GS 1 – Introduction to Global Studies Professor: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Topic 7 – Global Culture and Media A – Culture B – Global Culture C – Global Media Hofstra University, Department of Global Studies & Geography A – CULTURE What is Culture? Elements of Culture Surface and Deep Culture © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue What is Culture? ■ Basic definition • • • • Learned behavior; not biologically inherited. Shared symbols (reality constructs). Patterns of basic assumptions. Invented, discovered, or developed by a given group: • Nation (nationalism, national culture). • Group (fraternities). • Business (corporate culture). • Shapes human behavior to produce intangible (nonmaterial) and tangible (material) components of culture. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue What is Culture? Explain the difference between nonmaterial and material culture. ■ Nonmaterial culture • Intangible ideas created by members of a society. • Language, music and literature. ■ Material culture • • • • Tangible things created by members of a society. Architecture. Consumption goods. Artwork and crafts. ■ Cultural products • • • • • The component of culture that can be consumed. Require infrastructures. Art, music: Theater, radio and television. Literature: Publishing. Consumption goods: Shopping areas (stores and malls). © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Culture as a Lens or Filter Culture Real World Representation (Individual and Group) © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue A Slight Distortion… © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Elements of Culture Culture Traits The smallest distinctive items of culture. Units of learned behavior (such as language, tools, games, music, beliefs). Culture Regions A portion of the earth’s surface occupied by people sharing recognizable and distinctive cultural traits. Cultural Diffusion An increase in the spatial extent of a particular culture trait (or group of traits). Occurs through movement of people through space (migration) or through the adoption of a culture trait by other groups. Cultural Ecology Relationship between a society and its natural environment. Shaped by weather and ecosystems. Discuss the major elements of culture. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Elements of Culture ■ Cultural Traits • Objects: • Tools. • Goods. • Techniques: • Usage of tools. • Architecture. • Beliefs: • Religious. • Ethics. • Preferences: • Food. • Fashion. • Lore: • Stories, songs. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue World’s Most Spoken Languages, 2005 (primary or secondary) Korean Turkish Javanese Wu Chinese Thai German French Japanese Portuguese Bengali Russian Spanish Hindi English Mandarin Chinese 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue The Global Religious Landscape None is present everywhere; none is truly global © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue A Perspective about Cultural Regions of the United States © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Elements of Culture ■ Culture shock • Disorientation due to the inability to make sense out of one’s surroundings. • Common for foreign travel. ■ Acculturation • A culture group undergoes a major modification by adopting many of the characteristics of another culture group. • May involve changes in the original cultural patterns of either or both of two groups involved. ■ Ethnocentrism • Using one’s culture as the standard of reference. ■ Cultural relativism • Understanding cultures comparatively. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Surface and Deep Culture ■ Surface culture • Traits that are apparent and readily visible to an external observer. ■ Deep culture • Traits that support the surface culture. • Cannot be known without an experience of the culture. • One may be aware of surface culture traits but not fully aware of “deep culture” traits. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Surface and Deep Culture Surface Culture Deep Culture Language Rituals and celebrations Clothing Architecture Cuisine / Food Public gender roles (2) Social manners (2) Status symbols Technology World view Ethics Life goals Social aspirations Religious assumptions What is the difference between surface and deep culture? © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue B –GLOBAL CULTURE Is there a Global Culture? Food as a Global Culture © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Is There a Global Culture? ■ Scale and scope of global interactions • Flow of goods: • Diffusion of the material culture. • Flow of information: • Diffusion of the nonmaterial culture. • Flow of people: • Diffusion of cultures to new locations. ■ Limitations • Interactions are uneven: • Unequal cultural relations. • Cultural dependency (dominant culture). • Several material goods are expensive or unaffordable: • Imposes a selectiveness. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Consumerism as a Global Culture ■ Consumerism • Culture of capitalism: • • • • Mass production for mass consumption. Created a substantial amount of wealth and well-being. Consumers / producers (retailers) relations. Final judge in the usefulness of a product. • Pursuit of material goods: • Beyond subsistence. • Role and status through products being consumed. • Luxuries transformed into necessities by marketing. • Critique: • • • • Commodification of life and distortion of values. Favors irrational and unproductive uses of capital (credit). Heavy consumption is a form of misallocation away from savings. A pathology of corporate capitalism? © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue The Three Pillars of Consumerism Explain what are the three pillars of consumerism. Needs and wants • Always existed (mostly essential needs). • Part of social ideals; persona’s definition. • From the essential (food) to the frivolous (luxury goods). Marketing • • • • Mass consumption requires mass production. Shopping mall (facility designed to incite consumption). Advertising (create wants and needs). Fashion (planned obsolescence). Buying power • Relative price reduction of consumption goods; “mass luxury”. • Higher wages. • Access to credit (buy now, pay later). © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Consumerism as a Global Culture ■ Global Consumer Culture • The setting of global common preferences: • • • • • Food. Fashion. Media (movies, music). Electronics. Automotive. • Many global goods originated from the western world: • Many key technologies (e.g. the automobile, the personal computer). • The United States has been a powerful influence on various other cultures. • Multinational corporations have become key agents in shaping global culture. