Topic 2: When international media (including movies, fashion shows, advertisements and other TV programmes) convey the same messages to the global audience, people argue that the expansion of international media has negative impacts on cultural diversity. What is your opinion?

As international

media

companies expand across the world, the growing popularity and uniformity of some

media

programmes

(

such

as TV shows,

movies

, fashion shows) are causing worldwide concern. Many

people

have strong views toward

this

trend. In my opinion, international

media

is closely linked to cultural globalisation and cultural homogeneity. The dominance of international

media

is a sign of Western cultural imperialism and has the potential to thwart cultural

diversity

. It is not a secret that international

media

is owned and operated by a handful of giant corporations,

such

as Time Warner. They control large sectors of the

media

market and place national

media

companies at risk. The contraction in the number of

media

owners will cause a proportional reduction in the variety of

programmes

broadcasted.

For example

, painting, music and

movies

accessible in the

media

have a small number of genres, imposing restraints on one's knowledge of artworks of different cultural backgrounds.

In addition

to seizing control over those creative industries, global entertainment companies affect cultural

diversity

by reshaping the perceptions, beliefs and norms of ordinary citizens in different countries. Most of the cultural values and ideals promoted by the leading mainstream

media

are of

American

origin.

American

culture values individuality, maximisation of one's benefits and material wealth, rather than communal

life

and family solidarity, the values and norms previously treasured in many Asian countries. Unfortunately, many Asian

people

now imitate

American

people

, causing the alteration of their perceptions of family.

This

radical change can be attributed to those

movies

and TV

programmes

that portray the success of

American

individuals or corporations. The loss of

media

diversity

is

also

responsible for

people

's narrow sense of ways of

life

. The ruling class of many countries speaks English, favours Western food, wears Western-style jackets and even prefers Western weddings. Young

people

are captivated by

American

basketball and some even daubing the names of NBA stars on their school sweatsuits. All these transformations in

life

are the result of the audience's exposure to Hollywood

movies

, TV shows and sports reports. The loss of

media

diversity

will lead to the degradation of culture and to a minimisation of cultural

diversity

. It is a worrying trend, as

people

need cultural

diversity

to preserve and pass on their valuable heritage to future generations, including their lifestyle. As shown above, international

media

, controlled by a handful of transnational

media

corporations, is exporting Western culture worldwide and putting many indigenous cultures at the risk of extinction. The uniformity of

media

programmes

has led to that of artworks, norms and ways of

life

wherever international

media

goes.