1. Why does globalization of popular culture cause problems?
Chapter 4

2. Think about it…When does the diffusion of pop culture become a problem?

3. Popular Culture Contributions to the spread of popular culture
Industrialization
Urbanization
Rise of formal education
Resultant increase in leisure time
All the reasons popular culture spread caused folk culture to retreat

4. Problems with the Globalization of Culture
Often Destroys Folk Culture
preserves traditions as museum pieces or tourism gimmicks.
Mexican Mariachis
Swimming Pool, West Edmonton Mall, Canada

5. Muslim Women in Traditional Dress at Indoor Ski Resort

7. Problems with the Globalization of Popular Culture: Destroys Folk Culture
Western Media Imperialism?
U.S., Britain, and Japan dominate worldwide media.
Glorified consumerism, violence, sexuality, and militarism?
U.S. (Networks and CNN) and British (BBC) news media provide/control the dissemination of information worldwide.

8. Environmental Problems with Cultural Globalization
Accelerated Resource Use through Accelerated Consumption
Furs: minx, lynx, jaguar, kangaroo, whale, sea otters (18th Century Russians) fed early fashion trends.
Consumerism evident in most Western Media fashions, including hip hop and rock and roll.
Inefficient over-consumption of Meats; meat-eating pop cultures
New larger housing desires and associated energy and water use.
Golf courses use valuable water and destroy habitat worldwide.
Pollution: waste from fuel generation and discarded products, plastics, marketing and packaging materials

10. Pebble Beach, CA

11. Placelessness: Anywhere USA
Their style is no style; a sense of sameness pervades.
Nothing sets these structures apart as being in a particular place; this is placelessness

12. Placelessness
James Kunstler speaks of “geography of nowhere” in describing America

13. Advertising Most effective device for popular culture diffusion
Commercial advertising of retail products bombards us visually and orally
Using psychology, we are sold products we do not need

14. Advertising Modern advertising is very place-conscious
Products and services are linked to popular, admired places
Example of the “Marlboro Man” and the romanticized American West
Remarkably such techniques work in countries as far away as Egypt

15. Marlboro Man in Egypt

16. Advertising and Diffusion: Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Symbols are important marketing tools and companies aim to get instant recognition for their products.
Here a row of former Chinese shop houses has been renovated as a “strip mall.”
The signs are international status symbols meaning “American.”

17. Advertising and Diffusion: Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
American pop culture is becoming increasingly popular in Asia to the dismay of many traditional parents.
What signs do you recognize?

23. International diffusion
Popular cultures of North America, Europe, and Australia have become similar and in constant contact
Americans lineup to hear touring British rock musicians
Rocky Mountain ski resorts are built in Alpine-Swiss architecture
Latest Paris fashions appear in American department stores
Fast-food franchises of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken diffused to Russia
Motel chains such as Holiday Inn took root in Tibet and other countries

24. Bangkok, Thailand

25. Diffusion of TV, 1954–1999
Television has diffused widely since the 1950s, but some areas still have low numbers of TVs per population
Much media is still state-controlled.
Ten Most Censored Countries:
North Korea
Myanmar (Burma)
Turkmenistan
Equatorial Guinea
Libya
Eritrea
Cuba
Uzbekistan
Syria
Belarus
Source: The Committee to Protect Journalists.

26. Cyberspace
Perhaps the personal computer and Internet access have created another new type of place
Certain words we use imply it has a geography—”Cyberspace”
The information superhighway connects not two points, but all points, creating a new sort of place

27. Cyberspace Cyberspace possesses some geographical qualities
Enhances opportunities for communication over long distances
Allows access to rare data banks
Encourages and speeds cultural diffusion
The Internet helps heighten regional contrasts
Uneven spatial distribution of Internet connections creates a new way people differ

28. Internet Connections

29. Internet Connections
The Internet is diffusing today, but access varies widely.

31. Video

32. Agree of Disagree?
The country of Bhutan should have government control on TV to preserve it’s folk culture.