MEDIA ECOLOGY CONCEPTS
"Globalization and the mass media"
Abstract
The mass media are today seen as playing a key role in enhancing globalization, and facilitating cultural exchange and multiple flows of information and images between countries through international news broadcasts, television programming, new technologies, film, and music. If before the 1990s mainstream media systems in most countries of the world were relatively national in scope, since then most communications media have become increasingly global, extending their reach beyond the nation-state to conquer audiences worldwide. International flows of information have been assisted by the development of global capitalism, new technologies, and the increasing commercialization of global television, which has occurred as a consequence of the deregulation policies adopted by various countries in Europe and the United States in order to permit the proliferation of cable and satellite channels.
Think about the following aspects of GLOBALISATION
- celebrity culture
- fandoms
- global releases of films / media content
- political causes which transcend national barriers (e.g. BLM and Trump-haters in USA - riots / marches in other countries)
- the response of institutions to globalisation - the ability for conglomerates to be multi-national and expand their reach (big Tech / big 5 etc)
- e.g. Hollywood appeasing Chinese censorship rules as a case study
- the response of audiences to globalisation
- NZ's response to globalisation - the fact that the NZFC is still wanting to fund NZ films, films that tell NZ stories, our indigenous peoples stories and also for tourism sake.
- sharing of information and cultures - 'pop-culture' driven by the West (hegemony - the rich/ powerful dominate the content being produced)
Abstract #2
"... Sometimes, a whole filmmaking crew would even shoot their films in other countries as a way to utilize exotic landscapes. This form of globalization was not limited to these parts. A large number of elements and even storylines have their origins in foreign contents, such as Ninja (Japanese history), Thor (Nordic mythology), Mulan (Chinese literature), or Gladiator (Roman history)."
Abstract #3
...Klein (2004) delves deeper into this aspect of assimilation by comparing martial arts films in the US with those from Asian film industries. For example, Asian talent flows into Hollywood as its studios remake Asian films which can be expressed as ‘Asianization of Hollywood’ and ‘Hollywoodization of Asian film industries’. This approach is about assimilation through cross-cultural interaction which is beyond a unilateral flow from the core to periphery countries.
In contrast to the Bollywood case, Crane (2014) states that US films hold the dominant position across the world based on the data of 34 countries. However, this study argues that US films should modify its contents to meet the different tastes of local fans instead of merely expressing ‘US imperialism’ as a way to expand further its market. This is because a number of countries will tend to resist the dominance of US films by introducing policies that promote national films while restricting those from the US. The focus of this view on globalization is merely on market expansion, but it opens up a question on whether localization (of US films) can be understood as part of a strategy for globalization or not.
- the case of governments incentivising local film industries
Abstract #4
...Despite these globalized aspects in the film industry, protectionism and anti-globalization appeared early on, particularly with the advent of films as this medium has been closely linked to a country’s culture and the economy. Given this perceived impact on a nation’s identity, many governments have long sought to implement trade barriers or incentives to protect their local film industries. They may attempt to restrict the business activities of foreign film companies as well as limit the import and/or exhibition of foreign films. By contrast, some governments have offered incentives such as cash rebates, cash grants, tax credits, subsidies, and tax exemptions to help the local film industry in the face of foreign films. More actively, they have signed bilateral treaties such as international film co-production agreements, preferential trade agreements, or even project their protectionist ideas over an international organization under the name of cultural exception and cultural diversity.1
CASE STUDY
Black Panther
- look at the global release strategy of the movie
- look at the BLM / political context of the movie and how it was received worldwide
- Look at the older example of a global marketing campaign - The Dark Knight (revisit this case study to be able to talk about how a film can have a global reach, using Web 2.0 and garnering an international fanbase)
What are some platforms / forms of media that transcend cultural / national and even language barriers?
Full article for source:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1758-5899.12807
