Revised Chapter 10 Concept Map

Reflection of Learning

In revising my concept map, I wanted to go even further into the definition of Cultural Proximity, and learn more about how local media can spread to other cultures. I did some outside research and found a great article called “Multiple Proximities Between Television Genres and Audiences: The Schism between Telenovelas’ Global Distribution and Local Consumption.” This article went into the popularity of Telenovelas throughout Latin America, and outlined the reason Telenovelas are so popular across cultures. As I put in my concept map, the reason is that different cultures, while they are unique in many ways, also have similarities. These include historical, religious, ethnic, geographical, and linguistic similarities, all of which can be translated through media. In the example of Telenovelas, one similarity that has lead to increased acceptance and liking of certain shows is that the language, Spanish, is spoken in many different Latin American cultures. However, as I learned in my Spanish classes, different cultures have unique dialects, and meanings of words can vary depending on where you are in Latin America. This leads me to my next point – there are three main factors that limit Cultural Proximity. First, this language barrier throughout some parts of Latin America due to different dialects is an example of the Cultural Limits Cultural Proximity must overcome. It is hard for media to transcend boundaries if it cannot be understood by the viewer. Second, media faces Production Limits, which addresses the capability of local media producers to adequately meet and determine demand for their shows. Finally, Structural Limits are monetary limits consumers face in gaining access to media from other cultures – some may not be able to purchase satellite TV or extra channels in order to view media other than what is locally available to them.

Finally, one crucial part of understanding Cultural Proximity is realizing that people have different ways of culturally identifying themselves. People do not necessarily embrace the culture they are born into. In addition, people also move around the world and take their original cultural beliefs and ideals with them. One tenant of cultural proximity is that people want media that is familiar to them and their accepted culture – but cultures do not have as strong of barriers as countries; culture can travel with people through their movement around the globe, and thus culture is not static. For example, The United States is seen as a melting pot of different peoples and cultures. We see many different shows and movies in the United States that are consistent with this – the different cultures in the US have brought many diverse shows, TV’s and music into our country. In this way, media is constantly traveling back and forth and carrying messages and culture around the globe. This not only strengthens diversity in our country, but also strengthens the subcultures within it. In closing, making this map not only taught me more about the theories of Globalization, but also opened my eyes to the power media has in relationship to culture.

Source: Pastina, Antonio Pastina C. La, and Joseph D. Straubhaar. "Beyond Media Imperialism: Asymmentrical Interdependence and Cultural Proximity."Academia.edu. SAGE PUBLICATIONS, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

Chapter 10 Concept Map

Reflection of Learning

Creating this concept map definitely helped me further understand the differences between Cultural Imperialism and Cultural Proximity.  It also helped me pick out the most important information in chapter 10 and gave me a further understanding of the globalization concepts we talked about during class. While I have learned about globalization in my business classes, it was interesting to look from a more communicative viewpoint at the different theories of globalization. Before, I had a vague definition of globalization in my mind – I only know what implications it had in the marketing and business world. In particular, my international marketing class touched on how businesses must be culturally sensitive when going abroad in order to gain customers through appealing to their cultural beliefs and lifestyles. I now realize that this act of changing an ads messaging and/or adapting a product to suite a different culture is related to the theory of Cultural Proximity – people like what they know, and like to feel familiar and connected with products being sold to them. They want to feel understood, whether that be through a storyline, or through a product.

On the other hand, learning about Cultural Imperialism also made me think more deeply about the ads and messages I have been exposed to in the past and how they relate to this concept. In particular, I recalled the commercial Coke created for the 2014 Super Bowl. There has been a heated debate (both in the mass media and within our class discussion board) about what the true meaning and message of the commercial is. By having people of different cultures sing “America the Beautiful” in their own languages, is Coke celebrating cultural diversity, or highlighting the strength of American influence in other cultures? Basically, is this ad an example of Cultural Imperialism, or of Cultural Proximity? This question could be answered in many ways, but brings up the idea that these two concepts may become intertwined. While Cultural Imperialism is too narrow of a theory, and does not account for other culture’s media produced outside the United States, there are still instances where we see cultures trying to infiltrate foreign cultures through imperialistic means, whether to increase business or bring about political change.

While I do not have any further questions about the concepts at this time, I find myself pondering if there is a better theory that could be created to describe the globalization of media today. This book was published in 2009, before Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media really emerged and thrived, all of which add to the sharing of media across cultures. What power do these new media channels have? Right now, Twitter has the power to share international news instantly, and “trend” political movements. I would argue that the currently accepted concept of globalization, Cultural Proximity, should be looked at and changed a bit in order to account for these new powers within the mediascape of our society.