Media Nations in a Globalized World

Sabina Mihelj, Media Nations: Communicating, Belonging and Exclusion in the Modern World

Why do we have to discuss globalization? Modern communications technologies are

often called key ingredients in globalization processes: the line between domestic and foreign news events is becoming blurred

Popular music, film, and tv have detached themselves from national environments

Internate and satellite technology: have rise to cross-border information flows; fostering the formation of hybrid identities. What does „hybridity” mean?

Global vs. Local, Cosmopolitan vs. National Cosmopolitanism vs. nationalism debate;

transnationalism: called for the replacement of the nation state as the basic unit of analysis with the global system, networked connections, and the space of flows vs. media as reproducer of nationalism

What do you think? In what sense do the media repoduce a sense of nationhood?

His primary question (also the question of Benedict Anderson): how to evaluate the outburst of xenophobia on the Internet and elsewhere, shall we regard it as the failure of the cosmopolitan/transnational dialogue; he does not regard the nation-state and globalization as findamental opposites

The Grammar of Nationhood

The grammar of nationhood (symbols, national broadcasting systems, national sport teams, etc.) – a globally intelligible language, making even a remote country familiar and knowable. They suggest that global standardization does not necessarily imply an obliteration of difference. A very optimistic standpoint: „nationhood Do you agree?

The media plays a significant role in disseminating this grammar

Role of the Western Models

Contemporary societies: 1. Globalization-theory 2. Centered on the notions of risk 3. Information societiesHe claims that all modern nation states and media systems

conform to the Western model (regarding political and economic institutions; he is not talking about national myths and histories, which are, of course, singular). + what he means by the grammar of nationhood: national media events, national broadcasting systems, national associations of journalists, etc.

Uneven Ways of Transnational Economic and Cultural Flows Immanuel Wallerstein: globalization = the global spread

of capitalist economy and the unequal division of labour Second half of the 20th century: establishment of

multinational corporations and transnational regulatory institutions (World Bank, IMF, World Trade Organization) – „transnational framework for the regulation of economic flows”; these institutions inevitably limit the scope of decision-making at the state level; powerful nations in Western Europe and the US have more power in regulating transnational economic flows; these nations enjoy an advantage over those that seek to reject globalization and protect their culture and economy from foreign influence

Media Economy

Transnational media ownership is concentrated in the west Not a new phenomenon: 1892: 80 % of telegraphic cables

worldwide were owned by the US and the British Empire After the dissolution of the Cold War division of Europe,

Western European and American media corporations made significant inroads eastwards

Not necessarily against nation-making; „transnational media corporations are interested in contributing to nation-making as long as they assume that this will make their products more attractive to consumers”; the ads of global products attract specific audiences if the creators are aware of national preferences

Privately Owned Broadcasting Networks State-owned vs. privately owned broadcasting networks

For example: TV2 in Hungary:- 81.5 % SBS Broadcasting Europe B.V.; - 16 % MTM-TV2 Kft.

- Dutch Danube Broadcastiing BV. RTL Klub:

- 49 % CLT UFA S.A., The European Entertainment Enterprise - IKO – Telekom Média Holding Rt. (31%) - Pearson Netherlands B.V. (20%)

The National and the Transnational

She thinks that national sovereignty is being constantly redefined (not erased) in response to a more complex, global environment

Example of the Internet: „nationalised” versions of international sites, google.hu. The domain names were initially developed without national boundaries in mind (.int, .gov, .com) Her example of the social networking sites in Easter Europe as an alternative is either outdated (iwiw: until 2008)

In other words: theories of Americanization and cultural imperialism gave way to more complex theories of cultural globalization

Diversity and Standardization

„It became increasingly apparent that transnational patterns of media ownership and exchange did not directly translate into an obliteration of national and local differences”

Do you agree? Mind you: she is not talking about „authentic traditions” and the „high culture vs. popular culture” debate; what she is talking about is cultural difference.

Two (contradictory) developments: 1. Greater diversity: the foreign is „domesticated”; e.g. the

adaptation of reality shows 2. Grearer standardization: even domestically produced

artworks are modelled on consumerist imagination

The national for an International Audience: The national for an international audience:

Szabó István, The Door, 2012:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5fgaWhfqQ

(many other recent examples: Parallel Stories by Nádas Péter, Esti Kornél by Kosztolányi, Fiasco by Kertész Imre, etc.)