CHISOM OLAJIDE CAPSTONE

The Influence of American Popular Culture on Globalization and Immigrationby

Chisom Sylvia Olajide

Advisor: Prof. John Deats

Instructor: Prof. Monica Moore

May, 2016.

New York University

School of Professional Studies

M.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communication

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TABLE OF CONTENT

I. THE MAP OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…………………………...5

II. THE WORLD MAP …………………………………………………………..6

III. ABSTRACT………………………………………………...............................7

IV. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….8

V. CHAPTER ONE………………………………………………………………10

CULTURE, POPULAR CULTURE AND AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE

CULTURE…………………………………………………………………………10

ANTHROPOLOGICAL CULTURE……………………………………………....11

POPULAR CULTURE…………………………………………………………….14

SOFT POWER…………………………………………………..............................22

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE……………………………………………...22

VI. CHAPTER TWO…………………………………………..............................30

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE: COMMUNICATION THEORY AND MODEL

GLOBAL VILLAGE……………………………………………............................30

TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATION AND DISTANCE……………………....35

COMMUNICATION……………………………………………………………....38

SHANNON AND WEAVER MODEL OF COMMUNICATION..........................39

VII. CHAPTER THREE: ………………………………………………………..44

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE IN PERSPECTIVE

(MUSIC, MOVIES, TELEVISION, SPORTS, FOOD AND GLOBAL CORPORATION)

LIFE IMITATING ART OR ART IMITATING LIFE…………………………….44

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REINFORCEMENT THEORY…………………………………………..................48

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE………………………............52

POPULAR CULTURE……………………………………………………………...54

MASS COMMUNICATION: CONTROL AND FREEDOM……………………...55

EUROPE: PRINT INDUSTRY……………………………………………………..57

AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY………………………………………………............58

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: PRINT INDUSTRY…………………………..60

AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY………………………………………………............62

INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION…………………………..64

VIII. CHAPTER FOUR ……………………………………………………...........65

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, GLOBALIZATION AND IMMIGRATION

MASS MEDIA AND TECHONLOGY………………………………….....….........65

MARKET LEADERSHIP…………………………………………………………...69

INDIGENOUS AMERICAN VALUES……………………………………………..73

AMERICAN VALUES IN POPULAR CULTURE…………………………………78

AMERICAN CORPORATE CULTURE AND CULTURAL BRAND……………..84

BEVERAGE, FASHION, FOOD, SPORTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA………………86

IX. CHAPTER FIVE………………………………………………………………..93

GLOBALIZATION: IMPACT ON POLITICS, CULTURE AND ECONOMY

GLOBALIZATION…………………………………………………………………..93

ECONOMY AND POLITICS………………………………………………………..94

CULTURAL BACKLASH ON AMERICAN POP CULTURE……………………..97

IMMIGRATION: BRIEF HISTORY……………………………………………….102

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AFTER THE 1965 IMMIGRATION LAW…………………………………………103

ANALYSIS OF THE DATA IN THE CHARTS (ABOVE)………………………...110

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY…………………………………....111

X. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………..112

XI. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………....112

XII. BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………...114

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THE MAP OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The map below, is a visual representation of United States of America. It aids in the explanation

of concepts in the capstone, about regions and its influence. (Table 1.)

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THE WORLD MAP

The map below, is a visual representation of the World Map. It aids in the explanation of

concepts in the capstone, about global regions and its influence. (Table 2.)

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ABSTRACT

In most countries, the government does not permit its citizens to enjoy foreign media, Western

Popular Culture or practice their fundamental human rights. They are not allowed to express

themselves freely on certain issues, dress as they please, or interact freely with the opposite

gender in the public. So the knowledge that a culture or country allows liberal views or

encourages basic human rights, is often attractive to foreign consumers of American products.

This exposure and awareness opportunity to live in a country with all these promises often

sounds good to foreigners. This means they can have the freedom to practice most things, that

are not allowed in their home country. Hence, the desire to explore this environment kicks in.

This study will research if American pop culture has an influence on globalization, immigration

and other elements. America is viewed globally, as a super power with the capabilities, which

includes humanitarian service, financial strength and exporter of pop culture. America has an

interesting storyline of its history, immigration laws, early emergence of mass media, dominance

of American popular culture and global power of multinational firms. These qualities and many

more are some of the reasons people move to the United States of America.

American popular culture is shaped with contributions from domestic and international works.

It has the universal force of bringing together, people of different cultural backgrounds, evoking

emotions and causing a reaction that influences the world. This influence has been in existence

for years and will continue to be an agenda setting for United States of America.

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INTRODUCTION

United States of America is a culturally diverse country, filled with opportunities and talented

individuals. It is often referred to as an immigrant nation and a melting pot, because most people

are from different backgrounds and demographics. People often visit or relocate to the U.S. for

different reasons such as educational opportunity, marriage, business, humanitarian grounds,

socio-economic support or for political asylum. Other reasons include search of a better life or

testimonials from friends, relatives on the benefits of living in America.

America has a lucrative entertainment industry that successfully exports its products, culture,

media, movies, music, sports, fashion and lifestyle internationally. This has brought financial

gains and exposure of the American culture to the world. America cannot expose the world to its

pop culture, make profits globally and not expect a reaction, which includes globalization and

surge in immigration. These reactions could mean being attracted to the American lifestyle, the

urge to live the American dream and if the opportunity arises, immigrate to the United States.

The rise in immigrants in U.S. has led to more minority communities and on arrival, often

exhibits some American habits, culture and accents. Upon inquiry on how they are

knowledgeable of American culture, their response often is: they learned it from the American

media and entertainment. They love what they see, hear and want to experience that lifestyle,

which includes moving to the States and living the American Dream.

The nation has had many struggles in the communication industry but has managed to stay

relevant and be a leader. It had diversified the labor market and changed the scope of how

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people communicate in modern times. It also proves that every action has an end result,

especially if human beings are involved. It is imperative that America takes a good look at other

reasons why people move to the States and acknowledge that United Sates is a contributing

factor to immigration too.

The love for American pop culture (including media, music, movies, fashion, sports) has

increased export of these products in the form of international trade and consumerism, which can

contribute to a surge in U.S. immigration. Immigrants who eventually naturalize as Americans

and are stakeholders in the American pop culture, have the power of changing the cultural

dynamics of America by making it more culturally diverse. This is usually done by interjecting

some components of their culture into American cultural content such as clothing, slangs, food,

lifestyle, stereotypical depiction for inclusion. Hence, the fusion of globalization, American pop

culture and immigration often creates a multiplier effect in the analysis of its pros and cons.

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CHAPTER ONE

CULTURE, POPULAR CULTURE AND AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE

CULTURE

This chapter will explore the definitions of culture, popular culture and American popular culture

For the purpose of this capstone, the definition of culture will be limited to two quotes and its

relevance to globalization and culture.

In the words of Sir Edward Burnett Taylor, an English anthropologist and the founder of cultural

anthropology, “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law,

custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”

Also, according to Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist, defined culture as “a way of life

of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally

without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from

one generation to the next.”

In both definitions, certain keywords seem to resonate with the term: culture, such as beliefs,

values or behaviors, laws or custom, group of people or society, passed down or acquired. This

key elements of culture show how values, lifestyles and symbols is connected with being

acquired or passed down, from one level to another within a community (group of people).

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Culture involves transferring and sharing of habits, norms, way of life, customary beliefs, social

knowledge from one generation to another generation in succession. During this process of

transfer, the ideal habits are learned and accepted as a standard in the community, institution or

organization. This set of behavior and expectations created by human beings, is often enforced

through several channels including story telling, pictures, rule of law, social interaction and

media to ensure the continuity of passed down norms and values.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL CULTURE

Crothers, L. (July, 2012, page 11) states that “Among the many things that cultures teach their

members are normative standards of evaluation – of dress, food, behavior, attitudes, ideas, and

many other things. One learns that some things/ideas/attitudes/behaviors are appropriate, while

others are not. Institutions such as laws, courts, police, parents, schools, and religions then

reinforce what is learned. Culture shapes the attitudes, behaviors, and values of both children and

adults, particularly newcomers to a given community. Children are seen to be especially

important to every culture, since cultures are sustained by teaching each new generation of

people the values and ideals of the local community.”

In most parts of the world, adapting or adopting a culture is a fast track to being accepted in the

society and helps for peaceful coexistence amongst one’s peers and other individuals. Any form

of resentment or perception of not abiding to the customs of the inhabited culture, is seen as

disobedience to the society. The embodiment of culture is used to teach what is deemed to be

appropriate or inappropriate, right versus wrong, normal versus abnormal, moral versus immoral,

old fashioned versus modern and classy etiquette versus non-classy behavior. It is interesting to

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know that besides the general principles of life on what is perceived to be right or wrong, the real

nature of right vs wrong is often times subjective and relative.

For example, an action that is perceived as an abomination in the Middle East, such as teens

kissing in the public, can be seen as normal in the United States of America because of the

cultural difference and interpretations of the behavior.

According to Crothers (2012, page 12), “Importantly, cultures contain mechanisms for self-

defense. These include the shaming of those who transgress the culture’s standards, the making

and enforcing of rules governing what should or should not be done in the first place, and the

punishment of those who violate the culture’s rules. If someone transgresses cultural norms, he

or she becomes subject to an array of critical responses that can range from indignant, shame-

inducing stares to arrest, ostracism, and even death. Cultures fight back those ideas and

behaviors that challenge the culture’s stability and permanence.”

Aristotle stated that, “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally

and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that

precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as

not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.”

The wants of human beings are limitless as there is always the tendency to try or learn something

new. In view of this, culture can be used as a defense mechanism to prevent any cross-over or

mixing of one culture with another culture. Any attempt to change any element of a culture often

creates a reaction from the custodians of the culture which is either positive or negative and can

create an integration or breed conflict. Most people and communities want to be perceived as

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being civilized, respectful and accommodating of other cultures. In todays’ world, culture has

transcended from one community to another with an infusion of global appeal. This global

appeal has its roots in familiarity of culture and the goals of turning the world, into a unified

global village. Hence the presence of global appeal for mixed culture resonates with cultural

sophistication and socialization, which leads to multiculturalism. It makes people want to accept

a culture and yet keep some tenets of their own cultural values.

According to Wikipedia:

i) Cultural socialization “refers to parenting practices that teach children about their racial

history or heritage and, sometimes, is referred to as pride development.”

ii) Multiculturalism is a concept that values the peaceful coexistence and mutual respect

between different cultures inhabiting the same territory.”

iii) Primary socialization, occurs when a child learns from family members and close friends

the attitudes, values, and actions expected by individuals or members of his or her culture.

Cultural socialization, multiculturalism and primary socialization are social concepts that often

occurs in the raising of a child in a society. Hence the fusion of both terms is often evident in

most things that human beings deal with in culture, such as language, food, religion, fashion,

entertainment, lifestyle, social links, religious denomination, political affiliation and the list is

endless. It is interesting to know that prior to cultural socialization taking place in a child’s life,

primary socialization usually occurs first.

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In most societies and communities, family members, close friends, teachers, neighbors and loved

ones are usually the early influencers for a child, on issues of cultural norms, customs and

etiquettes. Once a child has learned a lot about the norms from family members, then the practice

of cultural socialization starts being integrated into the child’s learning. There is a shift from

cultural norms to story telling and affirmative actions about the child’s race, history, ancestral

lineage and heritage to make them proud of who they are. The older generation often believes

that teaching young ones to be proud of their heritage, will make it difficult for them to embrace

another culture (strange/alien culture) other than their own immediate culture they have been

introduced to since birth.

However, as children and adults grow older and have friends from different parts of the world,

travel around or pick up new habits, their preference and lifestyle has the tendency to change.

The is the possibility of a change in their taste in music, food, fashion, entertainment, lifestyle,

norms and beliefs, and can transform into what is acceptable as a new culture. Hence the culture

for global appeal is born and often intersects with these terms, popular culture and globalization.

POPULAR CULTURE

According to Wikipedia’s definition, “Popular culture or pop culture is the entirety of ideas,

perspectives, attitudes, images and other phenomena that are within the mainstream of a given

culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global

mainstream of the late 20th and early 21st century.”

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It is interesting to note that in before and around 19th century, the term “popular culture” was

formed to create a divide between the poor people who were seen lower class and the rich people

who were seen as the upper class. The lower class folks had little or no education, social

standing, status, wealth, power, connections or influence. The upper class had everything that the

lower class did not have in terms of wealth, power and status. This distinction lingered on for

many years until the end of the World War II (after 1945).

The World War II (Second World War) started from 1939 – 1945. The end of this global war

ushered in a lot of changes because during the war, soldiers and war personnel travelled to

various parts of the world. In the course of doing so, they exhibited their culture and in the mode

of survival, picked up new habits in the form of music, food, language, lifestyle and so on. This

created a new wave of global exchange and changed the socio-cultural dynamic of many

countries that participated in the war, especially the USA, UK, France, Germany etc.

One of the most influential channel of dissemination and cultural exchange was the mass media,

which influenced every aspect of the society at that time. The level of consumerism changed,

created an increase in demand vs supply which led to mass production, consumption and desire

for global appeal became stronger. The global appeal in the production of goods and services

helped boost sales, influenced foreign trade and improved cross-cultural relationship.

Standards and expectations were created to meet all needs and cultural barriers started breaking

off, leading to new set of rules, norms and culture, called popular culture. This new phenomenon

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continued till the late 1950s in which by this time, it was almost a decade since the war ended

and all these new experiences had transitioned into a lifestyle. At the end of 1950 into the 1960s,

the popular culture/lifestyle got shortened for “pop culture” to make it more edgy and it became

hugely associated with music; pop music.

Pop culture is mostly transmitted to the public through mass media, in a bid to shape opinions

and influence the audience worldviews. It can be classified into seven major categories:

lifestyle/entertainment (fashion, arts, movies and music), media (television, radio, print, digital),

news (person, place, thing, trends), sports (fitness, recreational industry), politics, technology and

urban street language. Pop culture is viewed as a hallmark for encompassing anything that is

trendy, influential and appealing to the larger crowd (public). Pop culture is often used as a

medium to entertain, spread a message, evoke feelings or thoughts, which in turn causes a

change in viewpoints or supports a lifestyle. It has evolved from mainstream to global stance and

changes daily because of inputs from different angles.

1960s – 1990s (1960-1999): The Era that changed it all and how pop culture influenced it

These era (4 decades) also known as the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and Nineties witnessed a

huge movement of several changes which affected the climate, social-economic base, political

and cultural grounds. It is an era that ushered in a new form of cross-cultural exchange, political

revolution, musical artistry, moral defiance and antagonism towards social norms and values

across the world. The effects of the WWII spiraled into the young generation of the 60s rejecting

the intentions of the war and angry at world leaders. They yearned for a new world order that

embraced love, peace, as they kicked against the loss of lives, livelihood from war and

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championed the will to live freely and happily. They wanted a new culture that wanted little or

nothing to do with restraints, from cultural leaders, religious values or political impose.

