PROFILE
Tifani Wiyanto is a QUT undergraduate student who is currently enrolled on Bachelor of Mass Communication. She is majoring on Creative Industries's Media Communication and also Business's Public Relation. For New Media Wiki, Tifani has written some articles on the issue of cultural imperialism and its effects on the Internet.
Email Tifani on: t.wiyanto@student.qut.edu.au
© Tifani Wiyanto 12:57, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
SEE TIFANI'S ENTRIES:
- Cultural Imperialism and the Internet
- Annotated Bibliography: Cultural Effect of US Internet Content on Asian Audiences
Tifani Wiyanto
13 August 2004
Student number: 4846567
Words length: 1714 words
Bray, H. (2002, Jun.10) “Gaming Triggered the Evolution of Cybercafe culture [Third Edition],� Boston Globe, retrieved August 8, 2004, from
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=000000124106041&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=text&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=14394
This article explains about the rapid growth of Internet cafes in many Asian countries as a result of the popularity of online multiplayer games. One of the most favourite games, Counter Strike, which has created a new habit and hobby on Asian audiences, is also examined. Counter Strike is an American multiplayer action game, played by combining strategy and team-work and is produced by Valve Software Company which also produced Half-Life, another type of online multiplayer game (Valve, 2003). Furthermore, Bray states Asian countries, such as Korea and China, often open their cybercafés 24 hours a day or combine cafes with bookstores and services in order to play Playstation 2. For Bray, this culture has emerged due to the non availability of personal Internet access for many Asian people who come from poor backgrounds. In fact, people who have Internet access prefer to hang out with their friends in the Internet cafes and enjoy team-based games as their new hobby instead of playing individually at home.
Bray’s article shows that the American Internet content, particularly its online games, has influenced Asian people to experience a new hobby and relationship style with their friends as well as create a new trend of hanging out in cybercafés. Counter Strike or other similar games have impacted Asian audiences particularly for those who are game mania.
Reference:
Valve (2003) "Valve Projects," retrieved August 11, 2004, from http://www.valvesoftware.com/projects.php
Hongladarom, S. (2000) “Negotiating the Global and the Local: How Thai Culture Co-opts the Internet,� First Monday, vol. 5, no. 8, retrieved August 1, 2004, from http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_8/hongladarom/
This online journal article covers how globalisation of culture through the Internet neither creates a global monoculture nor fully changes local culture, using a case study of Thailand. A local Thai’s website such as Pantip.com has been examined to show that Thais are still aware of foreign popular cultures from its websites, which is mainly American culture, while at the same time maintain their own identity. In fact, Hongladarom states that in Pantip.com Thai people can join the community which often discuss Thailand’s cultural issues so that the Thai people can share and gain more knowledge about their own culture. She explains that Thai culture is able to mix with global culture without becoming less Thai. Hongladarom’s study which is relevant to American Internet content impact on Asian audiences is shown by her research in 2000 that found the number of Thai people who had access to the Internet was only 1%. Thus, this shows that the United States Internet content appear to have a trivial impact on Thai people because not many Thais are able to access the World Wide Web and the ability of the Thai culture to blend with the American culture.
Keniston, K. (1998) “Cultural Diversity or Global Monoculture the Impacts of the Information Age,� retrieved August 7, 2004, from http://www.mit.edu/people/kken/PDF/Cultural%20Diversity.pdf
A comprehensive article which demonstrates the new economy, global “wired network� has produced the global monoculture, namely American, particularly through the Internet. Keniston’s further research which is relevant to my subject area is how America domination in cyberspace impacts Indian culture, especially the Indian language. Based on his research, information on the Internet initially can only be received by English-speaking and wealthy Indian people. For Keniston, this access has increased the gap between the rich and poor, the empowered and powerless Indian people, and also has threatened India’s local culture and language. Contact American Internet content influences tend to confirm Keniston’s further research that Indian people had started to develop local language software which allowed them to not only type India’s alphabet on the computer but also retain their local languages.
Hence, with the growth of Indian local products in the global network, we see that American content on the Internet has encouraged the Indian people to compete with American culture by maintaining their local languages. As this article covers the United States’ positive influence from the English web-content, Keniston’s research will be useful in exploring India’s cultural adjustment in depth as one part of the Asian audience.
Kim, S. (1998) “Cultural Imperialism on the Internet,� The Edge: E-Journal of Intercultural Relations, vol. 1(4), retrieved August 7, 2004, from http://interculturalrelations.com/v1i4Fall1998/f98kim.htm
In this article, Kim suggests that the new era of digital communication through the Internet currently facilitates the cultural imperialism of America that controls the web page content. Supported by a case study on South Korea, Kim provides an important example which will sustain the cultural impact of the United States Internet content on Asian audiences.
Kim examines pornographic websites, particularly from America, which have become popular among young people in South Korea. That happens mainly because of a new cultural syndrome which was initially created by a Korean girl, Sung Hi Lee. With her fame as a nude model for United States pornographic websites, many young Korean web users are attracted to find out about her. Eventually, browsing on porn sites is no longer an unusual activity among Korean people. This Internet article states that although the Korean government has tried to ban undesirable websites, still, the Korean traditional sexual culture has already been affected by foreign countries.
Kim claims that there is a major concern from the Korean government and many other Asian governments about the Internet content which contain undesirable material, mainly from Western countries. Hence, Kim’s work is essential in exploring the impact of American Internet content on an element of Asian audiences, South Korea, particularly on Korean sexual life to be different than the existing one.
