Cultural Imperialism

Manifestations of cultural imperialism by America.

For many centuries, culture has been viewed as the set of common ideas on which a society or group rest on. Nevertheless, there is a growing belief that the spread of culture through mass media is unbalanced and thus has led to the term cultural imperialism being applied in society. Cultural imperialism can be defined as ‘the use of political and economic power to exalt and spread the values and habits of a foreign culture at the expense of a native culture.'

The mass media is one of the principal sources of wealth and power for U.S. capital as it extends its communication networks throughout the world. An increasing percentage of the richest North Americans derive their wealth from the mass media. There are over 500 media companies in America, but through many integrations there are only 6 major media institutions and they dominate nearly 98% of the market. The media monopoly seen here is fundamentally anti-democratic in its concentration of media powers.

U.S cultural imperialism has two major goals, one economic and the other political. The export of entertainment is one of the most important sources of capital accumulation and global profits displacing the manufacturing sector. In the political sphere, cultural imperialism plays a major role in dissociating people from their cultural roots and traditions of solidarity, replacing them with media created needs which change with every publicity campaign.

Another manifestation of America’s cultural imperialism is shown in everyday ‘news’. Their strategy is to de-sensitize the public; to make mass murder by the Western states routined and acceptable activities. I see mass bombings in Iraq being presented in the form of video games which my brother plays on his Xbox. By trivializing crimes against humanity, the public is desensitized from its traditional belief that human suffering is wrong. By emphasizing the modernity of new techniques of warfare, the mass media glorify existing elite power – the techno-warfare of the West. Cultural imperialism today includes “news” reports in which the weapons of mass destruction are presented with human attributes while the victims in the Third World are faceless “aggressors- terrorists”. So as anybody can see, mass media can be exploited to the aims of its users to meet their aims.


Internet bringing a new era of American imperialism.

As the internet was invented in the early 1990s by American scientists, some people suggest that it would just become another tool for America to impose its products over the world.

The public is exploring the issue that Internet becomes an American product of capitalism; America is taking the lead in the construction of a ‘Global Information Infrastructure" This view highlights the perpetuation of such domination to ‘a single community world of cultural homogenization where cultural differences are erased and cultural sameness is super imposed’.

Thus the need for Internet gatekeepers to control the flow, transfer and type of media that is imported into their countries.

The term Internet gatekeepers are often seem to be associated with the role of government. Here, government becomes the internet pipeline, which attempts to determine which websites are accessible or not. A notable example is the Chinese government who has built a specific system to control the information flow on the Internet. With this system, called the Great Firewall of China, the government blocks and censors websites which are seen as harmful to the country’s values and image. In a way, it is a form of media hegemony, the media representing the views of the elites, influenced by those who hold economic and political power, supporting those who benefit themselves.

Another point of view- Limitations of Cultural Imperialism.

Every year, the number of Internet users has increased rapidly, it reached 1600 percent in 2001 compared to a decade ago. Additionally, the amount of non-Western content or non-English websites has also increased and thus, it questions the existence of cultural imperialism on the Internet in the future.

Meanwhile, with many foreign cultures on the Internet, some governments seem to have started online regulation or online censorship to ban undesirable web content. It is believed that this action will be followed by other countries, especially Asian countries, to maintain their traditional values and culture. Hence, their culture will not be negatively affected or replaced by the foreign culture.

Some might argue that the large flow of US media into Singapore is a great example of cultural imperialism, and others might beg to differ. Different theorists and scholars have provided their own interpretation of the term cultural imperialism, and depending on the writer, the term could have positive and negative meanings. As we can see cultural imperialism in another perspective, one that a society is brought into the modern world system.

In summary, based on the history of cultural imperialism and America’s invention of the Internet, the Internet is perceived as another tool of Western cultural imperialism. However for others, this is seen as a challenge to maintain and promote non-English culture to the world through cyberspace. The future of cultural imperialism itself is being questioned due to the emergence of non-English websites and restriction to undesirable internet content.


Will US’s media threaten Spore’s identity?

In a country that encompasses a good mix of East and West such as Singapore, it is undeniable that US media is prevalent. As more television shows, radio programs, movies, news channels, internet websites and magazines are being produced in the United States, the same soaring amount of products are being introduced to us locals. Reality TV shows like Singapore Idol and Don’t Forget The Lyrics are simply mimics of American shows. Despite this, however strong the influence of American media, the values and traditions of Singapore, I believe, are twice as powerful. Although US media does arguably affect and influence the general public to a certain extent, it does not threaten Singapore's national identity.

Recognizing the fact that even though there are positive aspects of importing US media into Singapore, there is also a responsibility in ensuring the stability of and reinforcing the nation's values and principles. Our government understands the importance in keeping one's nation's culture, and in an effort to enhance the country's cultural heritage, a set of values was introduced in 1988 by then Deputy Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong. Aptly named "5 Shared Values," it covers principles such as, "Nation before community and society before self, Family as the basic unit of society, Community support and respect for the individual, Consensus, not conflict and Racial and religious harmony". As the sphere of US media seem to expand in Singapore, the general public still adhere to these values that set us apart from the rest of the nations. :)