These feelings and emotions evoked a revolution, leading to some of these listed below:

a change in the way people dress and expressed themselves

the songs and genres of music they listened to

new genres of music being created,

the education system getting rid of religious standards and leadership

awareness on war, increase in protest and rejection of war motives

individual freedom and push for human rights

excessive use of drugs, alcohol and increase in sexual demand

increase in obscenities, foul language and vulgarity

flashy lifestyles and gradual obsession with materialism,

civil disobedience or breakdown of law and order

outright display of lack of respect for moral values and standards

Here are some highlights listed below of major events that shaped the world:

There was the Cold War (1947-1991), Vietnam war (1955-1975), Nigerian Civil war

(1967-1970), the Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974) and other notable Wars in this

era. These wars caused loss of lives, property, infrastructure, livelihood, created poverty,

famine, change in government and made many of these countries very poor. The new

feelings of anti-war movement enlarged and the culture became a hit among youths.

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There was the new wave of political change and expression in United States, as witnessed

during the U.S. Presidential Election in 1960 between John. F. Kennedy and Richard

Nixon. This moment witnessed a huge interest on politics and citizenship issues among

people, leading to high turnout of people in streets and campaign centers. Kennedy won

the election and championed some changes which influenced the world. In 1963,

President John. F. Kennedy was assassinated and it changed the country’s political tone.

The Civil Rights Movement became a topical issue and it led to the legislation of Civil

Rights Act in 1964. The rise and rise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) created a

massive political unrest and racial storm as he advocated for change in civil rights, visited

churches, preached about equality and gave one of the most profound speech till date.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech called “I Have a Dream” on August 28, 1963.

He later got was assassinated. Also in 1963, the Birmingham riot and bombings of a 16th

street Baptist Church which killed four girls and injured several people caused an uproar.

All these incidents gave more rise to issues of racial divide and dialogue.

Music became an export product from one country to another through pop culture

especially with the exposure of other countries to each other through the war. One of the

significant movement in the sixties was the British Invasion into United States of

America, the world and the music sphere, through British bands. This move was fronted

by The Beatles as they changed the style of music Americans and the world listened to.

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Other artists who joined in this wave of musical empowerment includes Elvis Presley,

The Supremes, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, ABBA, the Trio-Peter,

Paul and Mary and many artists, R &B, Raps etc.

Films/Movies Industry saw a change in its viewing audience as the culture of

audiovisuals transformed into a billion-dollar sector and helped set the agenda for public

discourse. Notable films that changed the world includes Lawrence of Arabia, Mary

Poppins, The Sound of Music and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Television series that brought families and the wider audience closer were: The Ed

Sullivan Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Andy Griffith

Show, Star Trek. These series had a profound effect of creating topics for discussion.

Fashion and glamour events was on the rise and gave so much importance to elegant

dressing, classic taste, luxurious lifestyle. Notable hippie trends that influenced the world

includes Beehive hairdos, Afro, Mohawk, bell-bottom pants, flare skirts, blouses,

flamboyant print or floral cloths, mini skirts, mini dresses and boogey-platform shoes.

Notable World leaders such as U.S. Richard Nixon, U.K.’s Prime Minister Margaret

Thatcher and Pope John Paul II initiated new policies, advocated for improved

international relations and sought for interventions when needed.

There was Revolution in China (1966 -1976), Mexico, India and call for cultural change

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in the Middle East.

New discoveries in science, technology and journey into the Space (National Aeronautics

and Space Administration - NASA).

Women’s liberation movement, clamor for feminism, health advocacy campaign for

female contraceptive pill, equal opportunity of jobs for women, respect for women at

workplace, fair negotiation in wages or salary for women versus men and a huge push

allowing women to have their own bank account.

The change in voting rights allowed youths from 18 years to vote, previously it was from

21 years of age.

The political revolution in Iran and religious unrest in Northern Ireland.

Coups in Asia, Europe, Africa and political rivalry in other continents.

Threats of Nuclear power and weapons of mass destruction.

Release of African countries from their colonial masters and ushered in their

Independence.

The sports sector hosted several games and events including Olympics and World Cups.

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The advent of color television, 8-track tape audio device and Cable television.

World Wide Web (internet), mobile phone, computer, smart devices and digital tools.

Arab spring, 9/11 terrorist attacks, environmentalism, green revolution, Occupy Wall

Street Movement (OWS) and Global Financial crisis.

These notable events and personalities helped changed the world and its effect still lives on.

These changes were possible in the sixties despite the barrier in distance, language, nationality,

race, class and education. This is a true testament to the power of the media to influence the

world and set an agenda for dialogue or discussion. It is interesting to know that popular culture

had the staying power many years ago and still continues to rule the global scene even in today’s

world (modern times). Popular culture activates changes through movies, music, clothing, books,

the media and its impacts can be physical, psychological, mental, mental, social, economic or

political.

There is the belief that the salient power behind popular culture is called “soft power.”

In Crothers, Lane. Globalization and American Popular Culture (2012, page 5), Nye’s statement

explains that soft power has the power to change the attitudes and behaviors of other cultures

without resorting to war or other forms of coercion.

SOFT POWER

According to Joseph Nye, a political scientist, the notion of soft power “refers to cultural, social,

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intellectual, and ideological ideas, values, attitudes, and behaviors that influence human life.”

Nye explains that “soft power can achieve these results because those who experience soft power

may not even be aware they are subject to its effects, so they never think to grow resentful or

angry as they see their societies change around them. Indeed, they may change their ideals and

values and practices toward those favored by an enemy or alien government willingly.”

One might wonder how can popular culture have so much effect? The reason is because human

beings can not do without discussion, dialogue, entertainment, social interaction, exchange of

information, opinions, desire for change, clamor for soothing new, freedom, standards, choice,

integration or conflict. These are parts of the elements that constitutes popular culture.

Hence as long as human beings want these elements in their day-to-day life or on rare occasions,

then popular culture (music, movie, television, fashion, sports etc.) will continue to exist and

flourish, either locally or globally. This will continue to be a source of influence when people

want to seek for change, either socially, politically, economically or environmentally.

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE

America is referred to as a land of the free and the home of the brave, which often comes to mind

for foreigners as a symbol of many things. These include freedom, inclusion, diversity,

prosperity, home of the brave, land of the free and a welcoming country for all demography.

As American pop culture is transmitted through the media in foreign countries, the listeners or

viewers often have different experiences ranging from acceptance, rejection, neutrality to culture

shock. It informs the audience on what is happening in their world and other parts of the world. It

exposes them to new things about other cultures, including new values, beliefs, different fashion

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styles, and genres of music, food or lifestyle. It is a powerful and appealing platform for several

people because it opens up discussions from regular topics to serious issues. As a result, this

creates a love for American lifestyle, culture and when a crisis, problem, need for change or

relocation to another country is required.

According to Crothers (2012, page 1), “As will be seen, audiovisual media like movies, music,

and television provide a significant means by which images of the “American” way of life,

whether political, social, or economic, are transmitted around the world. Likewise, fast-food

restaurants like McDonald’s, drink companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, sports like NBA

basketball and major league baseball, and clothing like Levi’s jeans are global cultural icons.

Facebook and sites like it serve as hubs through which American popular culture reaches ever-

widening parts of the world. It is through these artifacts (and many others) that the rest of the

world sees American values and lifestyles.”

The above statement is not far from the truth and the examples aren’t exhaustive because

In many parts of the world, these products, these companies, the services they offer and many

companies such as these listed; represents American cultural brand in the eyes of a foreigner.

Most American companies and products are viewed as cultural brands and positioned as iconic

symbols with meaningful status, such as depiction of wealth, class, status, global mindset,

diverse and good taste. It is noteworthy to reveal that most people in many parts of the world

may never have the opportunity to visit another country or United States or meet an American.

Some people do not have the need or intention of leaving their native country to live abroad,

either for a short stay or permanently. This could be as a result of not having the financial means

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to travel abroad, don’t see the need for emigrating to another country, travel bans placed by their

country’s laws, fear of starting all over again in a foreign country or simply being patriotic.

Therefore, United States of America, America, U.S.A or the US as it’s fondly called in overseas,

is seen and understood through the content it presents, which encapsulates the American popular

culture. The connection between American Pop culture and business/economics, globalization,

cultural identity, law, immigration, politics and religion is interesting. One might wonder how

this intersects with each other. For the purpose of this study, there will be several analyses to

explore the connection and demonstrate how American pop culture influences globalization and

immigration. This analysis will give an in-depth and realistic description of how long this

takeover and paradigm shift has been in the works and the end results from recent insights.

In the previous page, there are highlights explained of how United States of America has

transformed and transitioned into a modern and global society, through the media.

The following analyses below were made of two cases in which American popular culture and

global politics have intersected. This helps to have an insight into the earliest years of formation

that may have contributed to a gradual globalization, cultural interaction and integration.

According to Crothers, Lane. Globalization and American Popular Culture (2012, page 3),

“The first is the Cold War, the nearly fifty-year political and military standoff between the

United States and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1991. The second is the controversial U.S.

Global War on Terror (GWoT), launched after the terrorist attacks on New York City;

Washington, D.C.; and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001— typically referred to as 9/ 11.”

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He explained that “During the Cold War, for example, the United States and the Soviet Union

established vast international coalitions that promoted their interests, and each tried to check the

actions of the other. The U.S.-led coalition was centered in the Americas, Western Europe

(which came into being only as a result of post– World War II policies), and the Pacific area of

Australasia. The Soviet coalition consisted of the Eurasian landmass on which the Soviet Union

was located, Eastern Europe, and at times, China. (China was allied with the Soviet Union after

its Communist revolution in 1949; however, it subsequently developed an independent agenda as

a Communist nation outside the control of the Soviet Union.) The two sides promoted

dramatically different social, political, and economic philosophies: capitalism and liberal

representative democracy in the Western, U.S.-led coalition; and communism and state control

in the Soviet, Eastern bloc. These coalitions occasionally engaged in armed struggle, usually

through proxies, as happened in wars in Korea, 1950– 1952; Vietnam, 1964– 1975; and

Afghanistan, 1979– 1989. More often, their fights were at the level of propaganda. Each side

insisted its way of life was superior.”

Crothers, Lane further explained the salient changes of Cold war vs American popular culture in

these three sub paragraphs below (2012, page 3-5):

i) “Global trade and immigration patterns, social and political ideas, security systems, and even

popular culture practices were profoundly shaped by the Cold War. The Western bloc advocated

relative freedom in personal choice, economic trade, and immigration, while the Eastern bloc

practiced state control, the limitation of personal freedom, and government ownership of

factories and other productive enterprises. The West insisted that personal liberty promoted

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maximum happiness and growth, benefiting most people even if others suffered problems like

poverty, crime, and lack of opportunity. The East insisted that government control would allow

the products of society to be distributed among all people equally, thereby limiting some

people’s economic and individual freedoms in order to ensure that everyone had the basics of

life.”

ii) “Soviet leaders and their ideological allies regularly referred to the West as culturally

corrupt. By this they meant that Western— usually American— cultural products like movies,

music, television, fast food, clothing, and the like were insubstantial and and meaningless or,

worst of all, promoted poor moral values. (Why this might be the case is addressed in detail in

chapter 2.) While Westerners insisted that popular entertainment and performers like the singer-

superstar Elvis Presley or television shows like Leave It to Beaver provided individuals with

opportunities to create, invent, and provide joy and pleasure to others, Soviet leaders argued

that the values expressed in these acts and programs tended to erode public morals and social

order. Soviet rulers, accordingly, worked hard to keep Western-style pop culture away from the

Soviet people. Yet in working to exclude Western entertainment from their societies, the leaders

of the Soviet-Communist bloc (including the People’s Republic of China) actually stimulated

interest among their citizens in American popular culture. By making the fruit forbidden, the

leadership made it attractive.”

iii) “A vigorous black market developed across the Soviet Union and its allies as people

smuggled or otherwise brought Western popular culture products like books, magazines, food,

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clothes, and other products into their lives. Western popular culture was thus present in the

Communist bloc well before the Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991. Western leaders

exploited the lure of their popular culture during the Cold War. They created radio and

television stations such as Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty to broadcast as much popular

culture material into the Soviet bloc as could be programmed. This programming was done to

achieve the very purpose the Soviets accused it of: to westernize the values of those who watched

or listened to it. Western leaders used the power and appeal of American popular culture to help

win the hearts and minds of people inside the Communist bloc.”

From the analysis and descriptions above: it is interesting to note how the power of popular

culture shaped the world, dating back to many decades ago. It may also be shocking to see how

popular culture affects even politics, world views, decisions made by world leaders and how the

global community reacts to these inputs.

Another shock from these analysis is observing how American popular culture intersects with

foreign national laws (sanctions or embargos) on cultural products, especially from American

shores.

Bans – As is usually the case with embargos, sanctions, blocked content, restrictions; whenever

access to something (a subject or content) is restricted or denied, it has the potential to raise

people’s curiosity. It is this curiosity that often leads to black market and smuggling of materials

or content by sellers or hackers, so that people can have access to it, as it is usually the case with

American popular culture products when banned in foreign countries.

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Most world leaders enact laws to block American products, especially cultural content due to

many reasons as stated above. They viewed American popular culture as a medium that transmits

corrupt, poor morals and misleading values to its consumers and they didn’t want that for their

citizens. They understood United States of America to be a country that has mixed cultures and

in its blended nature, has lost what can be called a normal social or cultural order. They saw

America as a country that champions individual freedom, liberty and justice; the last two words

are embedded in the America’s pledge of Allegiance. They wanted to be in control of their

citizens, especially their mind and thoughts. They were afraid of losing their culture and did not

want their citizens to be culturally subversive. Hence, most leaders will usually do anything

within their power to block the infiltration of American pop culture such as movies, clothing,

food, lifestyle, music, sports, books and anything “American-ness” – into their country.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, subversion is defined as a systematic attempt to

overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from

within. Hence Cultural subversion can be seen as when an effort is made to twist or change an

established order of power, authority which has the potential to change the cultural landscape of

a cultural group. This change is what most leaders are worried about especially knowing that

American popular culture has the “soft power” – this is the subtle effect of changing and

influencing peoples mind without them knowing. They feel that if their citizens experience this

unique American popular culture, there is a tendency for them to become Americanized, which

can change their cultural dynamics.

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Pop culture and globalization cannot exist in isolation as both terms have some of these tenets:

counter-culture elements, human factor and inclusion of people

commercialization, business, sales and marketing

exchange of ideas, information, values and attributes

These tenets help to bridge the gap between pop culture and globalization.

CHAPTER TWO

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE: COMMUNICATION THEORY AND MODEL

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This chapter will explore the American pop culture, communication theory and model.

GLOBAL VILLAGE

In analyzing American Popular culture and its influence has impacted globalization and

immigration, there is a questions that needs to be discussed. Why bother with the term

globalization? How does this work and how is mankind contributing to the global cycle? How

are we affected by globalization? This question might look easy and simple to answer but the

truth is that, with modern smart devices which helps transmit information and content faster from

one channel to another, the world has transformed into a global village. With the world being

viewed as a global village, it is valuable to determine if this fosters globalization and encourages

cultural exchange. The pros and cons of this fusion will be explored in this capstone.

Global village, as defined in Merriam-Webster dictionary, is when the world is seen as a single

community connected by computers, television, internet, telecommunications, smart device and

electronic media and all depend on one another to reduce distance and isolation.

This term is largely accredited to Marshall McLuhan and discussed in his books - The Gutenberg

Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1962) and Understanding Media (1964).

Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian Professor of English, philosopher of communication theory

and public intellectual understood the influence of electronic technology on people. He

postulated that the “globe has been contracted into a village by electric technology and the

instantaneous movement of information from every quarter to every point at the same time.” He

believed that, “the enhanced electric speed in bringing all social and political functions together

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in a sudden implosion has heightened human awareness of responsibility to an intense degree.”

