Village
The new electronic independence re-creates the world in the image of a global village.
What did McLuhan’s Global Village theory state about the influence of electronic mass media on social aspects?
It has collapsed space and time barriers in human communication- enabling people to interact and live on a global scale.
What cultural imperialism?
When the cultural output of one region dominated the cultural output of other regions.
Usually refers to excessive promotion of western culture.
What sociological group believe that cultural imperialism has taken place?
Marxist
What did Flew (2002) suggest about merging culture? (Marxist)
Argues that we now have a global popular culture. Increasingly consume the same products and globalisation has undermined cultural boundaries.
What term did Flew (2002) create to describe the undermined cultural boundaries?
Cultural homogenisation (becoming uniform/same)
How has Google homogenised our culture?
3 examples
1) Uniform search results the world
2) Ads are uniform across world- promotes dominant culture
3) Enables insight into all or popular cultures
What are the four key terms supporting the idea that cultural imperialism is taking place?
1) Americanism
2) Consumerism
3) Cocacolanisation
3) Mcdonaldisation
What is ‘Americanisation’
Term used to describe the influence America has on the culture of other countries
Ie material culture products such as Apple
What is Consumerism?
Ideology valuing the acquisition of material goods- often reinforced through advertising
Ie. Advertising goods that should ‘bring happiness’
What is Cocacolanisation?
The importing of Western goods or cultural values to the detriment of local goods or values
Ie. Ads undermine local products to suggest that there is no comparison to the real thing
What 4 ideas argue against the idea that cultural imperialism is taking place?
1) Reception theory
2) Cultural flows
3) Hybrid cultures
4) Control
What is the Reception Theory?
Suggests that audiences do not passively accept the mass mediated news/entertainment. Audiences respond actively.
Who supports the Reception theory and why?
Compaine
Argues that global competition is expanding sources of information and entertainment rather than restricting them. People Pick N Mix and draw on both Western culture and own local culture. (Postmodern idea?)
What is the Cultural Flows theory?
Globalisation promotes a complex network of communications, messages and influences flow in many different directions.
Who supports the Cultural Flow theory and why?
Tomilson (1999)- Pluralist
Rejects imperialism. Argues that cultural and media influences do not originate solely from Capitalist West therefore globalisation does not create a homogeneous world. Encourages an increasingly multicultural world (Hybridization)
What are Hybrid Cultures?
Local and Western cultures combined.
Give an example of Hybridization taking place
Globalised TV formats are adapted to suit rates of local culture ie ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ appeared in film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
What do hybrid cultures show?
More, not less, cultural diversity.
How does Control theory undermine cultural imperialism?
Many Asian countries have successfully pursued politely choices aimed at limiting and censoring Westernised media content.
