Once again, the class discussions truly brought forth the deeper meaning, and agenda, of Appadurai's reading in its totality. One of the links we drew in class was the sustained cultural forces creating a stronger communication across cultures and the ways in which its becoming stronger.
"A new power was unleashed in the world, the power of mass literacy and its attendant large scale production of projects of ethnic affinity that were remarkably free of the need for face-to-face communication or even of indirect communication between persons and groups." (511-512)
Mark Poster brings forth the rhizome and how it spreads down and out, just as Appadurai explains this cultural connection. Thanks to the ability of communication growing there's an equal spread of culture with that communication.
In regards to mediascapes, one of the five dimensions laid out, I was in thought over a governments bias with another country or culture in relevance to media. If a country's government were to have a tiff with America, would they then hold out a lot of American media from their own population? They would seem to have the power and resources to do so. How would this then play into the Americanization of that country? Would this then have a reaction similar to Appadurai's discussion of distance from metropolitan areas and their fantasy images? If a culture is far removed from America, then their images of Americanization would become imagined.
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