Also thirty years before the Internet became a hit and was widely used, McLuhan predicted this

in his book The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man, (1962) - “the next

medium, whatever it is may be the extension of consciousness – will include television as its

content, not as its environment, and will transform television into an art form.”

He believed that “the medium is the message”, which means that the medium or channel used in

disseminating an information or connecting users to each other; is as important as the message

too. For example, when a message is transmitted from a sender to a receiver, the medium that

was used to send the message matters. People always want to know the message and the channel

used to send it. This is why when friends or people are chatting about something or reporting an

incident, there is always the quest to know how the message was sent or received.

Was the message sent through the telegraph, telephone, television, radio, newspaper,

Facebook, email, verbally, letter or twitter?

Medium matters: The effect of receiving a message through the television (audio-visual) is

different from hearing it on the radio (audio), or reading it on social media from the smartphone

(digital), or a hearing it expressed (verbally) from someone physically present, in which who one

can actually see the body language, perceive the tone, volume and pitch of the speaker.

Therefore, McLuhan believed that the medium used in sending a message, is vital to

communication and cultural exchange, an important aspect of popular culture. Popular culture

and globalization can not co-exist without a means or channel to share the content to a mass

audience. McLuhan believed that the medium was everything.

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It is interesting to note that more than 50 years ago, anyone could have ever foreseen the future.

McLuhan studied how media, communications and electronic technology breaks the distance

barrier amongst people, unites them together as families and turns the users into a global

community. He understood the influence of media, electronic device and how it can change

humankind. He understood how the whole system worked. The real-time value, the speed and

instantaneous connection that comes with using media and technology, are the appealing facts

that attracts more users to this medium. One major difference between a physical small village

and an electronic global community, now turned into a global village is that:

This community usually have something in common: shared values, likes, dislikes, and

similar interests; which creates a strong bond for them and makes interaction easy

It makes the users feel like they are members of a tight knit family, in a small village

United States of America is a country full of different cultures, race, background, demography,

habits, norms and values all intertwined. As a result of this, most sector of the country is filled

with all kinds of cultural differences with some homogenous bond. Therefore, the American

popular culture (music, movies, television, sports, business and technology industry) is made up

of all racial backgrounds: Blacks/Africans/Caribbean’s, Caucasian, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos,

Native Americans and so on.

People in all racial category with different kinds of racial component often bring their own

ideologies, fantasies, realities and representation of what they experienced growing up into the

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pop culture. These may be writers, producers, artists, musicians, athletes, broadcasters, business

leaders or analyst, who show us what their normal life looks like and share information with us.

They invite us into their life, transfer their stories, new inventions and breakthrough into the

audience. It is to walk with them, feel their pain, share their experiences whether good or bad,

see first hand the stereotype blanket placed on people who look or talk like them and how they

overcome limitations or discriminations. For some, it’s all about the American dream.

Immigrants who later become citizens of United States of America and descendants/generations

of immigrants also help to influence the sector they work in and communities they live in. They

often see the world first in their own cultural lens and then through the American worldview

lens, can interject their ideas into the projects they are working on. This has the power to change

the scope of the American Popular culture and as a result becomes culturally fluid and diverse.

The American popular culture gets enmeshed in a mix of different cultural rules, superstitions,

taboos, customs, etiquette and lifestyle which is often perceived as the “real American life”.

Most people in other countries (potential American consumers) identify with some ideas, values,

beliefs and lifestyle in American pop culture. These ideas are either real or mere fantasies and

has the effect of attracting the audience, making them believe that the content in the American

Popular Culture is a true presentation of America.

People may relate to the content or subject portrayed in American Popular culture because of:

new information or rare opinions expressed in pop culture which they like

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the desire to explore new cultures, ideas and learn from other countries

display of props in music videos that is similar to their cultural products

ethnic attires worn by featured guests on television which they appreciate

cultural inclusion, diversity, advocacy or open dialogue on sensitive topics

race, the country of origin in the name of an artist or their background information

mention of tourist attraction sites, notable personalities or iconic site of their country

the content of an artists’ work which they love or resonates with their thoughts and

experiences (they may even be fans or followers)

storylines that are similar to their own personal story or others around them on soap opera

The incorporation of this culture may be done by interjecting some components of their culture

into American cultural content such as clothing, slangs, food, lifestyle, stereotypical depiction for

inclusion. Americans who also are descendants of cultures from foreign countries and are

stakeholders in the American pop culture, have the power to change the cultural dynamics of

America. This can be done by making popular culture content more culturally diverse and

inclusive. The fusion of globalization, American pop culture and immigration has the power to

create a multiplier effect because both terms involves mass production, global reach, culture

exchange, economy and law. As is in most cases, when a concept or idea involves people,

customs, laws, money and cross-culture, there are usually so many factors to consider, such as

the history behind this subject, the expectations and the overall benefit of the content or project.

TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATION AND DISTANCE

Nikola Tesla, Norbert Wiener and Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider are major contributors who

studied electronics, communication and distance. They made communication easier to

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understand, which influenced the American popular culture in its early years of formation.

1) Nikola Tesla, a Serbian American, an inventor, engineer, physicist and futurist. He was

obsessed with the function of wireless transmission of energy in global spheres. He wanted a

large electronic scope that allows sharing information throughout the world. He understood of

the relationship between instant communication, wireless medium and distance.

In 1926, Tesla in an interview with Collier’s magazine stated that "When wireless is perfectly

applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being

particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another

instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall

see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening

distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his

will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one

in his vest pocket."

It is interesting to know that Tesla also predicted the ease of communication across long distance

through the use of a simple instrument. He understood the changes and influence the television

had on consumers and how it intersected with social interactions in humans. This is where

technology (now made simple and mobile), intersects with socialization of human beings, breaks

the distance barrier and fits all these elements into pop culture.

2) Norbert Wiener, an American mathematician, a philosopher and the originator of

cybernetics. Weiner stated that “cybernetics is the scientific study of communication and control

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of systems (mechanical, physical, biological, cognitive, and social systems), through the use of

technology (machine).” He said it is “the transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory

systems, their structures, constraints, and possibilities; with a focus on learning, cognition,

adaptation, social control, emergence, communication, efficiency, efficacy, and connectivity.”

Wiener in his book Cybernetics (1948), coined the term cybernetics and explained it simply as:

the study of machine, control, communication and its efficiency, which can be assessed from the

feedback. Feedback reveals how users of technology react to a message. It shows if they learned

anything, remember key points, adapted to the content shared, connected well and the efficiency

of technology.

The world can not communicate and experience a control of systems, without the influence

technology. Machines, electronics and regulated systems are most times part of the factors that

contribute to ground breaking inventions, in science and technology. The world hears and knows

about the success stories of inventors because they were communicated to the public.

3) Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider (also known as J.C.R.), an American psychologist and

computer scientist. Licklider was a scientist that carried out several research on computer use,

generation of information, and how the use of technology by human beings can create a bond.

In 1960, J.C.R. Licklider in a seminal paper called Man-Computer Symbiosis, predicted

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that there would be an existence of “a close symbiotic relationship between computer

and human, including sophisticated computerized interfaces with the brain.”

In April, 1968, Licklider and Robert Taylor (computer scientist) both published a paper

in Science and Technology called The Computer as a Communication Device; describing

the computer as a valuable tool for transmitting data and generating new information for

users, through regular interaction.

Therefore, Licklider saw the potential for an online network community. Hence he created a term

called netizen (net citizen). Netizen is an online network world, in which users view themselves

as citizens of a virtual community, contributing more content and fostering interaction within the

group. They give more than they receive in the group, because of their bond and shared interest.

Summary on the contributors listed above:

These inventors saw the technology (wireless or internet) as a channel that people can use to

connect and communicate their shared values (interests, ideas, opinions and needs), irrespective

of their distance and geographic location.

COMMUNICATION

The noun “communication” or the verb “to communicate’ sounds like familiar words or any

other activity people do and partake in, on a daily basis. Simply put, it is the sharing or exchange

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of ideas, opinion and knowledge between people or groups, through a means, on a subject.

Shannon and Weaver’s Model of communication (1949), is a theory that explains the basics of

communication, the process, the elements needed for effective communication and how to

optimize sending a message through a channel. This model is described in two different

diagrams above because of improvements made by science contributors over the years.

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages or transferring information

from one part (sender) to another (receiver). It is the art of a sender (source, encoder, originator

of a content) sending a message through a channel (medium, transmitter, means of signal) to a

receiver (destination, decoder, recipient, institution, another person or group of persons whom

the message is intended for) through a with the expectation of a feedback (acknowledgement of

message received, rejection of the message, noise and silence.) This process is synonymous with

what most people do all the time: talking, chatting, giving an instruction, counselling, discussing,

transferring and exchanging a message, ideas and opinion.

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SHANNON AND WEAVER MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

Communication model is a concept used to explain the process of human beings communicate.

In 1949, Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver created the Shannon and Weaver model

of communication for Bell Laboratories, in a bid to explain how telephone and radio worked.

Here is a brief history below of both inventors:

1) Claude Elwood Shannon, an American mathematician, engineer, founder of information

theory and information age. In 1948, Shannon published a ground-breaking journal article about

information theory. He is regarded as the father of digital revolution, electronics communication

and a code breaker during the World War II. He believed that clear information was important

when sending an information through a channel. He solved engineering problems and focused on

reducing noise, interference and errors in communication. His ideas helped fix errors that affects

Digital CDs when it drops on the floor or is smeared with fingerprints and doesn’t play well.

2) Warren Weaver, an American scientist, mathematician, and science administrator. He is

regarded as one of the leading figures in machine translation and a great contributor to science

and communication. He supported many leading research in medicine, agriculture, molecular

engineering, genetics and developmental programs in mathematics and statistics.

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Shannon and Weaver’s model of communication diagram

(Table 3. and Table 4.)

Hence, based on the definitions stated by Claude Elwood Shannon, Warren Weaver, Nikola

Tesla, Norbert Wiener and Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider on communication, their analysis and

description have certain similarities. The five contributors acknowledge that for effective

communication to occur, especially with the use of technology which is crucial in exchange of

global culture, certain terms are essential which are listed below:

a system that controls or regulates what is shared

a communication content to spread a locally and globally across a distance

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feedback via adaptation to new values and lifestyle which validates its efficiency

emergence of new behaviors or resentment through imitation of lifestyle.

The involvement of human being(s) or+and machine(s)

The terms expressed above in bold texts from the five definitions of the theorists many years

ago, are still relevant in todays’ world. The presence of modern smart devices, software, internet

and technology which serves as the machine that helps transport music, movies, modern

lifestyle, news from the television, sports, fashion and media content (message) to the world.

The industry can measure the adaptability and reception of its audience (receiver) to a message

(pop culture content) based on the feedback they get, through imitation of acts, increase in sales

of materials, merchandise, viewing or discussion on social media platforms.

In American Popular culture, these terms are visible, active, core elements and makes “pop

culture” still exist successfully across the globe. The power of effective communication (writing,

speaking, singing, acting, dancing), modern technology, the process in its entirety and an

audience willing to learn gain new experience, are part of what makes the American Pop culture

evolving and influential in globalization and immigration. It has the ability to attract audience

globally with the use of the communication theories, which are crucial to its staying power. The

five theorists’ explained the communication process and the American Popular culture uses it.

21 st century - Here is an update after many years of the early global village experience

People now have a quicker access to information, breaking news, media outlets, internet, emails

and trending topics, because of frequent or high use of digital media and smart devices.

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With the touch of a button, download of an app, live streaming, news feed, news troll and

constant updates on smart devices, people can connect with strangers, friends, family,

acquaintances and the world. It is like carrying the world in your palms, in your bag, on-

the-go 24/7/365 (24 hours: 7 days: 365 days = all year round).

The notion of what should be classified as local, regional, national or international

subject, content or news; is gradually eroding users mind. This is because people feel

closer, connected and linked to each other more than ever before. It is like being in one

place physically but in many places digitally at the same time.

With the media creating a sense of closeness and proximity for its users, there comes the

challenges of knowing too much, knowing everything about other people’s business,

which in-turn now becomes our business, everybody’s business. People now feel like

they are family with someone living hundreds of miles away from them, yet are treated

like their next-door neighbor or one who lives down the street or few blocks away.

Smart device help users connect with people far away while the people close to the users

physically are sometimes ignored. The smart technology that brings people together

sometimes becomes the tool that fosters alienation. For example, a group of people

(family or friends) can be together in a location yet are deeply engrossed, neck deep or

face down into their smart device, instead of talking and engaging with each other.

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The world being a global village, has helped bring people together and the spreading of a

message or lifestyle, is getting easier day by day. Pop culture usually has a message or purpose

for its creation, whether it is for social change, information sharing or entertainment. However,

some consumers of pop culture find it difficult separating fiction from non-fiction. They don’t

know when to draw the line between real life scenes and reality shows. Everything looks normal,

weird or newsworthy to them and the temptation to share a message to others is on the increase

with commands such as: like, share, tweet, retweet, quote and post a content on social media.

The social engagement among people can change the dynamics in communication.

In the mood of sharing, liking, retweeting and reposting message, the potential for content to go

viral is likely. This exposes others to a new culture, reinforces some thoughts, ideas and can lead

to imitation of certain character, behavior and lifestyle.

The unanswered questions are: is life imitating art or art imitating life?

Can popular culture influence people’s behavior, actions, thoughts or lifestyle?

Are consumers of American Popular culture likely to imitate what they see and hear?

Can watching, listening or embracing trends and lifestyle displayed in popular culture

lead to adoption of new values? If yes, to what extent can adoption of new values reach?

Can this serve as a catalyst for social reforms and behavioral change?

Can the global village continue to flourish without American Popular culture?

We will find the answers to the questions above, in the next chapter: Chapter 3.

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CHAPTER THREE:

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE IN PERSPECTIVE (MUSIC, MOVIES,

TELEVISION, SPORTS, FOOD AND GLOBAL CORPORATION)

LIFE IMITATING ART OR ART IMITATING LIFE

The saying that “Life imitates art” is often mixed with “Art imitating life” because sometimes

people imitate the habits, behaviors and lifestyle portrayed in creative works. This ranges from

acting out in real life the scenarios they watch in movies, using the lyrics expressed in musical

contents, imitating the fashion style depicted in the media or opining world views that are stated

in the pop culture. It is important to note that in Ancient times, art was seen as a form of

expression, entertainment, identity, talent and cultural discovery.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, art is defined as the various branches of creative

activity such as painting, music, literature and dance. It is decorative or an illustrative element in

printed matter. It is something that is created with imagination, skill, is beautiful and expresses

important ideas or feelings. This skill is acquired by experience, study or observation.

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life” – Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (legally known as Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde), was an Irish playwright,

novelist, essayist, and poet. In his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying-An Observation, Wilde stated

that “the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful

forms through which it may realize that energy.” Through his essay, he pushed four ideologies

that differentiated the value of life from art in imitation. Here are the points below:

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Art never expresses anything but itself

All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals

Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life

Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art

Wilde stated that “What is found in life and nature is not what is really there, but is that which

artists have taught people to find there, through art.” He gave an illustration of his belief by

making this analogy: “although there has been fog in London for centuries, one notices the

beauty and wonder of the fog because "poets and painters have taught the loveliness of such

effects. They did not exist till Art had invented them.”

