The End is Nigh

This international media and communication subject has exposed much more of the media world than I had previously been aware of. I have always been interested in many international issues and this subject has taught me so much more…

What has been the most interesting was learning about transnational film. I guess I already had a slight understanding of this concept with  the processes of making a film (and obviously that it involved people from many different countries), but I was surprised to hear of just how much is adapted from films from other countries. The whole debate over the ‘Americanisation’ versus the hybridity of film has been quite fascinating particularly in regard to the films such as Avatar that have taken many concepts from Eastern culture.

The concept of film and television shows adapted for different contexts was another intriguing topic. It was awesome finding out all those mainstream television shows I assumed were American were actually created elsewhere (like Ugly Betty from Colombia and The Office originally a British show). I am a huge fan of television and film and there is nothing more exciting than finding out the origins of a particular show and how it has been appropriated for other cultures, like The Simpsons being changed for an Arabic audience.

Something else I have learned through this subject was a different approach to reading and listening to the news. I had some knowledge of the way news media could potentially sway an audience to think a particular way about a particular issue depending on the owners of the corporation but the idea of ‘informational bias’ was something I had not come across before. The challenge for journalists to give a balanced report on an issue versus the actual facts was eye opening, especially when it came to global warming. I always thought there was a clear, equal, two sided view of it occurring but obviously there is more evidence to suggest that global warming is happening. This new approach to global warming was even more shocking because of how much damage has already been done. I was completely unaware of the islands of Tuvalu sinking as an effect of global warming. I guess I just thought that global warming was something we’d have to worry about later but the thing is, it’s here and it’s happening right now.

This subject has, and still is, teaching me a lot about international media from hip hop to global media capitals. As this subject is coming to a close, I’m excited to see what else there is to learn about the wonderful, complex, media heavy world in which we live.