Audience Response: Cultural Imperialism or Cultural Proximity?

The issue of cultural imperialism has become very popular in the world, but first what is the meaning of cultural imperialism? Cultural imperialism is seen as the tool to promote a more powerful culture over a least known or desirable culture. The essence of cultural imperialism is achieving the domination of one nation over other nations; cultural sources of power and influence are of key importance (Hamelink, 2007).

In this twentieth century, drastic developments of global media corporations have facilitated an easier access in exchanging information, images, and text on a global scale. This can create an easier way for a powerful nation to promote their culture around the world. The easiest example for this case would be America. Many culture around the world are gradually disappearing due to the influence of American culture. The motivations behind American cultural imperialism are the desire for access to foreign markets and the beliefs in the superiority of American culture(Galeiota, 2004).

How does America convince the superiority of its culture to the world? The answers are with marketing and media. Marketers create an idea and image through media to promote, advertise and sell the product and services to audiences. They have successfully make majority of consumers around the world perceive America as a “land of cool”, thus they consume a lot of American products and services, such as Nike shoes, Levis Jeans, and McDonald.

Another reason why American culture becomes very popular in the world is because of the innovation. TV broadcasting and movies are good example for this. Since 1950s American TV networks created diverse new TV program types including game shows, soap operas, reality show, situation comedies (Sit-coms) that are exported internationally. Sex and the City, Heroes and American Idol are the examples of American shows that become international best sellers. American movies also give a strong influence toward the audience, for example by hearing the word “Hollywood”, audiences will conjure up visions of great motion pictures, Oscar nights, and glamour life of the celebrities. All this things spread “American Dreams” or American way of life which is a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement (The American Dream, 2012), that influence the audiences worldwide to pursue their own dreams and hopes for a better life.

In contrast with cultural imperialism, there is another term that called Cultural proximity. According to Staubhaar, cultural proximity is the tendency to prefer media products from one’s own culture or the most similar possible culture, because of the greater familiarity in terms of language and culture. This happens in Mexico, Brazil, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Dubai, and South Africa, which continue to emerge their regional media production to compete with US media production. They produce entertainments that are close as possible in language, ethnic appearance, dress, style, and humor to resonate their influence toward the audiences. For example Chilean audience member would prefer content produced in Mexico rather than content produced in the United States.

Bollywood instead of Hollywood?

The government of some countries, such as France, China, Cuba, Canada, and Iran has attempted to ease off America’s culture influence by limiting their access through media. However, it seems not right for the government to limit the citizens from gaining information because, every people has the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers (The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2013). The government has to find another way to preserve their native culture without compromise the human rights.

In the end, response of the audience towards cultural imperialism and proximity will be different between one another. It’s up to us to choose whether we want to let another culture dominate and gradually disappearing our culture or we want to preserve our native culture by limiting our access to another culture or maybe we can choose and freely pick the culture and adopt it to the way we want to live by. 

Bibliography

America's Cultural Role in the World Today. (2008). Retrieved from ACCESS to International English: http://access-internationalvg2.cappelendamm.no/c951212/artikkel/vis.html?tid=385685

Galeiota, J. (2004). Cultural Imperialism: An American Tradition.

Hamelink, C. J. (2007). Cultural Imperialism. Retrieved from www.sagepub.com: http://www.sagepub.com/ritzerintro/study/materials/reference/77708_4.2ref.pdf

Ksiazek, T. B., & Webster, J. G. (2008, September). Cultural Proximity and Audience Behaviour: The Role of Language in Patterns of Polarization and Multicultural Fluency. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media .

The American Dream. (2012). Retrieved from Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/american-dream/students/thedream.html

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.un.org: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/