Li, Z. (2001) “America Influence on China through the Internet,� retrieved, July 31, 2004, from http://www.jour.unr.edu/j705/DE.LI.CHINA.HTML
Li examines American content on the Internet which has brought many changes to the Chinese culture and political structure. Parts of this article which are useful for my research topic are the effects of American culture on the Chinese local culture in general as well as on the Chinese entertainment industry. Li argues that for the Chinese people, the Internet signifies the United States. Since China entered the global community, America has had the biggest influence on Chinese traditions and beliefs. With free access to the cyber world, Chinese people have become familiar with various American brands, movies, music, and lifestyle and this culture eventually competes with the local culture. Secondly, American Internet content which not only affects Chinese consumers but also Chinese producers in the entertainment industry is also examined. Chinese producers, who generally are also web consumers, attempt to follow American models to target the international market by imitating the American entertainment business style or put American elements into Chinese products. Nevertheless, Li states that American influence through Internet will not diminish Chinese traditional culture although changes have happened.
Therefore, in correlation with other resources, American content on the Internet is not seen as having a negative impact on local Chinese entertainment aspect which may also influence the Chinese people. Rather, Li offers his point that the changes that happened are all part of moving China into the modern, twenty first century.
Parmar, A. (2002) “Global Youth United,� Marketing News, vol. 36, iss. 22 retrieved July 31, 2004, from http://gateway.proquest.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=000000228034241&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=html&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=14394
In this article, Parmar views the effects of American culture which have been distributed through the Internet concerning the changes on the Asian teenagers’ attitudes. In high percentage of population, Asian youth are currently experiencing similar things as teenagers in other countries. For Parmar, their style of clothing, favourite music, even their type of drink show that everything American is highly demanded among teenagers all over the world. According to him, Asian teenagers are mainly absorbing these American popular trends through the mass media, especially the Internet. As Sims (2004) states, global teenagers are ‘uniquely tied together by a world wide media web that spreads trends faster that you can say, “I want my MTV!�’. Furthermore, this article surveys between December 2001 and January 2004 found that Asian teenagers were more individual, ambitious, and demand more freedom than their parents’ generation. With a great deal of American culture being absorbed through the Internet, this survey reflects the growing impact of American influence on Asian teenagers’ personal values and growth.
This article contributes my understanding particularly of the American Internet content impacts on Asian teenagers as one part of the Asian demographic. American culture has influenced not only Asian youth’s trends only but also their attitudes in society to be more American.
Reference:
Miller, C. (1995) "Teens Seen as the First Truly Global Consumer,"Marketing News, vol. 29, iss.7, retreived July 31, 2004, from http://gateway.proquest.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=000000090224
Stratton, J. (2002) “Cyberspace and the Globalization of Culture,� in D. Bell and B. M. Kennedy (ed.) The Cybercultures Reader, New York: Routledge, pp. 721-731. ISBN 0-415-18378-2 (HB)
This chapter gives a little information about the power of capitalism and the unequal spread of culture in cyberspace. A particular section which is pertinent to my research topic is the term American Internet content which is compared with the term Western. As many of my other resources examine about the domination of Western culture in the cyberspace, Stratton argues that the Western culture itself refers to American culture. With a great deal of American content in most web pages, even other Western countries, such as Germany, France, or Italy issued the dominant influence of the English language and American culture (Keniston, 1998). Furthermore, according to the top ten web properties rank in 2000, almost all ten of them are American-owned, with American Online ranked the highest as it reached 60% of the world’s audience (Straubhaar, 2002, p.298).
Acknowledging this information will lead to an appropriate conclusion that Western content on the Internet can be regarded as the same as the United States content and thus will give identical cultural effects on Asian audiences.
References:
Keniston, K. (1998) “Cultural Diversity or Global Monoculture the Impacts of the Information Age,� retrieved August 7, 2004, from http://www.mit.edu/people/kken/PDF/Cultural%20Diversity.pdf
Straubhaar, J. and LaRose, R. (2002) Media Now: Communication Media in the Information Age, The United States of America: Wadsworth. ISBN 0-534-55124-6
Wheeler, D. (2000) “New Media, Globalization, and Kuwaiti National Identity,� The Middle East Journal, vol. 54, no. 3, retrieved August 1, 2004, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?RQT=309&VInst=PROD&VName=PQD&VType=PQD&F
Wheeler gives succinct data on the role of the Internet on the Kuwaiti people in general and specifically on Kuwaiti youth attitudes. As one of the Moslem countries in the Middle East, Kuwait actively contributes and accepts the flow of foreign culture on the Internet within its local culture. Wheeler’s point that is important to my research topic is that, the exposure of Kuwaitis to foreign content has had a significant effect on the Kuwaiti youth's attitudes. In another article, Wheeler (no year given) argues that the cyber dating services are one of Western cultural values that have influenced the Islamic tradition. Online dating services have become popular among Kuwaiti teenagers and it has introduced them to a new form of communication beyond gender boundaries. She explains that close relationships with the member of the opposite sex outside relatives or marriage is inappropriate in the Moslem culture.
Here we find that American Internet content affects Kuwaiti people to improve their knowledge about the world through cyberspace. However, American Internet content also devalues their religious tradition of male and female relationships. Wheeler’s work, then, can be used to examine the changes of Asian culture, particularly on Asian religious tradition.
Reference:
Wheeler, D. (no year given) "Islam, Community, and the Internet: New Possibilities in the digital age," The Journal of Education, Community, and Values, retrieved August 11, 2004, from http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2002/03/islam.php
Tifani Wiyanto 08:49, 13 Aug 2004 (EST)
