The Relationship, Tension and Interaction between Cultural Imperialism and Contra-Flow in Contemporary Media Culture
Author(s)
Yue Lu*
ABSTRACT
This study discusses the interaction between cultural imperialism and contra flow in the context of contemporary media culture, mainly looking at the perspective of visual media such as television and movie other than print media. It talks about the relationship between cultural imperialism and dominant flow in global cultural industries. It also explores the relationship between dominant flow and contra-flow and how they influence and challenge each other. Although the wide use of satellite and cable television as well as the increasing use of online communication has enabled the flows of international culture in a multi-national, multi-media and multi-directional movement instead of a one-way model—from the West to the rest of the world, the market share of non-western media content products is still small compared to that of the western media content products. And most globally popular cultural genres are still from the West. Whilst contra-flow may somehow challenge the dominant position of the West in global cultural industries, it is still short of the power to reverse such situation.
This study discusses the interaction between cultural imperialism and contra flow in the context of contemporary media culture, mainly looking at the perspective of visual media such as television and movie other than print media. It talks about the relationship between cultural imperialism and dominant flow in global cultural industries. It also explores the relationship between dominant flow and contra-flow and how they influence and challenge each other. Although the wide use of satellite and cable television as well as the increasing use of online communication has enabled the flows of international culture in a multi-national, multi-media and multi-directional movement instead of a one-way model—from the West to the rest of the world, the market share of non-western media content products is still small compared to that of the western media content products. And most globally popular cultural genres are still from the West. Whilst contra-flow may somehow challenge the dominant position of the West in global cultural industries, it is still short of the power to reverse such situation.
Cite this paper
Lu, Y. (2013). The Relationship, Tension and Interaction between Cultural Imperialism and Contra-Flow in Contemporary Media Culture. Advances in Journalism and Communication, 1, 50-53. doi: 10.4236/ajc.2013.14006.
Lu, Y. (2013). The Relationship, Tension and Interaction between Cultural Imperialism and Contra-Flow in Contemporary Media Culture. Advances in Journalism and Communication, 1, 50-53. doi: 10.4236/ajc.2013.14006.
References
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[1] Banerjee, I. (2002). The locals strike back? Media globalization and localization in the new Asian television landscape. Gazette, 64, 517-535. [2] Boyd-barrett, O. (2006). Cyberspace, globalization and empire. Global Media and Communication, 2, 21-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1742766506061815 [3] Castells, M. (2000). The space of flows. The rise of the network society (pp. 440-450). London: Blackwell. [4] Galeota, J. (2004). Cultural imperialism: An American tradition. http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/articles/essay3mayjune04.pdf [5] Government, U. (2005). US international services: Cross-border trade in 2004. http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2005/10October/1005_xborder.pdf [6] Govil, N. (2007). Bollywood and the frictions of global mobility. In D. K. Thussu (Ed.), Media on the move: Global flow and contra-flow (pp. 84-98). London: Routledge. [7] Hesmondhalgh, D. (2007). Internationalisation, globalisation and cultural imperialism. The cultural industries (pp. 212-236). London: Sage. [8] Kavoori, A. P. (2007). Thinking through contra-flows: Perspectives from post-colonial and transnational cultural studies. In D. K. Thussu (Ed.), Media on the move: Global flow and contra-flow (pp. 49-50). London: Routledge. [9] Pastina, C. M. R. A. A. C. L. (2007). Brazil and the globalization of telenovelas. In D. K. Thussu (Ed.), Media on the move: Global flow and contra-flow (pp. 99-115). London: Routledge. [10] Schiller, H. I. (1976). Introduction. Mass communication and cultural domination (pp. 1-15). White Plains, NY: International Art and Sciences Press. [11] Schiller, H. I. (1998). Striving for communication dominance: A half century review. In D. Thussu (Ed.), Electronic empire (pp. 17-26), London: Arnold. [12] Sreberny, A. (1997). The many culutral faces of imperialism. In P. G. A. P. Harris (Ed.), Beyond cultural imperialism (pp. 49-70). London: Sage. [13] Thussu, D. K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change. London: Arnold. [14] Thussu, D. K. (2007). Mapping global media flow and contra-flow. In D. K. Thussu (Ed.), Media on the move: Global flow and contra-flow (pp. 11-32). London: Routledge. [15] Tomlinson, J. (2002) The discourse of cultural imperialism. Cultural Imperialism: a critical introduction. New York: Continuum. [16] Unesco. (1980). Many voices, one world (The MacBride report). Paris: UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000400/040066eb.pdf [17] UNESCO (1998). World culture report 1998: Culture, Creativity and markets. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. [18] UNESCO (2005a). International flows of selected cultural goods 1980-1998. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.