Reader Response Draft 1

I agreed to majority of the point raised by Kraidy, such as the phenomenon of cultural hybridization and the apparent releationship between mass media and cultural hybridization. However I don have some opinions towards some controversies he raised. In “Globalisation of Culture Through the Media”, Kraidy (2002) mentions that international media flow has sparked off many debates, where developed nations are accused of taking advantage of the media flow. Developed nations favor the “free flow of information” but the developing nations disagree. As the world becomes more inter-dependent, Kraidy highlights the analytical shift towards globalization. The dispute on whether mass media is the cause of globalization or does it intensifies globalization arises. He also raises that globalization is perceived to bring about either cultural homogenization or cultural hybridization. Kraidy then concludes that transnational mass media intensifies the hybridity existing in cultures globally. I agreed with Kraidy when he raised the topic on cultural hybridization, where the world is no longer dominated by a single culture. Such a phenomenon can be seen in a small, globalized city like Singapore. For example, MacDonalds is a very popular fast food restaurant globally, deemed to be a result of Westernization. However, taking into account of the local culture, MacDonalds in Asia alter their menus, such as introducing Curry Sauce in Singapore, Teriyaki and Ebi Filet-O in Japan. This therefore showed that there is no dominance of one western culture but a dapted, hybridized form of culture globally. However there is an analogy raised by Kraidy that I don not agree on, which is the Chicken-and-Egg analogy, describing the releationship between mass media and globalization. The confusion stated in the passage is whether mass media is the cause of globalization or did it intensify globalization. The stated analogy suggests mutual cause and effect releationship, which I disagree. I believe that mass media is a huge factor that caused globalization, however it is definitely not the only factor. Other factors may include the advancement of technology. Without the advancement of technology, the influence of mass media will not be that great, or even the start of mass media would have never happened. Thus, I believed that it is a build up of many factors that lead to globalization and its wide influence. In conclusion, I agree with the majority of the points Kraidy raised and that transnational mass media, backed up with other relating factors, do intensify the hybridity in existing cultures globally.