Wilde believed that life imitated art far more than art imitated life. Life (human beings, opinion

leaders and its environments) simply followed what art (creative works) brought to its attention.

He positioned “life” as not having much power to control the influence of arts on human beings

and the effect it brought upon them. He believed that most things people do, think, dream of,

wish, admire and new behaviors adopted, were imitated from their exposure to arts. Therefore,

people are influenced by what they see, hear, learn or know from creative content and work. This

means they act out certain lifestyles and behaviors based on their exposure to popular culture

such as the American popular culture. He believed that arts -artists and their creative works- had

the power to influence its audience (users of its platform) and that creative work has an influence

on what happens in the real world to real people, with real life experiences.

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However, a contrasting opinion to the statement above was from Henry James, an American

novelist and a prominent literary realist in 19th century. James Henry’s opinions on the

relationship between arts and life, were the exact opposite of what Oscar Wilde believed.

In 1884, James in a magazine article titled “The Art of the Novel”, stated that the novel is “a

direct impression of life.” He believed that the novel represented a creative content, and a

creative content is a direct impression of life, which means a creative work or content is inspired

from what happens in real life. Artists and creators gain imaginations of their work from life.

James believed the notion that “art imitates life.” His theory is that creative content or artistic

work is borne out of ideas or events that happened in real life. So artists simply report, discuss,

inform, entertain, remind, educate, share and tell the story or experience based on real life events

or people; through their work of arts. Creators of arts such as novels, fictional or non-fictional

content are inspired by real life scenarios, real life stories and add to the perception of storyline

(either monologue or dialogue). He used a novel as an example of creative content that is written

from people stories or events. It is noteworthy to understand that movies, music, television, and

subjects, topics or ideas expressed through the media, can be classified as artistic content.

The question on if pop culture still has an effect on its consumers, the society and the outside

world still lingers. The query on influence of pop culture through the help of media, often arises

when parental rights activists, counsellors or media regulators worry about the influence of

television and internet content on viewers, especially young ones. Some people believe that the

rate of violence among youths and adults in the street, is connected with the amount of violence

displayed in video games, movies, thug life portrayed in music videos and lyrics, which has led

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to an increase in bullying, revenge and mean boy/girl syndrome. Other people believe that when

youths and adults display bad and violent behaviors, it is because they already had a pre-existing

flair for violent content and behaviors but the media only helped to bring it to light.

In pop culture, there is a difference between the everyday real-life events, stories or content

versus imaginary events, stories or content that are created, yet both are created and presented as

popular culture content. In American Pop culture, some of its audience and consumers may or

may not know the difference between real life content and reality show content. Some consumers

of American popular culture believe most popular culture contents they are exposed to and see it

as “life imitating arts”; while others believe that the content of American popular culture is not a

true representation of the normal civil life of Americans or values. Consumers sometimes are

confused on reality versus mimesis, which is the imitation of the real world in art and literature.

The truth of the matter is that there will always be different opinions and argument on whether

life imitates arts far more than art imitates life.

The lesson: Wilde believed that life imitates art more than art imitates life as events in real life

occur of because of an imitation of a creative content, while James believes art imitates life (an

otherwise thought). Since Ancient times, arts have transitioned from carved woodworks,

paintings, cultural marks on the body, to digital arts and modern media, as seen on the internet,

smart devices and television. The challenge with believing or not believing the contents of

American Popular culture, is that the more consumers are exposed to it, the more likely it’s

perceived as imitations of American values and culture, leading to the reinforcement theory.

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REINFORCEMENT THEORY

Reinforcement (in behavioral psychology), according to Wikipedia, is a consequence that will

strengthen an organism’s future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific

antecedent stimulus (an energy or prompting that makes an organism act out a learned

behavior). It is the enhancement of behavior, memory and amplified response to a subject,

stimulus or an action due to repeated exposure to it. Also according to Wikipedia, reinforcement

theory (of mass communication), is a limited effects media model applicable within the realm of

communication. The theory generally states that people seek out and remember information that

provides cognitive support for their pre-existing attitudes and beliefs.

With both definitions above, it means that constant exposure to music, movies, television,

lifestyle and elements of pop culture, has the tendency to create repetitive reaction and response

from consumers. This stimulus can be activated through some of these methods:

watching music videos, movies or television programs (science, fiction, action packed or

romantic comedy based)

watching sports program and following the lifestyles of actors, athletes, or celebrities

watching news (both good and bad news), listening to radio, hearing what’s on podcast

using the social media for connecting with people and posting contents that goes viral

Exposure to American popular culture has the potential of supporting the reinforcement model,

which believes in the notion that repeated exposure to popular culture content reinforces

American views, behaviors, lifestyle and beliefs. Also, the determining factor depends on the

influence of exposure and relationship between arts versus life imitating each other.

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Exposure of popular culture, can be analyzed through the following below:

Who is/are the audience (demographic and background information such as age, race)?

What kind of art (creative content) are the audience exposed to?

How many times are the audience exposed to the creative content (duration)?

How long were the audience exposed to the creative content (breath of timeline)?

In what shape or form is the art presented to the audience (detail)?

The school of thought behind the reinforcement model, is that repeated exposure to American

cultural contents can spring up new cultural trends and ideas on its consumers, knowingly or

unknowingly. The explanation gives a different and new meaning to content analysis and

audience engagement (mental). This means that these individuals (users and consumers of pop

culture) may or may not realize the influence that soft power of technology has on them. They

may not know that repeated exposure to American pop culture can change their behaviors,

beliefs and lifestyle. It is not certain about the probability of a change, but there is the possibility

of a salient change happening gradually, which can lead them to appreciate American as a nation

and most things associated with United States of America. This feeling is in the urban street

language is called Americanness state of mind. Americanness according to the dictionary, is

loosely defined as the the quality and characteristic of being American.

The next question is: how and why do consumers choose the content they want to receive or

reject based on repetitive exposure to pop culture? The answer lies in three components of

reinforcement theory: selective perception, selective exposure and selective retention.

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1) Selective perception: According to Wikipedia, this “is the tendency not to notice and more

quickly forget stimuli that cause emotional discomfort and contradict an individuals’ prior

beliefs. It is the process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages

while ignoring opposing viewpoints. It is a broad term to identify the behavior all people exhibit

to tend to "see things" based on their particular frame of reference. It also describes how we

categorize and interpret sensory information in a way that favors one category or interpretation

over another. In other words, selective perception is a form of bias because we interpret

information in a way that is congruent with our existing values and beliefs.”

2) Selective exposure: is also known as "Congeniality Bias" or “Confirmation Bias”.

According to Wikipedia, this “is a theory within the practice of psychology, often used in media

and communication research, that historically refers to individuals’ tendency to favor

information which reinforces their pre-existing views while avoiding contradictory information.

Selective exposure to information refers to the phenomenon in which individuals tend to prefer

information that supports a certain view or decision and in which they tend to neglect conflicting

information.” According to the historical use of the term, people tend to select specific aspects of

exposed information which they incorporate into their mindset. These selections are made based

on their perspectives, beliefs, attitudes and decisions. People can mentally dissect the

information they are exposed to and select favorable evidence, while ignoring the unfavorable.

This theory is linked to the cognitive dissonance theory.

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Cognitive dissonance theory was founded by Leon Festinger, a social psychologist. The theory

explains the discomfort or uneasiness an individual feel when two or more contrary values,

beliefs, or opinions are presented on a topic; or how to act in a way that is against one or more

values and ideas. The uneasiness often creates conflict for an individual between choosing the

new information or content received and making a choice on how to blend it with the pre-

existing ideas, values, beliefs or opinions held. The uneasy feeling can make an individual

choose a side from the different views and stick to the beliefs they like, for consistency, balance

and harmony in opposing views and values. The search for balance in views also can lead to

cognitive equilibrium, which is defined “as a state of balance between a person’s mental

representation of the world and his or her environment.” The assumption of this theory is that

individuals will continue to think through about the values they have embraced, even after they

have made a stance on an issue and can lead to reinforcement of opinions on it.

3) Selective retention: This phenomenon occurs when “people remember only those items that

are in agreement with their predispositions. The ease with which a person can recall information

impacts the level and intensity of judgment related to the topic.”

In summary, the reinforcement theory of psychology and mass communication, are used in this

study because its analysis helps explain how human beings react to information, communication

and media (popular culture). Analysis and understanding of human behavior and its link to

popular culture is necessary because the media (traditional or modern), is a key channel often

used to transmit popular culture product (message) to the consumers (audience). Hence the

choice of both theories fits the scope of this explanation.

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Also, the three selective components of the reinforcement theory show the different approaches,

at which human beings accept new information and the deliberate choice they make on which

opinion to hold on to or reject. It also shows that human beings have the will power and

intelligence to choose which information influences their values, opinion or beliefs and are not

all that gullible when making decision, in acceptance of new values in American pop culture.

HISTORY OF AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE

For the purpose of this study, the focus on common elements of popular culture will be on

music, movies, television, sports (NFL), food (MC Donald’s) and global corporation (coca cola).

As I commenced this research, the major question that came to my mind and the mind of people

I came across in relation to this topic was: Why is America mentioned in relevance to popular

culture? Is it because America is seen as a super power country or has the financial power and

connection? Why is American popular culture suggested to have an influence on globalization

and immigration and not any other country (ies) mentioned?

Ernest Andre Gellner, a British-Czech philosopher and social anthropologist, believed that

popular culture is the result of the Industrial Revolution, which made the creation of mass-

produced popular culture possible in the first place. The Industrial Revolution was the

transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to between 1820-1840.

This industrialized period changed the production methods, switching from hand involvement to

using machines, delicate tools, new technology, which changed the previous factory patterns.

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According to Lane Crothers (2012, page 38), “People in an industrial society need to understand

how their work connects with the work of an entire system of processes, actions, and actors if

they are to create a car, balance, a corporation’s accounts, or coordinate the efforts of an entire

factory floor.”

Therefore, for people to operate new equipment’s effectively and safely, it was important that

they know how to read, write or comprehend the instructions in the factory. Hence, the need for

people to be literate became a requirement, leading to a push for basic education, logical thinking

and general knowledge on many subjects. This caused a rise in literacy level, general knowledge

of the community and the social standard of the former illiterates moved up from low culture

(low class) to high culture (high class.)

The advent of popular culture, helped shape the community’s way of thinking and fostered a

uniformed way of behavior, a general expectation, universal education and knowledge, thereby

creating a commonality among its residents. There was the general knowledge and understanding

shared or expected on a topic or issues, leading to mass production of behaviors and lifestyles.

There was the display of popular behavior, popular beliefs, characterization all emanating form

mass production of services, products and shared communication content.

Also Crothers, Lane (2012, page 13) further explained that “Much of the distinction between

“high” and “popular” culture was developed during the Enlightenment. Intellectuals of the

time began to pursue universal standards on which to base principles for human life. These

principles were to be the product of human thought and exploration rather than derived from

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mystical superhuman sources. Then, since only the educated and the elite were trained to

understand the components of “real” beauty, those things that were objectively and universally

beautiful (at least according to those who interpreted them) became associated with “high”

culture. Everything else became “base, common and popular.” The social split between high and

popular culture intensified and expanded with the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late

1700s. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, popular culture became mass produced.

Large multinational corporations providing goods and services for profit began to produce it in

vast quantities. Their motives were profit seeking: a book, a magazine, or – once the technology

developed - recorded music, a movie, a television program, or anything else labelled popular

culture was produced only because of its likely sales appeal.”

The Enlightenment period (Age of Reason), started as a movement in the 18th century in

Europe, when a push for philosophical ideas, politics, science, logical insights, reason, liberty

and tolerance surged. This new understanding of life, philosophy and rational thinking, caused a

clash between free thinkers and ruling authorities – the state and religious institution. This was

the rise of the “questioning period,” when important subjects were queried, analyzed or rejected;

creating a new culture of intellectuals willing to share their thoughts to human kind.

POPULAR CULTURE

The primary purpose of popular culture, according to Crothers, was “to be consumed by users

who paid for the privilege of reading a mass-produced book or magazine. Such production was

essentially secular in nature, meaning that nothing was sacred or holy – everything was

available for marketing and consumption.”

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Popular culture got a new meaning in the twentieth century, from notable scholars such as

Herbert J. Gans, German-born American sociologist; Mary Douglas, a British anthropologist

(human culture and symbolism); and Baron Charles Isherwood, a British anthropologist too.

Gans, Douglas and Isherwood believed that pop culture fostered a community of individuals that

shared common understanding of products and services that should be bought, used and

consumed. The users of popular products formed a bond, a culture because they had common

taste, needs, values, and standards, which reinforced their style, behavior and established them as

a force of consumption to be reckoned with.

Thus the items for cultural exchange and consumption were mass produced and mass-consumed,

making the users appreciate it in a unique way. Appreciation of mass information and production

matched the lifestyle of the Enlightenment era. Hence for mass production and mass

consumption of cultural products to get to its users, it was pertinent that tactics for dissemination

of information and mass approval be used. This ushered in the channel of mass communication.

MASS COMMUNICATION: CONTROL AND FREEDOM

HISTORY (KEY FACTS)

According to Lane Crothers (2012), here are some key facts:

The first movie that was ever made and recognized as a proper audio visual product, was

filmed in France in the late 19th century, not in America (Hollywood).

The first television broadcast was in London in early 20th century.

The first recordings of music and speech were made in Europe.

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In the early introduction of media and electronics into the society, America did not dominate the

audio-visual industry or rule the popular culture world. However, the trends in popular culture.

Has changed as a result of events and many factors in international politics, business, media and

the global scene. America gradually became a key player in popular culture from many years

leading up till now, through so many factors which shall be discussed below.

It is important to know that human beings love to interact with each other and their environment,

as mentioned in Chapter 1. As people travelled (migrated) from one place to another either

because of war, business or for pleasure, it became important that they know how to generally

communicate effectively for easy understanding. Hence, human beings searched for common

way to communicate and distinguish each other’s culture from the other, in terms of what was

considered to be “high culture” and “low culture - now called popular culture.” It is believed that

a shift from rural to urban dwellings often changes the dynamics of communal bonding and

moral values because of the influence of sexually explicit media content.

The Frankfurt school of mass society opined that those who control the means of mass

communication, could negatively change the norms, values and beliefs of the rural residents,

thereby creating a shift for people to the urban areas. The fear of early media controlling its users

and taking over the mind of the general public, led to the heavy scrutiny of communication

content and control by the government. This control was more dominant and visible in Europe

than the United States, where freedom of opinion and media reigned.

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EUROPE: PRINT INDUSTRY

In 1436, Johannes Gutenberg, a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer and publisher introduced

printing to Europe. His introduction of a mechanical movable type printing press initiated the

printing revolution, which involved the creation and distribution of printed materials, books,

pamphlets, newspapers and magazines. This invention changed the way communication and

information was sent or received in that era and part of the world. The literacy level gradually

increased as people wanted to read more, learn more, know what is happening around their

region and the world. This breakthrough in literacy led to more interaction among readers.

As is usually the case in most parts of the world, whenever there is a change to the modus

operandi in a society, there are those who may be uncomfortable with a change. This is exactly

what happened with the invention of printed materials, as government and religious authorities

become worried that the media will take the power of influence away from them and they may

lose out in public affairs. Hence government authorities controlled printed materials, by dictating

what was permissible or impermissible for printing and created harsh laws, penalties and death

sentence for violators.

