The Media, Globalisation and Popular Culture

Question 1

High culture

Answer 1

middle and upper class culture. Books, art, theatre and classical music

Question 2

Mass/Popular culture

Answer 2

large scale patterns of culture practices in the media (WC culture, tabloid newspapers, pop music, soap operas)

Question 3

Views on mass culture - Macdonald

Answer 3

Mass culture lacks depth and focus on other types of culture
They become underrepresented and could even lead to totalitarianism

Question 4

Views on mass culture - Strinati

Answer 4

Mass culture has a lot to offer, there are different styles, tastes and options for everyone
Mass culture is constantly evolving

Question 5

global popular culture

Answer 5

cultures becoming increasingly similar due to the process of globalisation

Question 6

McLuhan (1962)

Answer 6

Global Villages
- speed of technological change has allowed us to communicate all over the world
- norms and values now shared amongst areas far away from us

Question 7

Hyper-globalists

Answer 7

Globalisation is positive for today’s society

Question 8

Pessimistic-globalists

Answer 8

Globalisation is damaging and dangerous for culture

Question 9

Nicola Fenton - cultural imperialism

Answer 9

Western world domination of the media and using it to market their own cultural products

Question 10

Mcdonaldisation/Americanisation

Answer 10

The global shift of culture towards western media

Question 11

Cultural Homogenisation

Answer 11

Culture becoming the same as they become diluted by globalisation

Question 12

Cultural hybridisation

Answer 12

The mixing of local, global and alternative cultures through the media making a hybrid culture e.g. Bollywood, Kpop , McDonalds offering country-specific menus

Question 13

Pluralist view on Globalisation and popular culture

Answer 13

• argue there is no popular culture
• Modern media tech allows the audience greater choice of cultural choices
• Compaine (2005) globalisation is expanding media content rather than restricting
• new media allows audience to create their own content rather than being passive victims of the western media
• different cultures will react differently to westernised global media, no one culture can dominate

Question 14

Pluralist views on globalisation and pop culture EVALUATION

Answer 14

• Thussu (2007) argues that globalisation of pop culture allows media owners to earn vast amounts of revenue from exporting and advertising products across the world
• media news become more like infotainment, promotes false global feel good factor + diverts the attention away from inequalities
• content increased but dumbed down
• celebrity content and docudramas on the rise

Question 15

Postmodernist views on globalisation and popular culture

Answer 15

• opens up greater choices and global awareness (hybridisation)
• Baudrillard media saturated
• Jenkins global participatory culture, audience creation of content
• Strinati, shaping consumer choices
• Murthy, global sharing of views can help improve awareness of political global issues

Question 16

Postmodernist views on globalisation and pop culture EVALUATION

Answer 16

• Marxists say increased choice is not available for everyone (wc)
• overestimates the impact of media
• media content still controlled significantly, e.g. Elon Musk on X

Question 17

Marxist views on globalisation and popular culture (cultural imperialist)

Answer 17

Marcuse - pop culture distracts wc from exploitation and inequality.
- commodity fetishism, false needs, conspicuous consumption
- global media is an ISA
- cultural imperialism

Question 18

Commodity fetishism (Marcuse)

Answer 18

products of pop culture somehow enhance people’s lives

Question 19

false needs (Marcuse)

Answer 19

advertising encourages consumers to feel they need certain products

Question 20

Conspicuous consumption (Marcuse)

Answer 20

certain brands have more status, e.g. designer products being the ‘right’ cultural product

Question 21

Marxist views of globalisation and pop culture EVALUATION

Answer 21

• fails to acknowledge that cultural imperialism goes both ways (Held)
• exposure to multiple different viewpoints