TOPIC: The effect of international culture industries on popular culture and information exchange within the global village. (Globalization Group 1)

For our particular case study, we will be looking at the role Coca-Cola and McDonalds play in global popular culture and the global information exhange. We will be considering how these culture industries are portrayed diffently in various nations, and how the specific values of these brands are communicated. We will also be looking into the role these industries play in the global information exhange, and why, if at all, this exchange is Westernized.





MORSE, J. (2009). COCA-COLA, COMMUNICATION, AND CONFUSION. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 66(2), 162-166. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

This source discusses one example of how and why Coca-Cola was modified for Chinese consumers. We will be using this article to evaluate why or why not the different cultural aspects forced Coca-Cola to reevaluate their ads.




FONTENELLE, I. (2008). Rationalization, Reenchantment and Resistance in the Culture of Brands: On the Constitution of and Challenge against the McDonald's Brand. International Sociological Association, Barcelona, Spain.

This article discusses the "forms of rationalization of McDonald's as a brand a paradigm for a way of life." We will be using this article to decipher the ways in which McDonalds brands are used in different cultures, and how these brands portray specific values and beliefs within each culture.



Foster, Robert J. (2008). Coca-Globalization: Following Soft Drinks from New York to New Guinea. 275. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.


This book explores globalization through a historical and anthropological study of how familiar soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi became valued as more than mere commodities.Foster discusses the transnational operations of soft drink companies. Based on field observations and interviews, as well as archival and library research, this book is about the cultural consequences and political prospects of globalization, including new forms of consumer citizenship and corporate social responsibility.

Sex and the City Relationships and Priorities (Group 1- Gender)

We are focusing our study on the women of Sex and the City, and our question is, "How do these women's relationships differ from one another's, and how do their perspectives on life (career, kids, social status) effect this?" So basically, we will be studying how the women act in their different relationships, who has the power in the relationship, and how outside factors effect their relationships with their significant others.

Deziel, Shanda. (2003). City slickness. Maclean's,116(38), 50-51.

This article is about the girls in Sex and the City who are out looking for love, or lust, and how the men are never good enough. The more things are wrong, the more the girls discuss what they want out of relationships. Who says women aren't purely interested in purely physical relationships?

Shelasky, Alyssa. (2008). Let's talk about sex. People,69(20), 118-122.

The actresses on the characters with regard to boys, scandals and views on how the characters think of their boy troubles. Where they think the relationships are going and why.

Naussbaum, Emily. (2008). "sarah jessica parker would like a few words with carrie bradshaw. New York, 41(17), 22

Talks about a book, which people call an earlier version of Sex and the City, and how it is different. Views on how the characters want more out of life. The women are portrayed as free and on the marriage hunt. Shows the values of the single woman in the 21st century.

SAMPLE: The Role of Celebrity in Global Pop Culture (Globalization-Group X)

In order to explore the question "What factors influence the globalization of popular culture?" our group has chosen to look at the role celebrities play in creating and influencing notions of the popular culture. We will investigate how celebrity culture creates a base of cultural values that get circulated within popular culture. We will also look at the role the media plays in promoting and framing celebrity beliefs and agendas and how these actions are viewed not only in the USA but internationally.


SOURCES:

Eric Rothbuhler (2005). The church of the cult of the individual. In E. W. Rothenbuhler & M. Coman (Eds.), Media Anthropology, (pp. 91-100). Newbury Park, CA:Sage.
In this article Rothenbuhler raises the idea of “the cult of the individual as the religion of modern society” and celebrities as essential elements of today’s environment. He states that, “the media provide the religious education of the cult of the individual” (p. 17) and because the media provides all the necessary means for practice, the public’s access to media is crucial. This article helps frame our understanding of the role celebrities play in popular culture

Charlotte Ryan, Michael Anastario, & Karen Jefferys, (1998). Start Small, Build Big: Negotiating Opportunities in Media Markets. Mobilization: An International Quarterly, 10 (1) pp. 111-128. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://www.mrap.info/docs/start_small_build_big.pdf
This article discusses factors which influence success of various social movements and the role the media play in this. As the article states, “Social movements and their participating collective actors start with seemingly impossible goals to create macro shifts in social structures. By organizing strategically with support from agency laden institutions, collective actors gain strength over time despite pressure from existing structural arrangements, they find opportunities and turn them into bigger ones” (p. 125). This article will help us reflect on how the media shape popular values and also how celebrities must interact with the media in order to communicate their message.

