Departmental Papers (ASC)
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
2002
Publication Source
Encyclopedia of Communication and Information
Start Page
359
Last Page
363
Abstract
The received view about the globalization of culture is one where the entire world has been molded in the image of Western, mainly American, culture. In popular and professional discourses alike, the popularity of Big Macs, Baywatch, and MTV are touted as unmistakable signs of the fulfillment of Marshall McLuhan's prophecy of the Global Village. The globalization of culture is often chiefly imputed to international mass media. After all, contemporary media technologies such as satellite television and the Internet have created a steady flow of transnational images that connect audiences worldwide. Without global media, according to the conventional wisdom, how would teenagers in India, Turkey, and Argentina embrace a Western lifestyle of Nike shoes, Coca-Cola, and rock music? Hence, the putatively strong influence of the mass media on the globalization of culture.
Recommended Citation
Kraidy, M. (2002). Globalization of culture through the media. In J. R. Schement (Ed.), Encyclopedia of communication and information (Vol. 2, pp. 359-363). New York, NY: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/325
Date Posted: 16 April 2013
Comments
NOTE: At the time of publication, author Marwan Kraidy was affiliated with American University. Currently (April 2013), he is a faculty member at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.