This move created fear among printers who then formed printers’ guild in Europe, for economic

protection of their job and industry. All these changes led to slow progression of printing and

literacy in Europe, causing some people to move to a more favorable location for business and

freedom of press at that time, which was the United States of America.

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EUROPE: AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY

AUDIOVISUAL: This is a communication content that contains both sight and sound in the

form of slides or video recorded speech or music. According to Wikipedia, audiovisual (AV)

means possessing both a sound and a visual component such such as slide-tape presentations,

films, television programs, church services and live theater productions. Examples also included

recordings, telegraph, telephone, and radio.

Once again, the audiovisual industry encountered same problem that the print industry endured,

which is: the regulation from ruling authorities. Most government saw the influence that the print

industry had on its citizens and feared that audiovisual will change the mental, social and

political scope of their society. One of the earliest audiovisual participators in Europe at that

time, was the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcasting station that

offers mass communication service through the radio, television and online and is headquartered

in London, United Kingdom. The organization publicly owned and partially controlled by the

government, was founded in 1922 and aired programs designed for the British people.

Crothers, Lane (2012, page 93) stated that “In particular, the British government has historically

set content standards that the BBC had to meet in order to keep operating. More generally,

governments used their power to regulate the broadcast airwaves to create state-sponsored

media broadcasters that offered programming that met the government’s criteria for what ought

to be broadcast. Additionally, many governments provided subsidies to private filmmakers in

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return for state influence over the content of any movie. As a consequence, in most of the world

the AV media developed in cooperation with, and sometimes under the direct control of, the

political leaders of the nation in which the media were based.”

The government and ruling authorities regulated the mass media industry by limiting the

freedom of speech, creation, production and presentation of programs or content that can be aired

to the people. The main purpose of government controlling the media, was to ensure that their

citizens were not exposed to dangerous ideas, wild opinions, values, beliefs, and strange

behaviors pushed by audiovisual industry. Only the government and upper class ruling people

determined what was considered dangerous or safe.

The community influencers and opinion leaders viewed the media as their tool for protection of

government policies, political, social or religious views; and not for people to get current

information, have an opinion, a change in view on issues that mattered to them, protest, or have

fun in enjoying their own choice of entertainment. Obviously they were afraid of change and

would rather control the AV to have a dormant citizenry (staff, workers, people) than promote an

enlightened concept. These regulations reigned in United Kingdom and was adopted in many

parts of Europe, which was different from the media operation in the United States of America.

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The operation and control of printing and mass media industry had a different outcome in United

States. In United States of America, the government and elites had regulations set in place to

control what was printed, the number of staff, apprentice, limit access to printing press,

machines, laws and high tax for paper used in production. Unfortunately for the elites, the

regulations existed, only that their plans were not effective as witnessed in Europe.

PRINT INDUSTRY

The mass media industry did not let the rules ruin their freedom of communication, literacy

growth or business expansion. The print industry diversified from printing regular information

into production of Bibles, placement of advertisements for commercial purpose, entertainment as

there was an increase in American population (colonies), literacy and religious curiosity.

Printing became a vehicle for companies to sell their goods and services (for profit); and for the

religious groups to spread the word of God to the world (to proselytize.) The consumerism level

was across diverse demographics, their needs grew rapidly and changed print industry in U.S.

According to Crothers, Lane (2012, page 94), he stated that, “The twin forces of profit and

proselytizing would push the American mass communication industry to expand the rapidly and

innovate the needs of a diverse market. For example, from 1790 to 1835 the number of American

newspapers grew from 106 to 1,258 (more than 1,100 percent), even though the U.S. population

grew only 400 percent in the same period (while the number of newspaper subscriptions per 100

households grew from 18 or 19 in the 1780s to over 50 in the 1820s.) By contrast, Great Britain,

which was more heavily populated, had only 369 newspapers in the entire country in 1835 – only

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17 of which were produced daily. In the United States, mass communication became an agent of

both God and mammon, as individuals and entrepreneurs explored ways to use it for both their

commercial and their ecclesiastical ends. It was not a tool of state power, at least not directly.”

The American print and audiovisual industry started evolving, becoming more creative and

developing into a business enterprise. With the nation having a large geographic base, different

state laws, constitution, new settlers, and diverse business needs; the mass media industry was

able to get past the governmental regulatory impediments and turned the situation around for

their own good. The American mass media differed from their British or European counterparts

because they had the freedom to explore and present different communication contents,

commercialize products and services in the attractive, profitable manner to the public.

Hence with little interference from the government, the mass media industry and owners became

more capitalist, business minded and personified. This gave birth to American Popular culture as

all these experiences and events changed the dynamics of how communication was sent,

received, perceived, analyzed and preserved. America took control of the industry, as more

companies relocated to the land where freedom of the media existed and business growth or

profit was possible. The American industry started taking charge of the cultural content and

exchange, making it more audience friendly and culturally diverse for Americans and their allies.

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AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY

Just as discussed in Chapter 1 about cultural socialization and cultural exchange in development

of communication content, people have the tendency to view the world through their own eyes.

The American popular culture started expanding culturally, becoming more inclusive with

interjections of ethnic based storylines, props, location and on-set atmosphere. Writers,

producers, playwrights, presenters influenced content, to attract country’s diverse cultural

groups, increase consumerism, and boost sales. These cultural infusions were considered

necessary, not just for profit, but for audience appeal, because of of foreigners in the country.

People love to see an actor who looks like them, uses terms or language that they are familiar

with, or mention of a location that holds native or sentimental meaning to them. The target

audience and market niche of the American mass media grew bigger and larger and the popular

culture transitioned from U.S. market dominance to global market leader. America dominated

Britain, France (the first movie industry leader) and most countries championing popular culture.

Audiovisuals (short films and movies) were financed and managed privately by individual

contributors, at the early entrance of popular culture into the mainstream of the society.

Then Edison Company got involved in filmmaking, followed by other new movie production

companies such as Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Universal, Fox and several other notable

entrants. These companies and their services became world renowned, with operations mostly in

Hollywood, the central part of Los Angeles, California, making the city the U.S. film industry

hotspot. They used marketing tactics to increase tickets sales at theatres, featured handsome and

beautiful actors in their movies, making huge profits and mass producing materials.

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Crothers, Lane (2012, page 97) stated that “Indeed, by the end of World War I, American films

were shown as much as 80 percent of the time on screens in other countries – particularly those

that had not established quotas to protect their domestic film industries. By the 1930s,

Hollywood earned 35 percent of its income from the overseas distribution of its films, two-thirds

of which came from Europe. During this same period, a commentator for the British newspaper

the Daily Express bemoaned that British movie audiences “talk America, think America, and

dream America. We have several million people, mostly women, who to all intent and purpose

are temporary American citizens.”

American mass media contents became popular – mass consumption, mass production, mass

communication, thereby becoming a culture: popular culture, as explained earlier in this chapter.

The American mass media continued to encounter many business, social, legal and political

battles which changed the industry over the years. The media saw changes in the production of

contents from reels to videotapes(VHS/VCR), CDs (compact disc), Digital Video Discs (DVDs),

internet and several electronic communication devices. New technical changes led to piracy,

bootlegs and loss for the industry globally because it was easy to reproduce, sell and rent copies.

The television industry has endured most struggles same as print and movie. The TV channels

has increased (ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC, MSNBC, E! News etc.) and genres of programs

shifted from family friendly storylines, soap operas, hit series to reality shows now. The

entertainment industry from fashion, sports, music and food to lifestyle has changed the popular

culture in America. Consumers of American popular culture see the branding that is associated

with the music videos, the flashy lifestyles, the sexually explicit lyrics or expensive clothes.

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INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

This is communication by computer, smart devices or electronic machines with the use of

internet or transmitted signals to encode a message. This can be through emails, apps and several

functional software on laptops, desktops, smart phones, iPad, iPod, tablets.

With the aid of technology, the world became more digital as consumers can now watch

programs from their smartphones or partake actively on social media. This means having the

world at their palms and enjoying real time communication. The digital industry has brought

some pains and gains to the popular culture in a modern way, however, the American industry

still leads in popular culture.

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CHAPTER FOUR

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, GLOBALIZATION AND IMMIGRATION

MASS MEDIA AND TECHONLOGY

According to Crothers, “The end of the Cold War and the emergence of new technologies like

the Internet, cellular phones, and small-dish satellite television systems have allowed American

popular culture access to an even-bigger global market. This spread has served both to enhance

the profits of U.S. corporations and to highlight and augment cultural tensions that exist between

the United States and the nations and communities into which American popular culture has

expanded. After all, most people around the world will never visit the United States or meet an

American in person. They will never have a Peace Corps volunteer work in their town, village,

or city. They may work in factories that produce goods intended for the American market, but

their managers will probably be locals, and the rules that govern the factory will be those

imposed by the native government, not by the United States.”

The statement above further shows that American communication content presented both home

and abroad are viewed as cultural products, with a sense of a value and meaning tied to it.

The above illustration can be compared with this popular saying: “dress the way you want to be

addressed.”, which shows that America as a nation is usually addressed and viewed as is

presented in movies, music, television and social media. The fiction or non-fiction content of pop

culture creates an optic for America and builds a global diverse impression for its consumers.

People watch American movies or music and end up having same or varied views of what

symbolizes American values, lifestyle, beliefs or behavior.

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In chapter 3, the history of mass communication and development of American popular culture

was discussed. However, the mind boggling question is: how did America fully take over the

Popular culture and maintain the global dominance till date? The clue: Big corporations.

Big corporations were and are still key players in the communication industry. They understood

the audiovisual power and network of multinational mass media corporations in the landscape of

music, movie and television. The active involvement of big multinational corporations turned

mass media company, helped changed the scope of popular culture, American popular culture,

and the communication industry as a whole.

Here are some of the peculiarities of these large companies operating in the popular industry:

They are corporations large (in size, employee, plan and location)

They are multinational companies (with global network),

They have large financial strength (with huge revenue)

They have subsidiaries and partnerships (with some companies)

They have expert business acumen and deep understanding of the industry

Examples of the big corporations that changed the American popular culture are listed

below (according to Crothers, Lane (2012, page 88-91):

1) Vivendi S.A. is a French multinational mass media company, founded in 1853 and

headquartered in Paris, France. Its subsidiaries are Universal Music Group – Island Def Jam

Music Group, Mercury Records, Universal Motown. Also, the European based company

produces several television programs in France and across Europe.

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2) The Walt Disney Company is an international family entertainment and media enterprise

founded in 1923 and headquartered in California. Its holdings include Walt Disney Pictures,

Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax Films, Pixar, Hollywood Records and Walt

Disney Records. Disney, a key player in the TV industry, owns ABC Network, Disney Channel,

ESPN, History, Lifetime, Disney store, Cruise line, 10 TV channels, 37 radio stations;

destination theme parks in California, Florida, France, Japan, China, and TV channel in Russia.

3) CBS, an American broadcast television network, founded in 1927 and headquartered in New

York City, spun off from its parent company (Viacom). Its holdings include CBS Television

Network, CBS Records, cable Showtime channel and Simon & Schuster publishing houses.

4) Sony, the giant Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, was founded in 1946 and is

headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It has one of the largest studios in the world and its holdings

include Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics,

TriStar Pictures, Columbia Records, Epic Records, Roc Nation, LaFace Records, Verity Gospel

Music group, Sony Music Nashville and Game Show Network. It also produces Playstation

video game under Sony Electronics and Sony Computer Entertainment America.

5) Comcast Corporation, an American multinational mass media company, was founded in

1963. It is the largest broadcasting and cable company, with holdings in NBC Universal, CNBC,

MSNBC, Syfy, Weather Channel, Universal Pictures, Universal Parks and Resorts, 13 NBC-

affiliated local news station and 16 Telemundo-affiliated stations (Spanish speaking audience).

It also owns franchises in the sports industry – Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers.

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6) News Corporation (News Corp.) is an American multinational mass media corporation

founded by 1979, owned by the famous Rupert Murdoch and headquartered in New York City.

It has subsidiaries and owns 16 film production studios, 27 broadcast television stations, online

properties such as Americanidol.com, hulu.com, including Twentieth Century Fox, Blue Sky

Studios, Fox Broadcasting Company - Fox Kids Network, Fox Sports, FX, and National

Geographic Channel. New Corp. also owns several satellite services, print publishers-

magazines, newspapers and international television stations.

7) Time Warner, an American multinational media and entertainment conglomerate, was

founded in 1990 and headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Its holdings

include HBO Films, Turner Broadcasting System, CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros.,

New Line Cinema and DC Entertainment. It has subsidiaries in these magazines: Time, Sports

Illustrated, Audi, and promotes its products online through NASCAR.com, PGA.com and the rest.

8) Viacom is an American global mass media company with ownership in cinema (film

production) and cable television. Founded in 2006, it owns film production and distribution

studios which includes Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, DreamWorks

Studios, Paramount Vantage, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies, 30 satellite channels including

Comedy Central, VH1, Star Trek Franchise and merchandise.

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MARKET LEADERSHIP

It is interesting to note that though some of these corporations bought American production

companies or are headquartered outside of United States of America, they still tailored their

communication content to American genres. These corporations retained the expert staff and

professionals who had years of experience in operating in the industry.

The popular culture in America or outside of America was progressing, whether the movie was

filmed outside America, or the production studio was located overseas or the CEO was not an

American or the main actors were foreigners. It was important to the industry owners and

participants that all communication contents still be valued as American products and labels.

With this, American mass media industry successfully positioned popular culture as American

Popular culture and America, as the leader of the pack, leader of the world.

It is interesting to note that both American music, movie and the television industry have a

powerful presence nationally and internationally. Most American shows, events, series and

franchise are broadcasted or rebroadcasted on most foreign television channels. The repetitive

effect of watching and listening to these cultural products has helped retain the global presence

of American popular culture, in the mind of its audience. This study will be on movies and below

are examples of global dominance of American content from Crothers, L. (2012, page 102-104):

From 1972-1991 in Germany, American movies grew from 1/3 to 2/3s’ in market share,

revealing a new expansion, dominance and popularity of American movies in Europe

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In the early 1990s, American films took dominated 85% of European film revenues,

grossing $1.7 billion of total film receipts of $2 billion; a stark contrast to France’s movie

industry that produced an average of 150 movies annually within same period. This is

because even in France, 60% of the spending from movie goers, were at American films

At the end of 1990s, American movies dominated 80% of the European film industry

In 2007 in Russia, American films generated twice the revenue as Russian-produced

films; and in 2010 American films yet again generated five times more revenue than

Russian films performed in Russia. This means American movies performed better than

the Russian indigenous movies financially.

In 2009, Jim Carrey’s film Yes Man was the most popular movie in many countries

including Australia, Venezuela, Croatia, and Lithuania.

In China in 2010, American films grossed $1.5 billion in sales and is projected to

increase over the years, as China opens 35,000 screens in the next 5 years.

The movie Bolt ranked high in Argentina, Denmark, Hungary and Sweden

Twilight was the most popular movie in Peru, Germany and France

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was well received in Austria and Belgium

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Films that international audience enjoyed because of the well written script, quotes,

action, or suspense includes: Godfather, Shrek, Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Matrix,

Finding Nemo and Saving Private Ryan.

