Globalisation - positive? Flashcards
(3 cards)
High & popular culture - Strinati (1995)
E - Strinati argues the distinction between high and pop culture had become blurred, increasing consumer choice as popular culture is increasingly assimilating high culture. e.g. classical music and opera often accompany television coverage of global sporting events like Olympics.
E - Globalisation has also led to an increased choice of global images and brands that are available to media audiences and society in general, which have become central features of the way people present themself to rest of world e.g. Facebook.
E - However, Marcuse (1964) claims this creates false needs, where the consumer is persuaded that thee products of pop culture are essential in order to conform to modern society and central to lifestyle.
Participatory culture - Jenkins (2008)
E - Jenkins has developed concept of participatory culture, defined as involvement of users, audiences, consumers and fans in the creation of culture and content.
Shirky (2011) argues global culture and society have become more democratic because users and audiences are enabled to produce content themselves and not just passively watch.
E - This creates a new form of community and celebrates blogs as people can challenge the meta-narratives associated with mainstream media, creating diversity.
E - However, McChesney argues due to a high concentration of media companies being in hands of powerful American transnational corporations, American cultural imperialism has occurred.
Popular protest - Murthy (2013)
E - Murthy concluded that Twitter, which has 300 million users in 2015, can help increase political awareness of issues.
E - This leads to global online platforms having potential to shape people social, political and economic lives. e.g. other users of communication platforms may view posts from climate change activists like Great Thunberg and choose to adopt their views, shaping identity.
E - However, Flew (2007) argues globalization is Americanisation as USA is imposing its media products and pop culture onto less popular nations.
Ritzer (1993) called this McDonalidisation, where the American pop culture is replacing authenticy, vitality and diversity of local cultures with the homogenous, standardized sterility of American pop culture by mass adverting McDonalds and Coca - Cola.