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Fulfillment Curve Other means Fulfillment Luxury Consumption © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Food as a Global Culture ■ The human diet • Strong part of group identity. • Diet is organized along models: • Commonly part of a local, regional or national identity. • Minimum caloric requirement: • 2,700 calories for men and 2,000 calories for women. • Changes: • • • • Innovation: New ingredients and preparation (locally). Diffusion: Spread of ingredients and preparation techniques. Hybridization: Combination of ingredients and preparation techniques. Acculturation (2): Global products. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Food as a Global Culture ■ Food and cultural ecology • About 15 plants and 8 animal species supply 90% of food. • Staple foods: • Commonality of some food components in different parts of the world. • Rice, sorghum, maize, wheat. • Chicken, pork and beef. • Related to an average daily calorie intake. • Linked to agricultural practices: • Also with agribusiness and food processing industries. • Development level and the distribution of agricultural production: • Developed economies: industrial techniques are increasingly present in the diet. • Third World countries: the diet remains often very simple and did not change for several hundred of years. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Food as a Global Culture ■ Changes in the diet • Nutritional shift: • From a diet dominated by grains and vegetables to a diet dominated by fats and sugars. • Natural human desire for fat and sugar (energy dense foods; low satiation). • Between 1980 and 2000 calorie intake in the US has risen nearly 10% for men and 7% for women. • Increased corporate involvement in food supply: • From agriculture, processing and retailing. • Low protein content of fast food. • Homogenization of global diets: • Global cultural diffusion. • Outcome of trade. • Fast food industry. Explain what are the main changes in the diet brought global food culture and some of their consequences. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Food as a Global Culture ■ Nutrition Transition Share of the Population Underweight and Overweight • Urban and sedentary: • People are more often away from home. • 1970: 75% of all food expenses spent to prepare meals at home. • 2000: 50% of all food expenses for restaurants. • Element of time. Developed countries Economies in transition • More woman in the labor force: • Away from the traditional role of food preparation. • Both members of a couple are often working. DC • Less preparation time available: LDC 0 Overweight 5 10 15 Underweight 20 25 • 90% of the money spent on food is spent on processed foods. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Body Mass Index of Selected Countries (% of population over 25 with a BMI of 30+) Japan Egypt Norway Italy Austria France Poland Belgium Turkey Spain Canada Hungary New Zealand Australia United Kingdom Mexico USA 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Food as a Global Culture ■ “Supersizing” 140 • Larger containers and quantities: 120 100 137 80 120 60 • Little cost for the supplier: 40 20 0 • Larger package size can increase consumption up to 55%. • 1950s: The standard Coca-Cola container was 6.5 ounces. • 1990s: The standard Coca-Cola container was 20 ounces. 9 12 Medium Coke Large Coke Syrup • Brand name, packaging and marketing are dominant in pricing. • Larger quantities directly means higher profits. • Skew the perception of normal nutritional intake. Profit © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Food as a Global Culture ■ Wine • Production based on environmental factors. • Temperate climate (colder; white wine. Warmer; red wine). • Hillsides allow drainage and sunlight. • Coarse, well-drained soil. ■ Appellation • Place-of-origin label. • Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, etc. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Vodka Belt Beer Belt Wine Belt © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Is There a Global Culture? Possible Outcomes Medium (MNC, Media, Social norms) Rejection / Backlash Cultural Homogenization Cultural Hybridization © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Essay: The Emergence of a Global Culture Do we observe the emergence of a global culture and if so under which premises this emergence is taking place? © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue C – GLOBAL MEDIA Global Music Global Media Systems © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Media ■ Media • All the tools used to store and distribute information. • Historically information was stored in memory and diffused orally. • Media was invented to assist and make the diffusion of information more effective: • Writing and art forms (paintings, engravings, sculptures, architecture). • Modern technology impacted the media substantially: • First phase: Mass printing (newspapers) and long distance telecommunication (e.g. telegraph). • Second phase: Analog telecommunications (radio, early telephone systems and TV broadcasts). • Third phase: Digital telecommunications (computer-mediated communication). Explain what is the media and how technology impacted its development. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Music ■ Classical music • • • • The first form of global music (after 1750s). “Language of music” standardized (musical notation). No lyrics; can be decoded by anyone. Linked with European expansion through colonialism. ■ Rock music • Late 1950s and early 1960s. • Began in the Anglo-Saxon world (UK and US). • Favored the emergence of global music industry: • Underlines the preeminence of English. • Domesticated by ‘authentic’ local musical forms: • Numerous sub-genres (heavy metal, punk, alternative, grunge). • Numerous languages. • From shallow to political messages. