Aim: How has the diffusion of popular culture impacted folk and local cultural patterns? Do Now: How has technology affected distance decay? Think of a specific example.

Time-space compression  Described by geographer David Harvey  Explains how quickly innovations diffuse  Depends on how interlinked places are through transportation and communication technologies  Distance from the hearth no longer really matters  I.e., distance decay  Especially affects popular culture

Hearths of Pop Culture  May develop organically  College towns as hearths of “indie” music  May be created on purpose  Who is responsible for “manufacturing” pop culture?  Corporations  “Opinion leaders”  Video: Generation Like

Which of these three forms of technology do you use most frequently? How frequent is your use – hourly, daily, weekly?

The main obstacle to accessing popular culture is lack of access to electronic media  TV is the most important electronic media format to popular culture  Two reasons: 1.Watching TV is most popular leisure activity in the world 2.TV is most important mechanism for rapidly diffusing popular culture around the world

Television and Culture  Saudi TV program Saudi TV program  Russian TV program Russian TV program  Haitian TV program Haitian TV program  Do you think these TV programs represent cultural convergence or cultural divergence? Provide evidence from each clip to support your answers.

Internet users as % of population, 2012

“Internet Census of 2012”

Internet and Wireless Communication  Diffusing in a pattern similar to television  But FASTER  It took radio broadcasters 38 years to reach an audience of 50 million  It took television producers 13 years  It took the Internet 4 years  Access to technology is not globally balanced  More developed = more access  UN Millenium Development Goals targeted this disparity of access  Target 8.F: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications Target 8.F

Access to Popular Culture  Television in Bhutan Television in Bhutan Television in Bhutan  Wiring the Amazon Wiring the Amazon Wiring the Amazon  What do local cultures have to gain by access to popular culture through electronic media like TV and internet?  What do local culture lose when they gain access to popular culture in this way?  Give specific examples!