MEDIA IMPERIALISM



Critical Account of Theories of Media Imperialism

Critical Account of Theories of Media Imperialism

Introduction

In the 1970s and 1960s, the critics had analyzed the sturcural inequality and the unequal media flowof the cultural production in the context of media dependency and imperialism. However, recently these have been regarded as being too simple. Therefore, it is very important to refer to the different relationships which are possible where the nations regard themselves as being imbalanced along with having the degrees of initiative and power in culture, economics and politics (Galtung, 1971). One of the main issue is that it is important to analyze the constraints, problems and the structural contexts of the media in the world when analysis is done for the development of cultural industries which are independent. It includes the various cycles of the technological changes which is changing the structural relationship is also important to understand the way media is expected by the different audience as am element of the subcultures and cultures which oppose the change.

These audiences make an active selection in viewing the national, local or international television programs; it is a selection that gives favoritism to the first two when they are accessible on the basis of exploration for cultural proximity or relevance. The partiality of these audiences guide the advertisers and television industries to develop additional programs at a national level and to choose the increasing population of what is being imported from the same culture, language group and region when this type of programming is accessible (Pool, 1977).

Discussion

Media Imperialism

In the 1970s and 1960s, there were many patterns which were observed in the role and the structure of mass media which resulted in the charge that America and some other nations of the First World dominated the media to their improvement. Specifically, the majority of the thoughts of America were challenged which was that it is important to have a comparatively free flow of the cultural products and new and that the main function of media was entertainment and the media which is operated commercially will be advantageous for most of the development of the countries (Straubhaar, 1991).

There were many problems which were identified. There were many studies that identified that there was an increase in the one way sequence of information from some of the nations that dominated the media to the other countries (Beltran, 1978). Other studies also experienced the similar flow in the news which was controlled by four main agencies. The spreading of foreign investment in the media, commercial model of media and the power of the international advertisers are threatening the utilization of media for the urpose of development at the national level.

There are two main types of theories that have tried to clarify these different pattern. The first is the cultural dependence which is based on the concept of dependency theory. It focuses on the ideological position of media being a element of the superstructure of culture which is due to the economic dealings of ...