Hollywood piracy in China: An accidental case of US public diplomacy in the globalization age?

Abstract

Challenging existing approaches and assumptions, this essay identifies the phenomenon of Hollywood piracy in China as an agent of American expansion in the region, amplifying the distribution of US popular culture artifacts. This accidental, yet relevant public diplomacy occurrence thrives outside the control of central governments, driven by transnational profit oriented entities, both legal (Hollywood studios producing and distributing entertainment content) and illegal (counterfeiters amplifying uncensored distribution through piracy). Drawing parallels with US public diplomacy efforts beyond the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, the essay suggests that a similar transformation is occurring through this illegal practice in the digital global media landscape of the twenty-first century. In fact, the diffusion of Hollywood content in China, legally and illegally, increases the diffusion of the American influence in the region through the diffusion of its language, music, and material culture embedded in Hollywood's entertainment artifacts.