Global media and symbolic distancing

Abstract

The idea of ‘self as story’ both overlaps and contrasts with other models of identity. It also extends the idea of ‘culture’ and ‘media’ beyond the organisational structures of, say, the culture industries, broadcasting or the published media, into the everyday modes in which we express and construct our lives in personal terms, telling our own stories. It makes the assumption that it is valuable to look not just at the products of professionals and specialists, but also at the practices of ordinary people in their everyday lives (Finnegan, 1997:69). Indeed after years of anti-apartheid sanctions, South Africa is a country awash with American consumer goods, colonised by American pop culture, and obsessed with American celebrities (Keller, 1993:5). If American popular culture seems so attractive to so many, how do people incorporate it into their activities, fantasies, values, etc. and what meanings are attached to images of the ‘American way of life’ in specific circumstances? (Ang, 1990:256). Hierdie artikel ondersoek die vorming van identiteit deur middel van die media. Dit gee 'n kritiese beskouing van die media imperialisme-tese deur na te gaan hoe Suid-Afrikaanse televisiekykers Amerikaanse televisieprogramme binne Suid-Afrikaanse kontekste dekodeer ten einde hul identiteit te vorm. Die skrywer bevind dat betekenis in komplekse netwerke geskep word en dat dit daarom noodsaaklik is om die sosiale en biografiese kontekste waarbinne mediaboodskappe ontvang word, in ag te neem wanneer identiteitskonstruksie ontleed word.