Also at the end of 2011, most of the top-grossing films of all times worldwide were:

Either made by American-based studios or starred American citizens or

Set in American location or had American themes and values that are recognized by the

American audience.

According to Crothers, Lane (2012, page 102-104), the table below:

Most of the top-grossing films generated a higher revenue in sales in foreign countries,

than it did in the United States of America.

The all-time top grossing film Avatar exceeded $2 billion (including worldwide ticket

sales), as well as Jurassic Park Independence Day, Star Wars (three of its six parts), The

Lion King, and Spider-Man 2 and 3

66% or 33 out of the top 50 all-time biggest-grossing movies were American

Out of the remaining 17 films left, 14 were segments of three film franchises: Harry

Potter, The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean

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*** See below (Table 5.) for statistical data of American films and foreign sales

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INDIGENOUS AMERICAN VALUES

American is a nation made up of diverse ethnic groups, race and cultures. These cultural groups

are made up of individuals with different, unique belief systems and cultural values, that they

bring along with them wherever they go, whether at workplace, business, neighborhood, social

events, religion, education, finance or health practice centers. These individuals naturally or

unknowingly interject their expectations, attitudes, opinion or behavior into their daily lives, and

then gets transferred into the society, the American society. Hence, these behaviors have over the

years shaped the American society, making it seen as American values and expected norms.

Here are some major American values that is expected and often seen in civic and civil life:

Individualism and Privacy: this is the theory that everyone is special, different, should

be allowed to be independent, free and their privacy respected. America symbolizes this

value, which is rarely encouraged in other parts of the world. In other countries, people

do not have control over their freedom or privacy easily, because of government control.

Equality: this is the belief that everyone is equal, should be treated fairly irrespective of

their background or status. Americans tend to be the leading force in matters of human

rights, legality on sensitive issues, norms, and treating people with dignity and respect. In

other countries, people use their class, family name or status to get things done.

Materialistic: This is the lust or obsession for material things, acquiring more objects

than it is necessary to have, even if it is not needed. This phenomenon is often seen in

advertisements as Americans are always encouraged to buy new things, grab this or that

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now, buy one get one free or half price, 75% sales, SALES, SALES, SALES. This push

for always wanting something new or going for the best, can be seen as materialistic.

In other countries, people are encouraged to be content with what they have, refrain from

all earthly attachments, renounce materialism, reflect and focus on eternal things.

ICST: Americans appreciates research and advance studies in Information,

Communication, Science and Technology, to improve America and the world. From

space exploration to new cutting edge innovation, introduction of new smart devices and

modern technology, Americans are seen to be usually at the center of new inventions. In

other countries, they rely on traditional or old methods because that is all they have.

Change: Americans love progress and are upwardly mobile. They love change: change

and progress in job, thoughts, views, systems, location, personal situation, wealth, status

and class. The desire to have something new happening in their life, makes them happy.

In other countries, people often follow age long traditions, to avoid being seen as rebels.

Work and Pleasure: Americans are known to have a strong work ethic, career mentality

and believe that when you work hard, it is okay to play hard and have fun too. They are

among the countries where people can work as much hours as allowed and earn a decent

income for their themselves and their family. This raises the potential of them being able

to make a living, pay their bills, support their community and go for vacation too. In

some countries, they are expected to work for long period and might feel guilty or be

seen as lazy if they take a break or vacation.

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Competition and Free Enterprise: Americans are known to be very competitive in

everything they do, as they always aspire to be the best, number one and leader in

education, politics, law, international affairs, financial matters, business, sports, science,

manufacturing, entertainment and popular culture. America encourages free trade, free

enterprise and encourages people to start their own business, new venture and find their

own calling. America supports startup companies and pushes for a new world order. In

some countries, people are expected to work as cohesive partners, not as competitors and

the quest to have a competitive advantage internally or externally may not be encouraged.

Volunteering: Americans are known to be their brother’s keeper, as they are usually

quick in rendering support and relief to victims or countries during natural disasters, war

or international conflict. This charitable act often involves huge finances and manpower.

In other countries, rely on traditional or old methods because that is all they have. In

other countries, having the resource to volunteer and offer pro bono services may not be

available or achievable, because they simply can not afford the resources to do it.

Goal oriented & Self Help Motivators: Americans are known to be goal oriented,

always seeking new adventures to explore, obstacles to conquer and seeking for s better

self. They are always a constant work in progress, finishing a project and starting another

mission. They love to be practical, specific, self motivational through self-help materials,

want measurable results and through this, they can be highly efficient and professional. In

other countries, they may have the tendency to be idealistic, have great goals and maybe

not enough resources or strict regulations stopping them from fulfilling their plans.

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Casual: Americans are known to be informal, casual, rule breakers and maybe seen as

unprofessional because they like being comfortable and don’t usually keep to age long

traditions. They always have a reason to change the status quo and invent new styles or

methods, making it conventional and contemporary. In most countries, there are strict

rules, norms and laws for people to obey in personal and professional settings, which can

be too rigid or uncomfortable for Americans. So foreigners are often shocked to see how

very informal Americans can be in business or social settings, especially when dealing

with adults, the elderly or constituted authorities.

Control: Americans are known to like being in charge, in control of nature, their time,

body, environment, weather, their present and future state through science, forecast,

medicine and research. They like to know what is happening next and how to avert

present or future crisis, as a teachable lesson for themselves and all to learn. In other

countries, people are expected to allow nature or a higher power to control events.

Candor effect: Americans are known to have the candor effect on private and personal

issues. They are regarded as people a nationality that is open minded, blunt, fierce and

honest in expressing their opinions or views. They are very practical and realistic when

making demands or request, which increases their efficiency in closing a deal and making

things happen, against all odds. In some other cultures, being direct and honest can be

seen as being rude, disrespectful or cutting corners around stipulated rules, especially if

older ones are involved. They have filter and prefer silence to voicing out their opinion.

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Unity, Strong and Resilient: Americans are known to be very strong, have the tendency

to stick together and unite during tragedies or sad events, for example the strength and

resilience displayed by Americans after 9/11 terrorist attacks and how the country has

bounced back; or the gradual overcoming of the financial recession from the Wall Street

saga. Also notable is the courage displayed by citizens after 2013 Boston Marathon

attacks, several Hurricane disasters and other events. Americans are described as having

the best military power, have been to several wars and have endured a lot, yet have

respect for their veterans and are willing to make their country a home for all in the

proper way, for refugees, orphans and the down trodden from other countries. Most

countries often struggle to overcome disasters because it requires huge financial strength

and manpower to overcome bad times and bounce back victoriously.

Big and large: There is the slogan that everything in United States of America is big.

America exhumes strength, excellence and power. American corporations, businesses and

institutions have the international network, size, manpower, resources, professional

expertise, financial strength and business knowledge to run a multinational firm. It is

believed that they have all it takes to have whatever they want because wherever they

step into, they overtake the environment and make it theirs. Most countries do not have

the power or influence to act big or make large plans in multiple countries and America

being viewed as big entity can be domineering to some people.

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AMERICAN VALUES IN POPULAR CULTURE

The American movies, music, television and social media have interesting elements in their

content, as seen in the list of movies above and so many others. Over the years, these elements

which often attracts consumers to its products, are added or often appear in the American mass

media content, thereby defining American popular culture. These elements are positioned as

American values and cultural artifacts in the cultural exchange of American popular culture.

Here are some examples listed below of values usually found in American popular culture:

American English Language: It is often used as the main language in American pop

culture. The dialogue is often in American English for easy comprehension and

inclusivity of the local and general audience, and can change the main language used if

the content features other ethnicities and a local language is used for a diverse audience.

This often occurs if a movie is done by foreign producers on foreign films. The

interesting aspect of the American popular culture is that even consumers who English

Language is not their native language or do not speak English Language at all, are often

attracted to the beauty of American popular culture. They often try to connect with the

storyline, the motion pictures, music, fashion, lifestyle, food or entertainment.

Professionalism: Communication materials in American popular culture are

professionally created, produced and well presented (including set, materials, scripts,

lyrics, images, sounds, plot and storylines). The professional creation and preservation of

cultural content in United States is different from other countries because the latter lacks

expertise, has low budget, limited global network, little or no support from the

government, an overly regulated mass media industry and popular culture.

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Individualism and Privacy: This is a social theory, habit or principle of being

independent, self reliant, favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or

state control. In simple terms, it is the pursuit of personal interest, happiness and freedom

from external control. This attribute is referred to the me, myself and I syndrome: a state

in which it is all about me, me and me, which can be seen as being egoistic and

individualistic. It creates a doctrine where people if not cautious, can become selfish and

self centered. This trait is sometimes featured in most American media contents, in

which consumers may love and want to imbibe into their own lives. American popular

culture has a unique way of exposing and reinforcing this value into the public, from

lyrics, storyline, politics, social mandate, economy, logic, fashion to entertainment.

Fundamental human right: These are the rights deserving of human beings irrespective

of their race, nationality, religion, language, status, sex, place of residence or

background. American popular culture portrayed United States as a country where

people’s rights are protected including freedom of expression, religion and to assemble.

Land of opportunity, milk and honey: Through AV, America is portrayed as a land of

opportunities, where dreams come true, where anything is possible and achievable. It is

seen as a place where you can be whatever you want to be and be yourself without

judgment. It is viewed as a country where hard work pays off, meaning if you can make

it in United States of America, you can make it anywhere in the world. This appeals to

most foreign consumers who are struggling to excel amidst regulations in their country.

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Triumphant individuals and Happy endings: The creation of strong, brave heroic

characters who triumphs over an evil person(s) or bad system and a happy ending for

someone in dire situation, in American audiovisual storylines often changes the dynamic

of the entertainment world. The bad guys are usually arrested and go to jail towards the

end of the films while the hero is alive or saves people from treacherous circumstances.

It shows how people go through difficult times for love and eventually they overcome

tough obstacles to be together romantically.

The morale of most American movies, television programs or music is that the good

always triumphs over evil, the bad ones won’t go unpunished, so everyone ends on a

happy note. This depiction is usually seen in action, espionage or thriller movies,

romantic comedy films and other cultural products. This portrayal is different from many

European-produced works in which the bad guys sometimes never gets caught, jailed, or

lovers don’t end up happily ever after, just like Romeo and Juliet’s romantic and love

story tragic ending. In contrast, American popular culture through audiovisual

entertainment depicts the American society as one that always seeks out for justice, fair

play, freedom, happiness, peace, conflict resolution, happily-ever-after, and that all’s

well that ends well. Basically, the winner takes it all.

Nuclear Family and Single parent structure: American families are usually portrayed

in popular culture as a nuclear, tight knit family, not more than two generations except in

rare cases where ethnic groups are featured, then three generations are incorporated in

the storyline. Family are depicted as blood units sometimes saddled with drama, gossip,

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fights, struggles, and everything that most families typically go through. Also, there is

more inclusion of single parents (male or female), divorced or separated in American

audiovisual content, showing their struggles with parenting, playing the role of father

and mother and how they overcome obstacles. This depiction is seen more in American

Popular culture and portrayed as normal situation, which can be understood by foreign

consumers as an American norm and lifestyle. This is unlike most foreign countries’

cultures that show extended families, relatives or three or four generations all living

under same roof and father and mother still married and present in their children’s lives.

Racial and cultural categorization: America as a nation, has a mix of different race,

cultures, beliefs, and experiences arguments of racial divide and cultural class division.

Just as the concept of life imitates art or arts imitates life often surfaces in popular

culture, writers and content creation of popular culture often depict the white or

Caucasian race as the superior, smart, rich, educated, fit, healthy demographic while

blacks or African American are depicted as lazy, fat, unhealthy, broke, dumb, weird,

unemployed, unintelligent, violent, psycho, drug fuelled criminals; Hispanics or Latinas

are depicted as illegal immigrants, salsa dancing, strict Catholics, family comes first,

always having children, sex symbol demographics, welfare enabling recipients.

Also, Asians were depicted as smart, intellectuals, with strict religious, conservative

views (Muslims- terrorists, Buddhist), encourager of domestic abuse.

This creates a divide on who is deemed friendly and fit to be a neighbor, whites live in

gated communities, blacks in ghettos or impoverished neighborhoods or Asians living in

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reclusive communities. These depictions often find their way into American storylines as

signs of inequality and bias reporting in journalism or audiovisual cultural content. These

values are distorted, untrue and shows the influence of American media in

characterization of race and culture.

Gender placement, Sexual appeal and violence: Creators of movies, music, soap opera

and most audiovisual materials often portray women as sexual symbols, the male as

super heroes and violent scenes are suspense gearing lure, in cultural contents. Sexual

appeal and violence is often used as a form of attraction to a wide audience who may

enjoy such depictions and have no problems enjoying it. It is not known if it helps sales

but when featured in action movies, there is the potential of it creating suspense and

connecting the audience to have something to talk about. Also, the depiction of shirtless

buffed up or ripped torso men as heroes and sexual symbols creates a fantasy for

consumers; just as scantily clad, slim females depicted as optimum feminism.

This depiction is seen in many American mass media products, including advertising and

computer games, that it is sometimes difficult to watch some programs without cringing

or safely with young children around. The rate of audiovisual contents requiring parental

guidance is on the rise because AV content that was considered only for adults or above

18, is often featured in teen programs nowadays. This has changed the dialogue on what

is positioned as sexual appeal and an American value for viewers and foreign consumers

whose cultures may not approve of such depictions, yet experience the culture shock.

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Special effects: The insertion of illusions or tricks of the eye used in the film, television,

theatre, video game and simulator industries used to stimulate the imagined events in a

story or virtual world. This use of digital effects in creation of imaginary wishes,

computerized scenes, dare devil stunts, makeup and characterization has placed

American’s popular culture as an industry where anything is possible. Creating these

effects whether during live-action shooting or at post production facilities are costly and

requires expertise, which most foreign mass media industry may not be able to afford.

These audiovisuals with special effects are often enjoyed very well with the aid of

glasses. American popular culture has set the bar high for foreign audiovisual industries

to compete against, through several works such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Die Hard,

Ghost, Transformer, The Matrix Reloaded, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Inception.

Hip-hop flashy lifestyle, Beauty and excellence: American audiovisual entertainment

and hard core news often present beauty and excellence in its cultural communication

products. From actors wearing designer labels to broadcasters looking well dressed,

consumers can see the producers bringing perfection and radiance into popular culture.

The industry depicts America as the nation of grace and class. American popular culture

is often confused with hip-hop, a genre in music, which is a segment of popular culture.

American entertainment industry often produces and presents cultural content in

expensive and glamorous context. This is evident in hip hop music, rap, rock n roll as

artists are shown wearing expensive designer clothes, shoes, diamonds rings, heavy gold

chains (bling-bling), many bracelets, fast state of the art cars, mansion-like houses,

showering money on dancers, in a manner that is usually described as making it rain.

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AMERICAN CORPORATE CULTURE AND CULTURAL BRAND

In analyzing the influence of American popular culture and how audiovisual content translates

what is represented as American value, it is important to know that there are other cultural

exchanges that exemplify American values, beliefs, lifestyle or norms. These values can be

found in some regular day-to-day events which people tend to take for granted, but means a lot to

many people, especially consumers in a foreign land. Some of these values represents American

society, which has in turn become a lifestyle, attitude or ritual and can be regarded as American

cultural brands in popular culture or American popular culture.

