Why is Access to Folk and Popular Culture Unequal? Chapter 4 KI3 Why is Access to Folk and Popular Culture Unequal?

ELECTRONIC MEDIA is responsible for the diffusion of popular culture throughout the world.

Electronic Media is a rapid agent for diffusion of culture across the Folk-Popular divide. By accessing such media, people in FOLK settings can be exposed to the tenets of current popular material culture.

At the same time, elements of FOLK culture can become POPULAR by being diffused through electronic media.

Lack of $$$ for electronics Restrictions on Media in some countries Principal obstacle to accessing popular culture is lack of access to electronic media. Lack of $$$ for electronics Restrictions on Media in some countries

Most important media format to spread popular culture is TV for two reasons. Watching TV is most popular leisure activity in the world. TV is most important mechanism for rapidly diffusing popular culture around the world.

FIGURE 4-31 HOW AMERICANS SPEND THEIR WEEKENDS Watching TV is by far the most common leisure activity for Americans.

DIFFUSION of TELEVISON Mid-20th Century, 1945-55 TV technology originates in multiple hearths USA UK Germany Soviet Union Through the second half of the 20th century, television diffusive from the United States to Europe and other developed countries and then to developing countries.

Early BRITISH television Early FRENCH Television Early JAPANESE television

With its booming postwar economy, the UNITED STATES embraced the television like no other country could. While most other countries were shattered by war, the US middle class was flush with disposable income. By 1954, the US had 86% of the 37 million television sets in the world.

Only Canada and the UK could compete!

by 1970, American share of TVs had fallen to 25%. As the developed world recovered from WWII and economies began to improve, television ownership skyrocketed by 1970, American share of TVs had fallen to 25%. Still, a deep division existed between the developed and developing world.

Since the 1980s, the price of a television set has decreased significantly. With each new ‘generation,’ older sets become less expensive and more accessible to those in developing countries.

FIGURE 4-28 DIFFUSION OF TV Televisions per 1,000 inhabitants in (top) 1954, (middle) 1970, and (bottom) 2005. Television has diffused from North America and Europe to other regions of the world. The United States and Canada had far more TV sets per capita than any other country as recently as the 1970s, but several European countries now have higher rates of ownership.

In 1995, the United States accounted for 57% of global internet users. Diffusion of the Internet: The new millennium Diffusion follows pattern established by TV but at a MUCH FASTER RATE. In 1995, the United States accounted for 57% of global internet users. By 2011, US users accounted for only 10% of global internet use.

FIGURE 4-32 DIFFUSION OF THE INTERNET Internet users per 1,000 inhabitants in (top) 1995, (middle) 2000, and (bottom) 2011. Compare to the diffusion of TV ( Figure 4-28 ). Internet service is following a pattern in the twenty-first century similar to the pattern of diffusion of television in the twentieth century. The United States started out with a much higher rate of usage than elsewhere, until other countries caught up. The difference is that the diffusion of television took a half-century and the diffusion of the Internet only a decade.

Same diffusion pattern as TV and Internet – ONLY FASTER Diffusion of Social Media: Twenty-First Century Same diffusion pattern as TV and Internet – ONLY FASTER Same pattern holds true for YouTUBE.

Facebook 2006: Facebook users in United States consisted of more than 50% of global users. 2011: global share decreased to less than 20%

In 2012, the US celebrities accounted for 19/20 of the ‘most followed’ Twitter accounts.

YouTube might be in the mid-stage of the familiar model YouTube might be in the mid-stage of the familiar model. Will the developing world embrace it?

People in the developing world who embrace folk culture might feel challenged by electronic media and its diffusion of popular culture. Some governments and leaders fear the effect of these messages on their people. Threats to FOLK CULTURE by electronic media come in two forms: INTERNAL EXTERNAL

Developed Countries Control the Int’l Media External Threats to Folk Culture Developed Countries Control the Int’l Media All 25 of the biggest broadcasting companies are in the West. Leaders of developing countries could view this dominance as imposing American/western values: Upward social mobility Freedom for women Glorification of youth Stylized violence

The NEWS Many African and Asian government officials criticize freedom of the press in the United States. To ‘counter’ Western media, many countries in Africa and some in Asia have state-run news agencies, station which project a gov’t-sponsored POV.

A North Korean man in Pyongyang receives the news from a gov’t run news station. All international media outlets are banned and blocked in North Korea.

Satellite dishes enable wide and unrestricted access Limiting Access to TV Aside from running their own stations, some gov’t ban or block certain stations. Satellite dishes enable wide and unrestricted access Their signal can’t be blocked They can be removed and hidden They can reach remote areas

Internal Threat: Social Media Some governments attempt to limit Internet content including: Political Content Opposition to local government Social Content Socially sensitive material, such as gambling or sex Conflict and Security Armed conflict, border disputes, or militant groups Internet Tools Email, Internet hosting, and Internet searches

FIGURE 4-37 LIMITING FREEDOM ON THE INTERNET Countries limit access to four types of Internet content: (top) political content, (second) social content, (third) security content, (bottom) Internet tools.

The Memory of Tiananmen Square In 1989, thousands of pro-democracy students flooded into Beijing, demanding reforms to the communist system.

The protests were violently dispersed by the military authorities.

“Tankman”

The ARAB SPRING and Social Media

In 2011, countries throughout the Arab world ignited with revolution against corrupt leaders. Frightened leaders shut down traditional media, like TV and radio, but they couldn’t control SOCIAL MEDIA. Protests spread, driven by posts and tweets that allowed protesters to organize. Cell phone cameras allowed protesters to broadcast their experiences to the world.