Module 2.3: Entertaining the world: Using media across cultural boundaries

Image courtesy of Vancouver125 via Flickr.

Creative Commons Licence

This week's topic is about media across cultural boundaries. In the iLecture by Dr Thomas Jayaprakesh he  uses Arjun Appadurai's definition of Globalisation as 5 inter-related dimensions:

1. Ethnoscape - flow of immigrants
2. Technoscape - rapid movement of technology
3. Financescape - rapid flow of money via markets
4. Mediascape - flow of images and information
5. Ideoscape - images of democracy, freedom, welfare and rights.

There are 3 kinds of geographical audiences. They are:

1. local - the audience who consumes only local popular culture text
2. diasporic audience - a culture of people living away from their homeland consuming media from their homeland
3. Those who consume transnational culture text like foreign films and TV.

Dr Jayaprakesh quotes Henry Jenkins "media convergence has no end point. It's ongoing, occurring at various intersections between media technologies, industries, content and audience". (Jenkins, 2006).

Youth listen to similar music, TV and wear similar clothes meaning the new media landscape has captured the image of western youth, however Asian youth are more complex than superficial and are quite conservative. Youth are generally attracted to commercially based entertainment programs broadcast by global channels. Bollywood films have sold more tickets in the UK than English language films (Jayaprakash, 2011).

The reader by Henry Jenkins 'Pop Cosmopolitanism: Mapping Cultural Flows in an Age of Media Convergence' defines pop cosmopolitan as someone whose embrace of global popular media represents an escape route out of the parochialism of their local community. (Jenkins, 2006). He states globalisation has profoundly altered the nature of American popular culture and that a growing number of popular culture that Americans consume comes from elsewhere, especially Asia. Media convergence is more than simply a technological shift; it alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. This results in surges of lurches and panic.

The media imperialism argument blurs the distinction between at least four forms of power: economic (the ability to produce and distribute cultural goods), cultural (the ability to produce and circulate forms and meanings), political (the ability to impose ideologies), and psychological (the ability to shape desire, fantasy and identity). Within this formulation, Western economic dominance over global entertainment both expresses and extends American's status as a superpower national the flow of cultural goods shapes the beliefs and the fantasies of worldwide consumers, reshaping local cultures in accordance with US economic and political interests. (Jenkins, 2006).

Americans can't get enough of Asian media so the American entertainment industry believes that if you can't beat them, join them! There have been a number of large companies producing films in Chinese, German, Italian and Japanese. Many cartoons shown in American now are actually made in Asia. The Power Rangers, which was created in Japan, was remade for western distribution, re-cast with multi American characters and the dialogue altered for Americans. Pokemon was the first Japanese product successfully received world wide and the first to challenge western dominance in the global production of cultural goods. It made $1 billion in product sales within 1 year. Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! are now unavoidable aspects of children's culture. (Jenkins, 2006)

Pop cosmopolitans are increasingly being drawn to Indian fashion and culture. Madonna used henna and an Indian religious iconography in her 'Ray of Light' Tour.

Image courtesy of Henna by Heather via Flickr.com.

Creative Commons Licence.

The reader by Ramesh Srinivasan "Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media" defines the term 'digital divide' as the gap between people who have access to technology and those who don't, or have very little. Putnam finds a decline in civic, religious and political participation across American society. (Putnam,2000). Could this be because everyone is online? In virtual communities, social networking instead of face to face? There are benefits of recording videos to get community and political backing. Take a look at the Kayapo tribe of Central Brazil. When they were given video recorders they began recording their history, visits to other communities and documenting issues that affected them. It resulted in international exposure and acquisition of sustainable land. Indigenous communities have also appropriated new media to activate their own cultural, political, economic and other causes. A wide variety of indigenous websites are now in existence (Srinivasan, 2006). He notes that physical distance has no consequence as communication is instant via media technologies. It is obvious the Internet provides small communities and indigenous people a means of self representation. Srinivasan concludes eventually varriers between cultural difference and information/media technology will continue to erode and media research will uncover new empowering potential uses of technology. (Srinivasan, 2006).

Discussion 1:

What is the digital divide? What are its consequences, and how can it be overcome?
Digital divide refers to the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not. For example third world countries, those of low socio economic demographic, or unemployed, those in remote areas with no Internet access, people over 50yrs old and those with disabilities. I found an interesting paper by the NTIA (the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) who states: "We are
approaching the point where not having access to these tools is likely to put an individual at a competitive disadvantage and in a position of being a less-than-full participant in the digital economy. Most groups, regardless of income, education, race or ethnicity, location, age, or gender are making dramatic gains." (Mineta, 2000).

Despite this report being 11 years old, it clearly shows the steps the U.S has made to connect people. And that is happening here in Australia with the NBN too. Over time I feel there will be no remote areas without internet access.

References:
Jayaprakash, T. (2011). 2.3 Entertaining the World [iLecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=599174&cnt=true&usr=15477071&name=not-indicated

Jenkins, J (2006). Pop Cosmopolitanism: Mapping Cultural Flows in an age of Media Convergence. In H. Jenkins, Fans, bloggers and gamers: exploring participatory culture (pp 152 - 172). New York: New York University Press.

Mineta, N. (2000). Falling Through The Net: Toward Digital Inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/fttn00.pdf

Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York S. Schuster (Ed.)

Srinivasan, R. (2006). Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(4), 497-518. Retrieved from  doi: 10.1177/136787790606989