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Media Systems ■ Global broadcasting • • • • • • Began with short wave and wireless services (radio). Moved into televised (cable) broadcasts. Promote national prestige, culture and interests. Sell advertising for global products. Sell access to pay broadcasts. Radio: • BBC World Service, Voice of America, Radio China International, Deutsche Welle (“German Wave”), Radio France International. • Growing rapidly: • Global news, sports, and music channels (CNNi, CNBC, BBC World, MTV, ESPNi). © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Media Systems ■ Sitcoms • • • • • Prevalent throughout the world. Focus on a specific age / socioeconomic group. High production costs. Audiences are fragmented. Because of language and culture they are very difficult to export: • Exports often involve an adaptation (e.g. The Office). ■ Music videos • Started in the 1960s (live performance recording). • Exploded in the 1980s as a new media (e.g. MTV): • Drop in radio market share favored a “visualization” of music. • Essential part of music industry; virtually all recordings released with a video. • Replaced by video streaming. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Music ■ Digital Music • Advantages: • • • • • • • • Higher quality (compression, increased storage capacity). The signal does not degrade. Not linked with a specific media (portability). Customization (songs instead of albums; play lists); individuality. Lower costs (affordability). Global diffusion (internet). Support niche markets (low entry costs). Break oligopolistic control from record companies and media cabals. • Drawback: • More songs sold, but less albums. • Piracy; loss of revenue for the media and artists (?). • Less “superstars”? © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue 1,600 Vinyl Cassettes CD Digital Downloads 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 2013 2011 2009 2007 2005 2003 2001 1999 1997 1995 1993 1991 1989 1987 1985 1983 1981 1979 1977 0 1975 Millions Music Sales in the United States, 1975-2014 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue 1,600 Vinyl Cassettes CD Digital Downloads Paid Streaming Subscriptions 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 2013 2011 2009 2007 2005 2003 2001 1999 1997 1995 1993 1991 1989 1987 1985 1983 1981 1979 1977 0 1975 Millions Music Sales in the United States, 1975-2014 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Media Systems Media Year introduced Impact Newspapers 1630s Emerged with the printing press and movable types (17th century). Many specializations (general and financial). Newswire (news agencies) 1835 Provide news to the media (Reuters, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Agence France Presse). Magazines 1880 Periodicals (weekly, monthly) focusing on specific topics (events, politics, people, fashion, technology). Movies 1910 “Theatre for the masses”. Quick and low cost diffusion of entertainment. Current news (pre shows). Radio 1920 Media access to the private home. First radio shows: to sell radios and consumer goods (“soap operas”). Rapid diffusion of news / portable. Television / cable 1945 / 1980 Visual access to the private home. Richer content. Specialization of channels (cable). Internet 1990 Global digital information exchange. Media rich environment. Led to video streaming (1995) and video on demand (1998). Mobile phone / Smartphone 1983 / 2001 Portable telecommunication / Portable media access. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Average Daily Television Viewing, 2007-11 (minutes) India Switzerland Sweden China New Zealand South Korea Australia Japan Brazil Germany France Spain Canada Denmark Britain Italy United States 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Number of Corporations Controlling the Bulk of US Media 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Global Media Systems ■ The Internet and the media • Conventional media: • Single source and distribution channel. • Control of information (editorial, filtering, censorship). • Internet: • • • • Multiple sources and distribution channels. Customizable. Information on the web is essentially free and can be easily replicated. Value assessment market; judging what is available at what price compared with other (free) sources. • Challenge for the conventional media: • Destruction (creative) of the conventional business model. • Adapt to the opportunities. • Complementarity with limited substitution. What impacts the Internet is having on global media systems? © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Distribution Channels: Conventional Media and Internet Conventional Firm Internet Firm Medium (TV, Newspaper, etc.) Content Customers Firm Content Customers Content Firm Medium (Internet) Content Customers Content Customers © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Millions Diffusion of Telecommunication Services, 1985-2013 7,000 Cellular Phone Subscribers 6,000 5,000 Fixed Broadband Subscriptions Mobile Broadband Subscriptions Internet Users 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Share of the Time Spent in Media, United States and China, 2012 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Print Radio Television United States Internet Mobile China © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Mobile Technology a Vector of Technological Convergence Infrastructure Broadband Internet. WiFi & High-speed cellular. GPS networks. Hardware Microprocessors. Memory and storage. Displays (touchscreens). GPS. Sensors. Software GUI / OS. Browsers. Applications. Digital stores. Billing. Communication tools Messaging. VoIP. Cameras. Digital content Optimized music, videos, news, search engine, shopping, weather, maps. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue Technological Convergence, 1993-2013 Explain what is technological convergence and what does it means for the media. © Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue