Globalization is the idea that through media technology, economics, politics, and culture can be spread from one part of the world to another, to create what would be called an “imagined community”. The way in which information flows through the globe has changed drastically within recent years due to the drastic increase in technology. The idea of deterriorlization has come into play, stating that cultural identity is no longer found in one’s territory or geographic location because the spread of technology, as well as the internet, has made globalization more culturally based due to the easy and quick spread of information. A model known as the “Center Periphery Model” argues that the spread of information comes from the rest and is then spread to the rest of the globe; this concept is better known as “west to the rest”. This model claims that authority comes from one single place that can be named the dominant culture. The reasoning behind this model is due to the fact that media is able to globally spread ideas from the said dominant culture (in this case, the west) to the rest of the globe. Scholar Arjun Appadurai rejects this center periphery model rather he believes that ideas come from all over the globe, not from one dominant culture. Appadurai believes that is a constant flux and flow between the different “scapes” of media. These scapes include ethncoscapes, mediascapes, technoscapes, finanscapes, ideascpaes. All of these scapes are essential to the spread of information and culture through the globe. Specifically, mediascapes helps with the spread of media through the globe. Mediascapes is the movement of cultures, stories, as well as images through a variety of different media outlets. These cultures and stories are then left up for interpretation to other communities. Additionally there are two “flows” of media that help information be spread globally, these flows as known as the global media flow as well as the contra media flow. The global media flow is the “dominant” media flow with examples such as Hollywood, MTV, Disney, CNN and BBC. The contra flow exists in the surroundings of the dominant media flow with examples of Bollywood, and Al Jazeera. The way in which media is able to spread through the media has drastically changed with the creation and improvement of different technology and technology platforms. With these different spread and flows of information and media throughout the world different cultures have adapted those of other counties. Focusing of the Indian film “Wadjda” and the Hollywood film “Mean Girls” as well as the different beauty ideals for each country, the two movies have both similarities and differences with regard to the depiction of women within these films.
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Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy [Theory, Culture & Society] by: Arjun Appaduri
Appaduri, A. (1990). Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy.
Media on the Move [Global flow & Contra Flow] by: Daya Kishan Thussu
Daya Thussu, D. K. (2007). Media on the Move Global flow & Contra Flow.
