Reader Response Draft 2

According to Kraidy (2002)'s “Globalisation of Culture Through the Media”, the mass media’s influence on the globalisation of culture has been constantly debated. According to the “magic bullet” theory, mass media is widely believed to impact audiences. However, scholars doubt how heavily international media can influence globalisation. Cultural Imperialism was caused by an unequal distribution of news, mainly focused on the Western countries. Garcia-Candini (1995) argues that interaction between local and global cultures resulted in hybridisation. Kraidy (2002) eventually concludes that hybridisation has existed long ago. It is further driven by the media and eventually led to the shift from cultural imperialism to globalisation.

Kraidy (2002) states that the mass media simply intensify the hybridity of local and global cultures, but did not result in a complete homogenisation. I agree with his views. Mass media is defined as any form of communication that reaches a large audience. It includes television, radio, advertising, movies, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and so forth.(Cliffsnotes, 2013) According to Kaul (2011), electronic media enabled increased interconnectedness across vast distances and a temporal flexibility in social interaction. With mass media like radio and television in the 20^th century, it allowed more exposure to news and cultures from around the world. One major effect of mass media on Singapore is the local production of music. Music can represent global cultures, yet retain our local identity. Music has been criticised as a result of cultural homogenisation due to the power of American music in the world. However, Dick Lee, a Singapore songwriter, has proven this wrong. Music can be a hybridisation of local and global cultures. His music was described as blending pop funk beats with Asian instruments (Los Angeles Times, 1992). In his song, “Life in the Lion City”, Lee also mixed traditional instruments with synthesisers. Through mass media, more musicians can be exposed to the myriad of music cultures existing in the world. Global music can be incorporated into local productions, allowing hybridisation of music. Hybridity of local and global cultures has been observed in food and language since a long time. But mass media intensified the existing hybridisation by providing the platform which brings upon the hybridisation of music.

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