Philip Brown & Jessica Minty (2008). Media Coverage and Charitable Giving after the 2004 Tsunami. Southern Economic Journal, 75, pp. 9-25. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://www.wdi.umich.edu/files/Publications/WorkingPapers/wp855.pdf
In this article the resulting charitable support after the tragedy in Thailand is detailed and explained and the role celebrities play in raising awareness about the situation. According to Brown and Minty, “media coverage of humanitarian crisis is widely believed to influence charitable giving” (p. 21) and increase the level of support the cause achieves. This article describes how media serve as important tools for framing tragedy and how spokespersons can influence people's perception and action in such events.

Post Modernism

In our blue CPTC book, chapter 9, Postmodernism is discussed in many different ways. Jean-Francois Lyotard describes postmodernism as "the collapse of all metanarratives with their privilidged truth to tell....[and insistence] on difference, on cultural diversity, and the claims of heterogeneity over homogeneity." (pg.185). For Jean Baudrillard, "postmodernism is not simply the culture of the sign: rather it is a culture of the 'simulacrum'"(pg.187). Those are just two of the views of two recognized theorists concerned with postmodernism. But, as we have already covered most of this information in class, I will talk about the global postmodern and convergence culture. Postmodernism as globalization, in the "dominant" view, is basically global Americanized culture. Now while there are many arguments against this position on globalization, I find in very interesting in that I have seen many examples of it all around the world. While in Spain this summer, not only are there many McDonald's, but also a large amount of Starbucks, and not only in the main cities like Madrid and Barcelona, but also in the lesser known cities like Alicante. And while I understand that these chains and such are simply popular and therefore bound to expand, I still see these examples as an intrusion of American culture. One more feature of postmodernism that i find interesting is convergence culture, which is "the flow of media content across a range of different platforms" (pg.210). The book talks of how media convergance culture has three different aspects. One being producers owning a different range of platforms and thus using all of them to promote their product, two, how technology has created new platforms for media, and three, is consumer selection of platforms. An example of the second aspect is this youtube video displaying the numerous platforms an iphone has. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lfmlKYZ-vU So, to refer back to globalization, do you think globalization of american culture is simply the spread of successful American chains and such, or in fact, the intrusion of American culture?

Discourse and Power

In Chapter 6 of our Blue CT&PC book, there is a section which discusses Michael Focault's ideas on discourse, the power of discourse, and the relation between knowledge and power. Here the book states that, "discourses produce subjects that we are invited to occupy. Discourses, therefore, are social practices in which we engage.....what we think of as an 'experience' is always experience in or of a particular discourse. Moreover, what we think of as our 'selves' is the internalization of a multiplicity of discourses." For example, you are only a 'football player' if you play football (in the book the example is netball). So this discourse, (the playing of football) this social practice, along with all of the other discourses you participate in, actually come to define your 'self'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGpB8zxQlg In this gatorade commercial, a dancer and a tennis player are shown, obviously, dancing and playing tennis. This would constitute as an example of what Foucault descibes as discourses that make someone into a football player, a dancer, a tennis player, etc, and ultimately an athlete. The reason for Gatorade showing these amazing athletes is to endorse their product by showing that Gatorade actually helps one to perform the discourse to the best of their ability, and therefore also promotes that Gatorade helps turn the ordinary into extraordinary in these so called "social practices". Foucault also claims that "discourses produce knowledge, and knowledge is always a weapon of power.....Power produces reality; through discourses it produces 'truths' we live by." Therefore, since these discourses ultimately produce truths that we live by and accept, what are some different examples of these discourses we see in everyday life? And also, how much of our everyday life actually does stem from our beliefs (most likely unconciously) in discourse?

Symbols, Tropes & Memes in Popular Culture

In class on Tuesday we will be looking at the emergence and decoding of different Symbols, Tropes & Memes in Popular Culture. A meme is a cultural idea which takes on a symbolic role as it is circulated, morphed within popular culture discourse. Memes spread and are given importance as they are adopted and adapted to take on new forms. For a fuller introduction take a look at this article.

So what are some examples of some popular culture memes that you have run across? Describe one in detail. What was it's original meaning or intent? How has it changes as new version of the meme have emerged? What might Adorno or Stuart Hall have to say about this particular meme?

Culture Industries

In Thursday's class we will be looking at Adorno & Horkheimer's idea of the Cultural Industries. These are the systems which create and support cultural hegemony. The question we will focus on is: How is meaning constructed, communicated and institutionalized in popular culture?

From your reading what how are culture industries defined? Provide a concrete example from popular media that illustrates the characteristics and nature of your understanding of the culture industries and how this relates to the Frankfurt school's notion of how culture is produced. (responses must be posted by 7pm Wednesday to count for extra credit)