I found today’s discussion of Disney and media imperialism to be quite good. However, I walked away realizing that we had only spoken about Disney from the perspective of a child, or our own experiences as a child. It seemed as if because we were speaking of Disney, we were exempt from the debate of whether media imperialism can and does have an effect on an adult’s worldview. So with that being said, I think it is fair to ask if we, as adults or even graduate students, are exempt from the influence of media imperialism?
Before my attempt at trying to answer my own question I wanted to draw from Tomlinson’s example of the melodrama, Dallas. Although many of us may not fall prey to the discourses of melodrama (or we may not admit to doing so), we do interact with many texts that operate along the same premises. I think we all have a show we can call our guilty pleasure and as such I think it is possible that we, similar to the viewers of Dallas, are able to refuse the ideology of mass culture as elitist and insist on its purely pleasurable effect (Tomlinson 123).
Additionally, we have probably all watched at least one show from Disney’s ABC channel, and as such we too are influenced by the dominant discourses of such texts. From Grey’s Anatomy, to Modern Family to the latest season of the Bachelor, we all take in ideologies that mediate a certain Americanized discourse. These shows may not present a dominant colonial discourse that we notice or find offensive, but they most certainly do reflect a dominant Western discourse of consumption, romanticized lust and of course a tribute to the American Dream.
Going back to my proposed question, I think that we are not exempt from the notion of media imperialism. Even if we refuse the dominant ideologies and discourses, we are in some sense engaging with the media text. It is fair to say that within our discussion this morning that we have simply “underestimated the audience’s active engagement with the text and the critical sophistication of the viewer/reader” (Tomlinson 123). As a result, we often leave out the active role of the consumer or audience when analyzing texts such as those produced by Disney.
Great post Sophie! I think I haven't thought of analyzing Disney as an adult because I want to hold onto at least one thing that I considered "pure" from my childhood - it is just easier not to think critically and open myself up to the possibility (and reality) that what I viewed innocently as a child, now appears to me as not even close to my earlier, naive assumptions.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of how we often leave out the active role of the consumer/audience when analyzing texts such as Grey's Anatomy really struck a chord with me. I will admit, I watch General Hospital everyday and though I've noticed "things", I've never really thought critically about how the characters and the storyline really play up the "American Dream". All the girls are gorgeous, the men are muscular, and they all seem to be rich (or at least upper-middle class). I know there have been lots of studies about soap operas and their role in people's lives (particularly women), but I never before thought about this as a form of media imperialism...
Additionally, it would be interesting to look at the way in which the structure of American soap operas are carried over to other nations. I always remember the way Ugly Betty featured a Spanish soap opera in the background of the set. It was interesting to see how the plot reflected the very set of what the characters in Ugly Betty went through. Additionally, race is oftentimes misrepresented in prime-time television and I think that in citing these shows as ones of pleasure we often miss the hierarchies and ideologies hidden within them.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sophie for pointing out such an important issue!! I admit that we should not only examine media's influence on children. Like you said, the problem is even more complicated in terms fo the influence on adults. They might only for pleasure, or, more or less influenced by the ideology of media imperialism. Even the pleasure itself might coincides with the ideology.
ReplyDeleteHowever, given the model of the relationship between media and culture provided by Tomlinson, children is the group of people that lack the lived experience most and most likley to intake the infuence of the mediated experience. They are just easier to analyze, I think.
And I do have a feeling that my parents are more immune from the influence of the mediated world than we young people. The media are more a confirmation to their existing thoughts and biased opinions.
In addition, there are more elements involved than age that can change the scenario. The cultural distance between the producer and the receiver, gender, race, country's policies (e.g. the cultural blocks by many asian governments)...
The issue should be more complicated than we imagine.
I agree Stella, especially with your comment about adults being immune to the material. However, I think that the immunity in itself is a problem. It is troubling that we see things, and because we have seen it before, we rarely react to it.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of this myself and agree - it's complicated.
I don't think that anyone can ever be exempt from media imperialism. We are inundated with so many messages and so many images that without knowing it, it influences the way that perceive the world. Media is naturalized and used as a form of entertainment, the fact that we watch it passively emphasizes our lack of control over what we are learning. On another note, do you want to be living your life being critical of everything that you see. People are not happy that we have been taught to look a certain way or act a certain without our control, but what other options do we have? Is it really harming us? From our perspective as Masters students we know that the media are sending us messages, so can't we unlearn it?
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE the American discourse of the classical hollywood genre! We consume it every single day and get physically upset when the villian wins. Consider the narrative of Last night at Marianbad or Run Lola Run, films which do NOT garner popularity because they do not follow the rigid structure which has been laid out by the Hollywood Machine.
ReplyDeleteI don't think its possible to Unlearn when it comes to the representations in the media. I know, though, that there is a mantra in the diversity offices here at Wilfrid Laurier which is simply "UNLEARN" (speaking of our misconceptions of gender being either MALE or FEMALE). I have learned to "Unlearn" these prejudices but perhaps we can make strides toward "unlearning" the representations we have ingested so readily.