Globalization of US Pop Culture

The emergence of globalization of U.S. popular culture comes from deep rooted patterns of media influence, symbolic dominance and economic power. Intercultural communication scholars describe this through cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism helps to explain why Western entertainment is so influential and visible globally. In Chapter 1 of “Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction”, Tomlinson (1991) states, “This sense of culture as essentially a signifying system has inclined much of the discourse of cultural imperialism towards a focus on the mass media, which are generally seen as the most important set of signifying practices in modern societies.” This is directly tied to the technological and economic structures that inspire American content, music, films etc. that circulate worldwide much larger than media from other regions. This dynamic shaped the Western cultural norms as a point of reference globally, ultimately shaping how consumers understand success, modernity, and identity. 

Continuing, newer scholars highlight how U.S. cultural visibility expands due to the fact that American media industries continue to maintain a significant structural advantage. Shabir and the three other peer writers in “Mass Media, Communication and Globalization with the Perspective of the 21st Century ”(2015), show that many U.S. corporations continue to dominate much of the entertainment infrastructure worldwide. “Since the 1980s the global reach of media corporations like Time Warner, Viacom, Disney, News Corporations, Bertelsmann and Sony has strengthened, the world has experienced unparalleled levels of potency in the international movement of investment and marketing and also in the global reach of information, knowledge and communication.” Hollywood studios, social media companies, music labels, and other platforms greatly amplify and influence American narratives and aesthetics. This helps to explain why American and Western symbols have become such recognizable touchpoints in music, entertainment, fashion, and more across the world.