This is the last entry you can comment on for late February to mid-March.
Do you feel that American culture is dominating the world? Are other cultures being silenced or repressed as a result? What can or should be done about this? Do you agree with the author in her assertion that this cultural dominance serves US political interests? Are there any possible positive aspects to this situation?
Since I was born in this era, where America dominates the entertainment industry, I do not know how it was before and cannot compare it. Yet the effect it has on people is easy to see in some of my peers. As all the trends and information come from America, the knowledge of other cultures and the rest of the world slowly disappears. I find it disheartening that there are people who know the names and birthdates of all famous actors and actresses but cannot answer when I ask for their opinion on the current political situation. I agree with the article that this phenomenon was partly brought about by the actions of the American government. However, I do not think that it is the only cause. Thanks to the success America saw after the end of the Second World War, many countries and its inhabitants started idolizing it and saw it as a land of freedom and opportunities. In order to become like America, people started to copy its culture and trends. This is also proven in the analysis mentioned in the article. Of course, the American government made full use of this situation and started shaping what people saw and heard in the media.
ReplyDeleteNow the situation is different. People have slowly shifted from TV to streaming platforms and social media. This means that the power of TV is slowly fading away and we are seeing the dawn of a new era. However, not necessarily a better era. From my point of view, social media can work as a double-edged sword. On one hand, governments have less power in curating the content but on the other hand, the algorithms which are under the hood show you only what you want. This means that once people are more interested in the lives of celebrities, there is no chance that they will learn something about the current political situation.
- Oliver K.
Oliver,
DeleteI can also see the influence of America's activities, trends, and events on the people around me. You mentioned how many of your peers know the birthday of American celebrities but do not have much knowledge about or an opinion on the current political situation in our country, Slovakia. However, while I do think this is a problem, I think that there would many people disinterested in the political situation in Slovakia regardless of the American presence on the internet and in the news due to the lack of interest we as Slovaks have in general. But I do understand how it is quite absurd that people seem to know about all of these events going on in a country so far away, yet they do not know what is happening beneath their feet. I think that when it comes to younger people, America's influence is seen mainly on people who engage on social media. As you mentioned, the "power" of TV has in fact shifted to social medias as they became easily accessible platforms that can be accessed no matter where you are. I would say that America dominates this region due to their large population as well as common media presence.
It is rather quite interesting how our lives mainly revolve on entertainment that America provides us. TV shows, movies, music, and trends are many times somehow associated with this country (when it comes to the general public). It seems as if America's culture is absorbing our own culture and disinteresting us from exploring other cultures in these areas, or even what is going on in other countries. While it is easier to join trends and watch events of America due to the english language, which is very dominant in the world, it should be our priority to explore other areas of the world as well, despite it needing more effort. I think that this large influence of American culture on the world allows the country to easily hide its political decisions and actions as well as the reality from the wider public by filling us with a large amount of other information. Which is why it is very important to stay aware of one's environment and make sure to take an interest and gain new knowledge from other sources that come from American publishers.
- Nina
I found this article genuinely interesting, as I have previously thought about the massive coverage American events get, particularly in the case of sports. This phenomenon is definitely noticeable in Slovakia, and according to the article, present all across the globe as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe that appreciation and support for diverse local cultures is essential, as it can help counteract the effects of globalized American culture. Overall, I think it’s best to encourage local culture, if it needs encouragement, but not to directly discourage the spread of American culture, or any culture in general, as it could counteract the blending and mixing of different cultures, which I believe is very important.
Regarding the assertion that American cultural dominance serves US political interests, I think that cultural influence often goes hand in hand with political power. It's undeniable that American cultural exports can shape the perceptions of the US, but I don’t believe it’s always intentional. Yeah sure, I’m not going to argue against US culture being used to push some political agendas. However, to say it’s all a political push and a form of directed manipulation is, in my opinion, too simplistic. It’s usually really hard to pick just one contributor to the spread of certain agendas, so I don’t think I have a clear stance on this particular aspect.
As for potential positive aspects of the wide spread of American culture, I think it could be argued that it promotes important values like democracy, individual freedoms, and human rights. These values are believed to be essential worldwide, and I think every culture could benefit from embracing them.
All in all, I believe it’s important to recognize the significance of cultural exchange and appreciation for different cultures, while also striving to find a balance between them.
-Elias
Elias, I think you bring up an interesting point by stating that the dominance of American culture in media can help promote its values. As much as I agree this to be true, I believe that each country that could be aired would have some positive values to promote, so why should it be the "show-time" be dominated by America? Despite the unneglectable fact that due to its sheer size its showbusiness market can produce much larger volumes of media, I think that it should be the responsibility of the source to consider the diversity of the content it shares. Additionally, I can't help but think about the extent to which the country might only be showing the postive, more digestable parts of thier culture, especially knwoing that it will be seen by an international viewer. All considered, I agree with your opinions on the article. It should be one of the main priorities of a media channel to showcase a variety of cultures from many persepectives, rather than presenting sanitized or exagerrated stories tailored to suit their potentially immoral motives (political manipulation)
DeleteWhile American culture is certainly dominant in the entertainment industry, I feel that in recent years its ubiquity has been fading. After all, there has been a significant shift towards nationalism in many countries, including Slovakia. As more and more people are choosing local food, products and media, they are essentially fighting back against the globalization of culture the author is warning about. One example of this is the tv show Iveta, which was made by Slovak filmmakers for a Slovak audience, and its second season has just aired, which shows that it is quite popular. Another reason that the American culture is no longer so dominant is that other countries have begun to provide entertainment. South Korea, Japan and China, countries which used to focus on their domestic audience, are entering the global market with their music and movies. K-pop groups are famous around the globe, especially among younger people, and the Korean movie Parasite was the first movie not in English to receive an Oscar for Best Picture. It seems that East Asian countries might even become more culturally influential than the United States in the near future.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that the author mentions is that the Super Bowl overshadowed the bombing of Rafah in the media. I would like to mention that in the media that I saw, the Super Bowl received about as much, if not less, coverage than the bombing in Gaza. Perhaps this is due to the author and I living in different countries or getting news from different sources, but it is important to note that this lack of coverage is not present everywhere. Also, I don’t think the Super Bowl is that well-known. I have heard of the Super Bowl, yes, but that is the extent of my knowledge about it. At least in my case, this part of American culture has completely evaded me. Perhaps that goes to show that not all aspects of American culture are international.
- Sofia