American corporations in foreign countries often serve as a comfort zone to USA expatriates and

Americans on visit outside of United States, because they are familiar with the American

products and services. The same notion goes for people living in foreign countries who see

American companies, popular culture, products and services as American cultural brands and an

integral part of United States of America. Based on the American values (either the portrayal of

America values in popular culture or the real values of America as described by Americans),

certain products, services and companies have a role in the optics of United States of America.

It is interesting to also know that popular cultural products (movies, music, television and

internet - social media) have contributed to the change in world views among its consumers and

birthed globalization. However, consumers associate American products, companies, services,

brands, logos and symbols to American values.

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The portrayal of American values does not end in audiovisual elements. It continues on the

corporate and social side. The unique feature of American companies operating overseas is the

ability to operate in various locations and one of the channels for an international extension, is

through a term called franchise.

According to Wikipedia, a franchise is the alternative to building chain stores to distribute goods

that avoids the investments and liability of a chain between a franchisor and franchisee.

Franchisor is the company owning or controlling the rights to grant franchises to potential

franchisee while franchisee is a person or entity to whom the right to conduct a business is

granted by the franchisor (licensor). Therefore, the right given to a franchisee is to offer certain

products or services for a specified timeframe at a given location. There is an understanding for

the franchisee to sustain a long-term business relationship with the franchisor, maintain the

company’s identity, product, service, trade secret, trademark and integrated marketing plan.

With the possibility of business growth and expansion, many American companies often

establish and develop franchises overseas, which has increased Americas corporate, global

presence and activity. Operating an American business overseas means incorporating the

company’s business policies, most which are American work ethics with the local operations

pattern of the host country. In doing this, American companies and values are spread into another

country’s culture. The foreign employees learn some American cultures, lifestyle from working

with American colleagues and can interprete their attitudes and behaviors as American values;

just as American staff may do too. The American corporate value might be different from the

civic value or popular culture; however certain traits remain same.

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BEVERAGE, FASHION, FOOD, SPORTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA

For this study, the brands to be discussed are: Levi Blue Jeans, Coca Cola, General Motors, NFL,

McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Social media, however, the list is not exhaustive. To consumers of

American products and services overseas, doing business with these companies is like visiting

United States or the U.S. Embassy, because they are American brands.

Crothers, Lane (2012, page 1) stated that, “As will be seen, audiovisual media like movies,

music, and television provide a significant means by which images of the “American” way of life

whether political, social, or economic, are transmitted around the world. Likewise, fast-food

restaurants like McDonald’s, drink companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, sports like NBA

basketball and major league baseball, and clothing like Levi’s jeans are global cultural icons,

Facebook and sites like it serve as hubs through which American popular culture reaches ever-

widening parts of the world. It is through these artifacts (and many others) that the rest of the

world sees American values and lifestyles.”

Here are some examples:

Levi Blue jeans: Levi Strauss & Co. also known as Levi, is an American company

founded by Levi Strauss in 1853. This company produces denim jeans and was the first

to produce blue jeans. The craftsmanship in its production of jeans especially the blue

jeans, turned it into an iconic, classic brand, a symbol of American fashion statement,

class and cultural product. It has a red-tag and patch on the waist as trademark. This

jeans company has its products sold in all shapes, sizes and colors as well, making it a

viable business and an American brand world wide.

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Coca-Cola: is an American multinational company that produces carbonated soft drinks,

fruit juices, sports drinks and other beverages. As a corporation established in 1892, it

has set itself as a leader over the years in the beverage industry, with branches in North

America, Latin America, Europe, Eurasia, Africa and Asia Pacific. Coca-Cola company

has many brands and extension line of drinks including Coca Cola (its most popular

product), Cherry Coke, Diet Coke, Evian (water), Fanta, Sprite, Minute Maid (juice).

It is a company with protected trademark and trade secret of the syrup, which makes the

soft drinks one of the leading beverage in the world. Its advertisements for the products

are usually captivating and most consumers love the drinks. The company has a large

staff size, financial strength and is the producer of one of the best selling American

beverage turned internationally recognized drink. This company exhumes longevity,

global network with franchises all over the world and has the kept its secret ingredient

that makes consumers come back for more. This American company, American brand

has helped shape globalization with its global products and represents American values.

General Motors (GM): General Motors Company is an American multinational

automobile company founded in 1908, in United States. It is a company that designs,

manufactures, markets, distributes automobiles and automobile parts, and sells financial

services. GM is operational in 37 countries with several subsidiaries under 13 brands,

including popular brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, HSV, Opel, Vauxhall,

UzDaewoo, then Alpheon, Baojun and Jie Fang. With global operations and partnership

in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania, General Motors

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placed its craftsmanship in the automobile industry, as a standard for excellence,

varieties, an international product and an American brand. Consumers associate General

Motors Company (GM), as an American icon and cultural artifact.

National Football League (NFL): is an American sport that was established in 1920. It

is the body for American football and this sport is different from the rest of the world’s

type of football. This sport has its seasons, calls out draft for players and organizes an

annual championship called Super Bowl which started in 1967. This championship is a

final game between two last teams, is widely watched and celebrated in United States,

with lots of eating and drinking like a feast. This is an American ritual known to many.

McDonald’s: This is an American multinational company established in 1940 and

known as the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurant in 119 countries,

36,000 restaurants and over 68 million customers. It started in United States and

expanded to other countries. McDonald’s outlets are mostly operated as a subsidiary or

franchise in and sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, French fries, breakfast meals,

soft drinks, milkshakes, salads, fish, wraps, smoothies and seasoned fries.

McDonald’s is known first as an American company that has fully embraced

globalization and changed the scope of domestic and international business, secondly as

an American restaurant that serves American meals, drinks and has the flexibility to

adapt its meals to cultural demands, religious taboos or local request e.g. seasoned fries.

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Lastly, its business operations are different from regular restaurants, from its McDrive

through order service, to McCafe or the consumers having the choice to create their own

taste such as spicy meals, healthy additions or special preference.

This is as a result of the company working in several parts of the world and trying to

meets the needs of the consumers within each region. These attributes of flexibility and

expansion in its business models, are viewed by foreigners as America’s business style.

In many countries, consumers of McDonald’s may not have the opportunity to visit the

United States, but eating in this restaurant brings them closer to American tradition or

lifestyle. Also, Americans who travel outside United States often search for McDonalds

as a familiar American food outlet. It is an American corporate and cultural brand.

Starbucks: This corporation is an American multinational coffee company and

coffeehouse chain established in 1971. It started in United States and expanded to other

countries, now operational in 23,768 global outlets including United States, United

Kingdom, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea. Starbucks serves hot beverage and

cold drinks, such as coffee-espresso, caffe latte, Frappuccino, teavana tea product, juice,

pastries and snacks. It is different from other coffee shops because it offers many flavors

such as vanilla, mint, pumpkin spice latte. It has also extended its service by selling

sandwiches, bottled cold coffee drinks, ice cream and at some locations serves beer and

wine in the evenings only. It has changed over the years because of consumers’ demands

Starbucks has developed its company, the logo and products from American brand to a

well known global brand, thereby positioning the coffeehouse, the coffee drinkers, the

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coffee cup, the drink, the employee and the outlets as a status symbol of elitism, high

class and unique taste. This company is a world wide American brand, with a flair of

American culture and continues to contribute to globalization. Consumers of Starbucks

may not have the opportunity to visit the United States, but buying coffee or any product

from this coffeehouse makes them feel closer to American tradition or lifestyle. Also,

Americans and expatriates outside the United States often hang out at Starbucks because

it feels like home to them, as a familiar American beverage and brand.

Social media: This is an online communication medium that serves as an online

community and social networking forum for users with an account, and connects them

with other individuals or group, through microblogging, interaction and content sharing.

This form of communication which started few years ago, users can join through the app

or an account, with the aid of a smart device such as a smartphone, laptop, iPad, iPod or

tablet. Users can log in and connect with other users anywhere in the world to share

audiovisual materials, news content, make calls or video chat. Even the media outlets,

institutions, politicians and celebrities use social media to connect with their audience.

It has the effect of real time communication, breaking the long distance communication

barrier and making the world a global village. This change in communication and push

for modern intimacy has changed the scope of relationship, communal living, business

and content sharing. Examples of social media includes Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram, Flickr, Skype, YouTube, Blogger, Myspace,

Vine, Vimeo, WhatsApp, Viber, Snapchat, imo, Tumblr, Foursquare and Live Journal.

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Logo of mentioned American cultural brands (Table 6.)

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Table for franchise (Table 7.)

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CHAPTER FIVE

GLOBALIZATION: IMPACT ON CULTURE, ECONOMY AND POLITICS

GLOBALIZATION: According to Wikipedia, globalization is the process of international

integration arising from the interchange of worldviews, products, ideas and other aspects of

culture. In simpler terms and for this research, it is the process of interaction and integration

among people of different nations. Most people are globalized through information technology,

international trade or pop culture (media and music.), because of its global appeal.

Entertainment is a form of communication and show business has its appeal, such as the

opportunity to enjoy a glamorous and lavish lifestyle, meet celebrities, travel the world, be

influential and possibly get wealthy. However, for most foreign viewers and listeners, it’s a

mixed reaction. Some people view the exposure of American pop culture in their community as a

lure to initiate a shift in their local culture and basic viewpoints. Others see it as a positive force

for political and socio-economic change. This is because artists, entertainers and social

movement groups’ often use pop culture to promote change. This newfound integration into

American culture often changes the local identities of most foreign culture, from food, fashion

and music to language. As foreigners develop a desire for American lifestyle, the urge to

experience it increases and can influence them immigrating to the United States.

In Crothers, Lane (2012, page 6), he stated that “American popular culture’s role in

international affairs has become even more important in the years following the Soviet Union’s

collapse. New patterns of trade, security, information, investment, ideas, and even the exchange

of entertainment have emerged. These changes, collectively labelled “globalization,” appeared,

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at least to many early students of this topic, to be likely to create what President George H.W.

Bush called a “new world order,” grounded on universal principles of democracy and global

free trade. If, for example, a region had a comparative advantage in growing rice but lacked the

educational system to have a large high-tech industry, it would export rice and import computers

from a region that had lots of software engineers but limited land for rice growing. Similar

patterns would emerge in every industry, including the popular culture industry.”

ECONOMY AND POLITICS: Globalization is the sustaining of mutual relationship between

two or more entities. If a culture or country has the resources to support other culture(s) or

country(ies) with creation or production of consumer goods or services, the products and services

of the provider has the chance of growing to popularity. It is understood that no country can exist

without the support of another country at least in one aspect or another, no matter how small.

There will be situations where help or any form of support may be needed from one country to

another country or countries, and when help is given, an alliance is usually formed between both

parties. This action supports free trade and often leads to a globally mixed economy.

As expressed by John Donne, an English metaphysical poet, No Man Is an Island. This was a

famous line in Donne’s famous prose work titled: Devotions upon Emergent Occasion, in which

he reflected that every human being is a piece of the continent, a part of the main and should not

exist in isolation. This good exchange was seen as a channel to influence countries politically.

Crothers explained that many years ago, advocates for free trade believed that when two or more

cultures form a bond over exchange of goods, it could help change the economical and political

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stance of their cultures. With this, economic theorists, social analysts and political leaders

believed that global exchange (a form of political and economic charity), could influence

oppressive societies and corrupt government, to change their political system towards a more

democratic environment. This means if one party was not acting right in certain areas politically,

the sheer pressure of wanting to be viewed in good standing with their helper (exchanger), can

influence the affected party to change their ways and behaviors. This also meant that some

citizens or people may appreciate the goods received the culture of the provider and change their

views on issues that mattered to both cultures. Or the citizens may receive the exchange of

products but not the cultures or teachings of the provider, for fear of being mentally captivated or

another era of colonialism surfacing. Globalization push democracy to other countries.

Global trade may influence the politics between two or more countries, however the possibility

of it totally influencing other’s culture or popular culture, proved challenging. This is because as

discussed in Chapter 1, culture is an integral part of most societies. As defined by Sir Taylor,

“culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and

any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” It is the makeup of a

group’s norms, beliefs, moral values, viewpoints and their peculiar characteristics. So people

cared about the information or cultural change that was expected from their country. It was

important to them that they understood the new cultural values being introduced to them, and

how it will affect them, based on how it shaped the lives of the people who had embraced it.

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Therefore, as United States of America encouraged other countries to embrace global trade, so

was the American lifestyle, values and brands gradually being pushed to other foreign cultures

too. Big American corporations and media outlets increased their global presence for increased

international presence, business expansion, boost in profit and to make people more informed on

general issues. Their effect was possible and visible because of their financial strength and global

network. The influence of American values permeated mostly through movies, music, television,

radio and print industry; which increased the global exchange of American popular culture over

other local cultures, for many years thereafter.

Crothers, Lane (2012, page 3-5) said, “In using American pop culture as a tool of the Cold War,

Western policymakers were exploiting what political scientist Joseph has referred to as “soft

power.” The notion of soft power refers to cultural, social, intellectual, and ideological ideas,

values, attitudes, and behaviors that influence human life. Nye distinguishes these soft forms of

power from “hard power,” which is typically associated with the use of violent, coercive tools of

social action like armies and economic sanctions. Soft power is a significant factor in global

politics, Nye argues, because it is subtle and indirect and thus less likely to promote resentful,

angry reactions to its use. As such, it provides a way for one people — in the case of the Cold

War, people in the political West— to change the attitudes and behaviors of other cultures

without resorting to other forms of coercion that inevitably lead the loser to hate and resent

the winner. Soft power can achieve these results because those who experience soft power may

not even be aware they are subject to its effects, so they never think to grow resentful or angry

as they see their societies change around them. Indeed, they may change their ideals and values

and practices toward those favored by an enemy or alien government willingly.”

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CULTURAL BACKLASH ON AMERICAN POP CULTURE

Noam Chomsky, an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician, social

critic and political activist, has some opinions on the term, globalization. His expertise on several

subjects, influenced his opinions on the term globalization, and how United States took charge of

the world. His views were similar to notions held by some world leaders, on the subjects too.

Chomsky in his 1999 book, Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and the Global Order, stated that

“Globalization is the result of powerful governments, especially that of the United States,

pushing trade deals and other accords down the throats of the world’s people to make it easier

for corporations and the wealthy to dominate the economies of nations around the world without

having obligations to the peoples of those nations.”

Also in a 2005 interview by Snijezana Matejcic, Noam Chomsky opined that, “The dominant

propaganda systems have appropriated the term “globalization” to refer to the specific version

of international economic integration that they favor, which privileges the rights of investors and

lenders, those of people being incidental. In accord with this usage, those who favor a different

form of international integration, which privileges the rights of human beings, become “anti-

globalist.” This is simply vulgar propaganda, like the term “anti-Soviet” used by the most

disgusting commissars to refer to dissidents.”

He further explained that “It is not only vulgar, but idiotic. Take the World Social Forum (WSF),

called “anti-globalization” in the propaganda system – which happens to include the media, the

educated classes etc., with rare exceptions. The WSF is a paradigm example of globalization. It

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is a gathering of huge numbers of people from all over the world, from just about every corner of

life one can think of, apart from the extremely narrow highly privileged elites who meet at the

competing World Economic Forum, and are called “pro-globalization” by the propaganda

system. An observer watching this farce from Mars would collapse in hysterical laughter at the

antics of the educated classes.”

Most world leaders reacted in the same line of thought as Chomsky too. Politicians, world

leaders, religious leaders and cultural custodians in some countries, viewed United States of

America as the new Napoleon or Hercules trying to conquer their world through popular culture

(not in the usual war or violent attack). They did not appreciate the soft power of audiovisuals

and print industry, trying to influencing their cultural values or manipulate their country’s

cultural artifacts through American popular culture. Based on this, most political leaders

including Soviet leaders viewed Western culture as morally and culturally corrupt. Their analysis

was based on the Americans values as depicted in music, movies, television and print. America,

was seen as the leader of the Western world and force of the globalization movement.

According to Crothers, Lane (2012, page 5), “It would be too much to argue that the Soviet

Union fell apart because of the corrupting appeal of American popular culture— although at

least one analysis has shown that former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ultimately

regretted allowing the 1980s soap opera Dallas to be shown in his country, where it inspired

viewers to wish for the kind of economic and personal freedom the show demonstrated. 4 (The

show’s star, Larry Hagman, later became a spokesperson for the Russian company LUKOIL on

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the grounds that LUKOIL was “The Choice of a True Texan.” It is still possible to visit the

“Southforkscu” ranch in Romania, modeled after the South Fork ranch that Hagman’s character

owned.) After all, the forces that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union were complex and

diverse. It is, however, fair to say that in denying their citizens access to the Western movies,

music, and television programs and other artifacts they desired, the governments of the Soviet

bloc undermined their own legitimacy. Put another way, a government afraid of popular

American television programs like Ozzie and Harriet or The A-Team is probably an inherently

weak government that, in time, is likely to fail for a variety of reasons.”

As a result, some world leaders (mostly from Russia, China and Middle East) opposed Western

popular culture and and sought ways to block cultural contents from America. Some country’s

leaders disliked their counterparts in leadership (Western leaders) and their cultural products.

They placed sanctions on importation of Western movies, music, television programs and other

cultural products, making it difficult for their citizens to access it. This economic and political

move backfired against the politicians, as people became more interested in knowing why the

blockage occurred. The blockage of popular culture became appealing to consumers in foreign

countries with the ban. The audience sought different ways to by pass the laws, from piracy of

content, black market sales to sneaking in audiovisual materials to use of digital devices; the

interest and followership for Western entertainment continued to increase.

Crothers, Lane (2012, page 9-10) said, “Yet even as the world seemed to resist U.S. policy and

leadership, it continued to embrace American popular culture. The invention and distribution of

personal music devices like the iPod and smartphones capable of delivering streaming video and

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music content directly to users wherever they were (assuming access to a wireless or cellular

signal) led to explosive growth in international access to American popular culture. Likewise,

high-speed Internet drove the spread of American popular culture even after the GWoT began.

For example, based on a global survey of sixty-six countries with 1.6 billion combined viewers,

in 2008 the American television program House was the most popular show in the world,

garnering 81,800,000 viewers worldwide. CSI: Miami did nearly as well. The ABC comedy/soap

opera Desperate Housewives had 56,300,000 viewers in the same survey, followed closely by

Monk and Ugly Betty. The day-time soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful led worldwide

contenders for most viewers, with a global audience of 24,500,000 that same year. In other

examples, a Russian version of Married with Children, a U.S. sitcom popular in the 1980s,

became so popular its producers hired the show’s original writers to create new episodes for the

Russian market.”

Crothers further quoted this statistics:

Hollywood now generates more ticket sales in the global market than it does in the

domestic one – in 2003, foreign ticket sales generated $1.7 billion more than did sales in

the United States; in 2007, that gap had jumped to $7.4 billion. By 2010, foreign ticket

sales accounted for 68% of all ticket sales for American films.

Hours of U.S.-produced television programming on European television screens jumped

from 214,000 hours in 2000 to 266,000 in 2006.

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MTV is now shown in Saudi Arabia, and programs like Inside Edition, and Oprah are

popular across the Middle East despite the political tensions that exist between the

United States and much of the rest of the world. Indeed, despite – or perhaps because of

– the U.S. war in and occupation of Iraq, Iraq has a booming hip-hop subculture.

So does Japan.

Hip-hop music was shown to have played a role in the “Arab Spring,” the uprisings that

led to the overthrow of numerous dictators in the Arab world from winter 2010 to spring

2012.

The in-depth analysis and statistics above, proves that over the years, more people continue to

enjoy popular culture as American cultural product dominated the scene. American popular

culture offered linear and interactive model of communication to foreign audience and the world

in general. American popular culture contributed to the global movement for freedom.

Gradually, people’s viewpoints and lifestyle changed, from indigenous, traditional norms and

behaviors into American attitude, values and lifestyle. There are media coverages of people

protesting in the streets in foreign countries, professing their hatred for America and what it

stands for. These expressions ranges from “carrying a coffin and chanting death to America,

stumping on U.S. Flags and burning it, making a mock effigy of the U.S. President, to violent

attacks on U.S. Military base, U.S. Embassies, Parastatals, Companies, Buildings, and

institutions that represents United States of America.

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In some countries, consumers of Western audiovisual contents are sometimes arrested, tortured

or even jailed, for expressing their love for America, its culture, brands, audiovisuals, while

some countries do not want their citizens to use American products, visit America or have any

opinion that may be considered favorable towards America. However, some courageous people

over the years and in the midst of such threats, have visited United States, in the hope of

exploring and experiencing the American values. This motivation led to their migration to United

States, a place that represents: the land of the free and the home of the brave.

IMMIGRATION: BRIEF HISTORY

United States of America is always experiencing huge influx of nationals from several countries,

and politicians, government, social institutions and US citizens often wonder why it keeps

increasing. Politicians during and after campaigns and debates often talk about immigration, its

gains and pains. They often talk of measures to limit the huge influx of immigrants, monitor the

border and are quick to find faults with immigration policies of the incumbent government.

These qualities and many more are some of the reasons people move to America.

In four centuries, immigration has been a constant factor in America. On October 5, 1965 (fifty

years ago), the President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a new immigration bill, The Immigration

and Nationality Act, at the foot of a symbolic statue, the Statue of Liberty. The new law had a

selective process for allowing immigrants into the country: they must have acquired skills,

training and must have family members living in the United States. The new law changed the

previous law on immigration, operated under a quota system of origin of nationality. This made

it difficult for some race of other continents to move to U.S. and experience the American dream.

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AFTER THE 1965 IMMIGRATION LAW

Since the 1965 immigration law was passed, nearly 59 million immigrants have moved to the

United States. The bill that was passed fifty years ago has transformed the face of the nation and

the cultural landscape. The number of immigrants has increased over the years and so has the

American culture, lifestyle, food, sports, slangs, fashion and even music experienced a shift, to

accommodate the different backgrounds. From the pre hip-hop era in the ‘60s to social and

digital media in 21st century, the U.S. entertainment industry has entertained the world with

world-class acts. There is a distinction between the pre-pop immigration eras versus this

generation of modern pop culture, because the audience is in the era of digital media.

Modern (digital media) has a wider reach, easier ability to be shared, go viral and can be

accessed in real time anywhere in the world, unlike the traditional media that may not have all

the characteristics. It shows the huge influence of modern media in pop culture, how it enabled

globalization and a shift in the immigration paradigm over the years. Pop culture influences

immigration patterns into the United States, as immigrants decide where to go. This has shown

the other reasons people immigrate to the U.S., besides fleeing from war and poor living

conditions in their home country. In modern times, the reasons have evolved dramatically.

Here are some examples of elements that influences where immigrants love to live:

1) The song “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys often captures the hearts of

immigrants as it mentions all the beautiful things about New York. The lyrics of the song is:

New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, There’s nothing you can’t do, Now you’re

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in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, Let’s hear it

for New York.” It also suggests that “Since I made it here, I can make it anywhere.”

2) The City of “Miami” in Florida, was mentioned in the lyrics of a song titled– On The Floor,

performed by Jennifer Lopez and featured Pitbull. 2pac (Tupac), the late rap artist, paid homage

to “California” in the song “California love,” that featured Dr. Dre. Both songs were a hit for

many years and positioned Miami city and California State, as the fancy places to be.

3) Foreigners often watch movies that portrays actors as NYPD officers or as Chicago

Firefighters in TV Series. The speed at which these heroes react to situations, their intelligence at

solving crimes, their fast cars and trucks, creates a good impression of American work ethics and

safe place, to immigrants and foreign consumers.

Records show that immigrants, often move to certain states in the United States, because of some

factors: family connections, active presence of their home country’s community, fair weather,

job opportunities for minorities, favorable immigration policies and socio-economic benefits.

Also, Immigrants often move to some cities or states because it sounds familiar, which comes

from constant hearing of the name of this state, in movies, music or television programs. The

mention of such places, cities or states in most American pop culture products, can influence

foreigners when making the choice of a location to immigrate to. Consumers often associate

certain products, companies, places, words, brands, logos and symbols to American culture,

which may symbolize American values to them.

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Below are few pictorial representations of American pop culture and its global influence. in

Focus industry: American and Nigerian Pop Culture industry.

1) VIBE magazine features three major artists on its cover. Wale (left), Meek Mill (middle) and

Rick Ross (Right) – (Table 8.)

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2) The presence of American artists and their global tours, also has led to the increase of hip-hop

culture in most countries. Picture below: JAY-Z (second from right), Ice Prince (second from

left) & friends. Ice Prince is a famous Nigerian hip-hop artist. (Table 9.)

3) Tonto Dike, is an influential Nigerian actor and artist with many twitter followers. (Table 10.)

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***The table below shows the growth of immigrants over the years (in three eras), in

United States. (Table 11.)

The table below shows the effect of the 1965 new immigration law and how it influenced an

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increase in immigration statistics. (Table 12.)

The table below shows the population and percent of foreign-born blacks by birth in the

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U.S. in thousands. According to research by Nielsen, the number of black immigrants in

the U.S. had increased to 3.8 million. (Table 13.)

ANALYSIS OF THE DATA IN THE CHARTS (ABOVE)

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The records in table posted directly above, shows that most foreign-born immigrants (especially

blacks) contribute to the economic growth in America. This is because they have good jobs, are

college graduates and have partners as income earners too. The other tables also showed the

influence of American popular culture on foreign pop culture. It shows that the fascination of

American lifestyle, can lead to an Americanized environment in a foreign country. American

entertainment, sometimes fictional and a mere fantasy, can lead to nurturing of an American

dream. It may influence the audience in immigrating to U.S., instead of moving to other

advanced, Western countries. This comparative analysis shows some benefits of immigration, the

effect of mass media on foreign culture and its influence in foreign popular culture too.

Hence, as some world leaders worry about their local culture being eroded by American culture

or enabling a cultural subversive environment, consumers will always choose the content that

appeals to them. Foreign audience enjoy the American entertainment, because it changes their

perception of life, ideas or certain issues. It often changes their local culture, lifestyle, language,

music, food or fashion, into a blended one with America pattern, which is called acculturation.

With strict regulations set against consumers’ access to Western pop culture, it further stimulates

their interest as to where they may relocate to, if they have the opportunity in the United States.

Also as leaders in American pop culture industry seek a balance in content creation, it is

important that cultural homogenization and cultural diffusion of American cultural products are

set in place, for successful acculturation among its audience world wide. This may help allay the

fears of foreigners that American brands, will wipe off the local cultures. Most multinational

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companies have adopted acculturation approach in their global policies, as the future for

globalization and to staying relevant. The term is called: Glocalization (GLOCAL).

Glocalization (glocal), is the abbreviation of two words: global and local. According to

Wikipedia, glocalization is the adaptation of international products around the particularities of a

local culture in which they are sold. Companies are using more of global and local approach to

operate effectively in other countries, to avoid been viewed as domineering companies. This

approach fosters fair and balanced globalization, as American pop culture often gets blamed for

major changes in the world, whether a positive or negative trends. This process allows

integration of local markets into world markets, builds relationships between global and local

companies. Simply put, the term glocal aligns with the slogan, “think global, act local.”

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

The research design and methodology used in this study, is secondary (desk) research through

literature review. This method was used because the sources of my research have conducted an

in-depth and balanced primary research for optimal and balanced results. The research is to

investigate if American pop culture has any influence on Globalization and Immigration.

The literature review sources answered the in-depth questions, on if any link exists between

American Popular culture, globalization and immigration. The materials had recent statistics and

comparative chart of the data gathered, linking the numbers gathered to American popular

culture to globalization. The analysis and information gathered from the materials, highlighted

the migration patterns and its impact over the years, which are important to the research.

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CONCLUSION

United States of America, is always experiencing huge influx of immigrants and the pop culture

shown to the world through media, could have a link to the change in behavior, values and

worldviews of foreigners. Exposure of American pop culture in abroad has created multiplier

effect, which may have links to U.S. immigration too. America’s 1965 immigration law changed

the immigration pattern, ushered in a new cultural exchange and changed America’s DNA.

People move to the United States, sometimes to live the American dream or flee from trouble,

and pop culture may have contributed to their love for American culture. America cannot expose

the world to its entertainment, make profits globally from its cultural products, and not expect a

reaction to occur. American pop culture has an exposure effect, which inspires foreigners to

dream big and yearn for better living standards. This reaction has led to fascination of American

lifestyle, sometimes fictional, and has caused an increase in people moving to United States.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Increase in globalization and American pop culture, will continue to influence

immigration into the United States, a culturally diverse nation. This may help content

creators and corporate firms understand other cultures better, instead of stereotyping.

As long as American popular culture continues to be vibrant, demand for American

cultural products and immigration to the U.S. will continue to increase. This will also

influence an increase in American popular culture and lifestyle in more countries.

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Immigration has positive cultural, social, business and labor benefits to United States,

not just negative effects on population, government aids or environmental change.

American pop culture has an exposure effect and creates achievement motivation for

foreigners, to dream big. These big dreams often motivate them to move to the United

States of America, to do great exploits and turn their dream into a reality.

The presence of popular culture and joint media, will continue to make the world a

global village, a hub for information, networking and agent of global change: new world

order.

Custodians of traditional culture in foreign countries, will always seek ways to preserve

their heritage or prevent any eroding of their values, causing a clash with foreign norms.

This study demonstrates potential link between American popular culture, globalization and

immigration. Recent studies have shown a new trend in U.S entertainment and immigration, as

first, second and their generation of immigrants in the American pop culture industry re-shape

the society. Influencers of American pop culture have in turn changed the world and influenced

the immigration pattern in United States. Also, this study reveals the power of Hollywood, the

American media and how the end results of its products have changed the world. It shows that

exposure to new information, can create a change in viewpoint and influence a rise in

immigration. This capstone will contribute to understanding of the American Popular Culture, its

influence on globalization and link to the reasons people immigrate to the United States.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Crothers, L. (July, 2012). Globalization and American popular culture. Rowman & Littlefield

Publishers.

2. Rubin, R. (2006). In Melnick J. P. (Ed.), Immigration and American popular culture an

introduction. New York, N.Y.: New York University Press.

3. Oja, C. (2011). Immigration and the American compositional dream through the lens of

history. American Music, 31(3), 241-276. Retrieved from

https://www.Immigration+and+the+Americanstory

4. Tisdale, S. (September, 2015) Black immigrants in U.S. earning 30% more than U.S born

blacks. Retrieved from http://www.blackenterprise.com/money/black-immigrants-in-u-s-

earning-30 more-than-u-s born-blacks/

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960s

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http://www.livinginternet.com/

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